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by Stephen Parezo

Van Ballantyne

September 25, 2006—Van Ballantyne has attended every major Fiducial event but last week’s Sixth Annual Convention in Chicago held a special meaning for him since he was honored as Fiducial’s Franchisee of the Year for 2006.

Howard Margolis, Fiducial’s director of sales and marketing, introduced Ballantyne who received his special award from Mr. Christian Latouche, Fiducial's Worldwide Chairman and CEO.

Ballantyne was chosen as Fiducial’s top franchisee because he exemplifies the qualities of an A.C.E. member of the network.

“A is for accessibility because Van’s accessible and provides valuable input on matters related to the franchise network,” said Margolis. “He’s accessible to the franchisor, the network and to his peers as a mentor.”

C stands for Ballantyne being constructive in his comments and the way he approaches matters through the Franchise Relations Committee while E is for emotion.

According to Margolis, “Van approaches the issues we all face as clients in a professional manner. He also knows how to use the whole system. He understands it and has taken the time to learn why things are done a certain way. He’s even used his peers when needed to provide the best service he can to his clients.”

Regarded as a “Quiet Giant,” Margolis says Ballantyne makes his views known very poignantly but in a quiet professional manner through letters and emails to management.

“Van’s proactive and passionate with staff,” he said. “He’s a total team player and always looking for the best for his clients. He really counsels them on how to grow their business.”

A humbling experience

In an email follow-up to Margolis after the event, Ballantyne revealed that the significance of the honor hadn’t fully set in.

“My toes still haven’t touched the ground after receiving the award,” said Ballantyne. “It means more than you can imagine, not only to me but to my staff, my family and even my clients.”

Ballantyne, who joined the Fiducial network in November 2000 and runs his office out of Greenland, NH, found the awards ceremony to be a very humbling experience.

“That’s because I have looked up to the previous recipients of the award the last few years,” he said. “These people I hold in such high esteem and I always aspired to run my office like theirs.”

Each year Ballantyne looks forward to gathering with his fellow franchisees at the convention because it’s been the time for regeneration and refocusing on opportunities to pick up some new tips and bring them to the forefront.

“Using the convention to pull together some existing ideas and learn some new tips is just a fabulous thing,” he said. “People that were there are able to say that. People who were not miss out.”

Before becoming a franchisee, Ballantyne spent 20 years in the corporate arena as an accountant, CFO, financial officer and vice president of finance and administration. After deciding to operate his own franchise office, he centered his operations in the heart of the small business market where 97.5% of New Hampshire’s entrepreneurs are concentrated. It’s a decision that has built the foundation for steady growth.

One area that has set Ballantyne’s office apart from others is the emphasis on delivering quality customer service.

“What we’ve tried to do here as we’ve added staff is give them an excellent understanding of customer service,” he said. “The product and the delivery are wonderful but if we don’t have the right people answering the phones and helping the clients, we have nothing. You can’t have the process if you don’t have the people.”

Sharing the credit

Asked regularly who his competition is, he politely tells them there is none.

“Nobody is adding the level of added value that our office does,” Ballantyne said. “It could be returning a phone call, giving them an answer, making them aware of tax savings strategies or prodding them into opening a savings account.”

Since opening his doors six years ago, Ballantyne says he’s yet to come across another firm in his area offering the breadth of the services that Fiducial delivers. After all, he’s an Enrolled Agent, Accredited Tax Accountant (ATA) and an Accredited Tax Preparer (ATP), all under one roof.

“If I’ve learned something it’s that the Fiducial model is very strong and very appropriate to the small business market,” he said. “We truly make a difference in our client’s businesses and in their lives.”

Case in point is one of his client’s that operates a successful school offering training for aestheticians in skin care, nails and hair. The business needed some working capital but was repeatedly turned down by banks trying to get a loan because they didn’t have the necessary financial statements. So Ballantyne stepped in and after putting together two years worth of financial records and working directly with the bank, they got their first loan.

Another client benefited from a new pricing strategy that he had proposed. After they took the advice, the business increased their hourly rate and in doing so added an extra $36,000 to the bottom line without losing existing customers.

Getting out from behind his desk, Ballantyne has given back to the community by working with local organizations. He recently became vice chairman of the board of the Exeter Chamber of Commerce and assists area business leaders as an accountant executive for the United Way.

Ballantyne was singled out for his outstanding efforts over the past year as a franchisee with the shiny award he received now proudly displayed in the middle of his office.

“The credit is shared among all my office staff here,” he added. “It’s theirs as much as mine”

Stephen Parezo is the Media Manager for Fiducial.

Whatever your small business needs, your Fiducial tax and financial professional can analyze your situation and recommend an appropriate action plan. To locate a Fiducial office nearest you on fiducial.com, see the Zip Code Locator located in the upper right hand corner of the page. Do you have a particular topic that we should be writing about that can help your business? Please send your suggestions to: stephen.parezo@fiducial.com.

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