I had no idea what it was. I had an invitation from a coworker, they had this idea for Toastmasters and so I started going over to Oak Hill chapter here in Austin to try and learn a little bit more about what it is and how these communication skills are developed. I went in not knowing anyone and not really knowing anything about Toastmasters. Then I slowly saw that each meeting runs very efficiently so you have an agenda and you have an hour to go through the whole meeting and part of the process is everyone having a role to play in the meeting, so we each hold each other accountable. Each Toastmaster meeting has a different role, so someone who counts who gives 10 minute speeches and initially I was very scared but then sometime in life you just have to raise your hand. That was my first moment where I got involved with Toastmasters. Ever since then I’ve been participating every Wednesday here at EGBI. I’m still learning more about what it is and how to form that community through Toastmasters.
Can you provide an overview of Toastmasters International and Its mission?
It’s an international nonprofit, focused on developing professional, personal skills, communication, and leadership. Toastmasters is creating a community and a safe space where you’re able to practice those skills. Some of us come from backgrounds where public speaking is something that can be very stressful. Getting into the meeting and learning the structures and roles. Toastmasters holds everyone accountable in different ways so they are learning pathways that you undergo depending on the skill that you want to develop whether it’s time management or organizing your speech. We offer Toastmasters in different languages. It’s for number 1: building community and creating a safe space. Then also having accountability and practicing speeches that are personal or professional. Toastmasters empowers entrepreneurs to refine their communication skills and excel in their business. It gives people an opportunity to practice their public speaking abilities and also their leadership abilities. Toastmasters really helps people be able to develop those fantastic skills.
How has being involved in Toastmasters impacted your personal and professional development?
I found myself in this professional and personal development purpose. It’s been very useful, I’ve never been very adept at public speaking. It’s always something that’s gotten me nervous, but once you practice something over and over again it becomes easier. Maybe that fear never goes away but it becomes easier and it becomes a routine. On top of that you learn to use your body language in order to communicate. It’s a big part of the way you try to engage with your audience. Another thing is being aware of your audience and conscious of who is listening to you. Whether it’s a bilingual audience or an audience of small business owners of community leaders. You have to adapt your speech to communicate your message. In my personal life whether we consider it public speaking or not we do this a lot in our family events. We want to be able to communicate quickly, efficiently, and be very vulnerable in our message but also have that organization so your message is clear.
What are the primary benefits for individuals who join?
The primary benefits that I’ve seen so far is whether you have to prepare for your speech for personal or professional life. It helps having an audience accounting for the factors you can’t control. Toastmasters is a place to prepare you for the unexpected.
How does Toastmasters specifically benefit small business owners, and what skills can they expect to develop?
The way you communicate in your marketing can really help differentiate yourself. Toastmaster is where you learn how to do that because you have two minutes to communicate a clear message, you have to explain what you do as a business owner. Usually it takes 3 minutes for someone to stop listening so it learns how to communicate efficiently. It’s a skill that we’ll use either in a small business or in life.
How does Toastmasters foster a supportive and constructive environment for improving communication skills?
A big part of Toastmasters is constructive feedback, so we each tell each other what we do well. We recommend each other to go with our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. I have certain tendencies in my public speaking that I wasn’t even aware of until someone from Toastmasters analyzed the way I speak. Telling me from a place of development positively telling me what I did very well and what I could improve on. At first everyone is nervous, no one knows what to expect after it becomes “How are you?”, “How are your kids?”. You start building that community and start being intimate with one another. You’re not scared of being scared in front of anyone. It’s a positive and safe space. It’s through meeting each other every day and holding each other accountable but making it a fun and safe space.
For entrepreneurs hesitant about joining Toastmasters, what would you say to encourage them to take a leap?
I think the best thing is to just show up. The goal of Toastmasters is to get everyone to speak publicly. We always try to get people to speak publicly but that can come in different forms: “Hi, welcome in, can you tell us your name, last name, and what you do?”. That’s enough, the first step is showing up even if you’re scared of speaking publicly. Everything is volunteer based, I really recommend it if you have a fear of public speaking, it’s just a thing where you just put yourself in the position. Once you start doing it you realize you might even enjoy it sometimes and even if you don’t it gives you a voice, it’s a place to practice and prepare. So I recommend you to come in and try it and if you don’t like it you can say that you’ve done it and you tried it.
Can you share a memorable moment you’ve experienced here in Toastmasters?
My favorite part of Toastmasters is the community that’s built. I’ve been getting to know a bit more of our members and what they do and even beyond that a little bit more about themselves. There was a new participant, this was their first meeting. We didn’t have any speakers in our agenda so I asked for some volunteers and she shot up her hand, never really having met anyone in the room yet, kinda visibly nervous but also excited. She gave an amazing impromptu speech about the importance of getting out of your zone and the importance of raising your hand. It was very inspiring because you hear about their story, they get very vulnerable, they’re honest with the way they are feeling, but they’re doing a good job at it too. After that we saw a bunch of people volunteering. I asked for another ten minute speaker and someone shot up their hand and someone shot up their hand and gave a ten minute speech with little preparation. Later sessions we had people who had not participated in the first meeting, they have finally found their voice, confidence, and were able to present. Sometimes you just have to volunteer yourself, raise your hand, and figure everything out afterwards you get out of your comfort zone.
How can we find more information about joining EGBI Toastmasters?
You can visit our website here at https://egbi.org/toastmasters-en/. Our office phone number is (512) 928-2594. You can also email at david@egbi.org and I’m happy to share more information.
To find out more information about what we do here at EGBI look at our website here.
Starting a new business comes with its challenges, but if you’re a veteran in the state of Texas, there’s a unique opportunity to ease the burden. The Texas Veterans Commission Veteran Entrepreneur Program offers a Veteran Verification Letter (VVL), a powerful tool that not only recognizes your service but also provides tangible benefits. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of obtaining a VVL and unlocking significant cost-saving advantages.
Eligibility Check
Before diving into the application process, ensure you meet the eligibility criteria for the Veteran Verification Letter. To qualify, you must have: – An Honorable/General Under Honorable US Military Discharge – 100% Veteran-Owned (can be more than one veteran owner) – A new entity formation between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2025
2. Click on the “Connect with a Business Consultant” button to initiate the process.
3. Complete the three-part questionnaire provided by the Texas Veterans Commission.
Step 2: Information Gathering
Prepare the following documents before initiating contact with a Business Consultant: – DD214 – Member 4 or Service Copy 2: Ensure it shows discharge status. – VA Letter of Service Disability: Must include branch of service, dates of service, and discharge status. – NGB22 (Texas National Guard Only): For Texas National Guard members. – Verification of any name changes: Include relevant documents like Marriage Certificates, Divorce Decrees, etc.
Step 3: Contact with a Business Consultant
After completing the questionnaire, a Business Consultant from the Texas Veterans Commission will contact you directly. Be ready to share the gathered information and discuss your business plans.
Benefits of the Veteran Verification Letter.
Upon successful verification, you’ll receive a Veteran Verification Letter. This document holds significant advantages for your new business: -Waived $300 Registration Fee: Say goodbye to the initial registration fee with the Secretary of State. -Five Years of State Franchise Tax Exemption: Enjoy the first five years of your business without the burden of state franchise tax.
Conclusion Obtaining a Veteran Verification Letter through the Texas Veterans Commission can be a game-changer for your new business. Not only does it recognize your military service, but it also provides substantial financial benefits. Follow the steps outlined in this guide, and you’ll be on your way to unlocking opportunities that will make a meaningful difference in the early years of your entrepreneurial journey. This is a great first step towards many more to come.
Thank you for your service, and best of luck with your new venture!
Please do not hesitate to reach out to EGBI’s Business Coach and Veteran Services Coordinator Monica Perras at perras@egbi.org or call her directly 737-239-0221. A business coaching appointment is at no cost due to a contract with the City of Austin.
La Incubadora Podcast is part of the Economic Growth Business Incubator, a local non profit with the mission to provide training, coaching, and support to aspiring existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business. La Incubadora Podcast is born out of the need to put in video and audio a lot of the success stories that we see at the business incubator. We also want to frequently asked questions and connect small business owners with the resources to succeed in business on your own time and wherever you are while you have access to a mobile device. This episode is produced with the support of Raycast media, EGBI sends a big thank you to Raycast media for their partnership. Today we dive into the intricacies of Travis County taxes, assets, and inventory requirements for small business owners featuring insights from EXP experts at Travis county Appraisal District from understanding what constitutes personal property to navigating rendition forms and filing deadlines. We explore essential questions relevant to entrepreneurs, discover exemptions obligations regarding property value, discrepancies and implications of business changes.
The goal of this episode is to equip you with the valuable knowledge to effectively manage your tax responsibilities and asset inventory in Travis. Travis County Appraisal District business personal property department is responsible for maintaining all personal property accounts including reviewing renditions on personal accounts including renditions on personal property and removing accounts for entities that are no longer in business as of January 1st of each year. Our host will be Amy Cobb and we have two guests from TCAD, our first guest is Nancy Wiatrek, who serves as director of the Business and Public policy department and has more than 15 years of experience working on personal property issues with the district. We also have invited Samantha Leija, who currently serves as a senior personal property appraiser and has been with TCAD’s BPP department for more than two years.
What does Travis Central Appraisal District do and what do you all do?
Nancy says,
This mission of the Travis Central Appraisal District, given the coordinate of the Texas Constitution and the laws of the state is to provide accurate appraisal of all property in Travis County at 100% market value that is equally and that in a professional ethical and economical courteous manner. We work to ensure that each taxpayer only pays their fair share of the property tax burden. To keep our current data correct, business personal property appraisers will conduct an annual canvas for each personal property account in Travis County. Additionally visit each address to encourage compliance in reporting by taxpayers and to discover personal property. Typically if you own a business you are required to report personal property that is used in your business to the appraisal district. The appraisal district uses the information to estimate the market value of your business property for annual tax purposes. Texas requires businesses to pay property taxes to each taxing unit based on the market value of the inventory and assets it owns or uses in the production of income. This year we are estimating 35,000 renditions that will be mailed out to Travis Central business owners within the next week that is due April 15th. We have a lot of renditions that we are going to be provided back and all of our appraisers are going to process through
What counts as personal property, and why do I have to fill out a Rendition Form?
Samantha says,
What counts as a personal property is all assets are used in production of income, so that’s going to include your furniture, such as desks, chairs and tables. Machinery equipment such as restaurant equipment or like your heavier machinery like forklifts, Office machines like computer scanners and phones, we also have computers, vehicles, boats, aircraft, raw materials, finished goods. Businesses aren’t required to render intangible personal properties so you’re looking at your cash, accounts receivable, computer software such as your Microsoft Office. Rendition Forms have to be filled out annually by April 15th or by extension May 15th. That extension is automatically granted so long as it’s been requested before April 15. We have a form on our website that can be mailed in but we can also receive emails for those extensions as well.
The extension form at the bottom has an address to mail to as well as our email address is: bpp@tcadcentral.org
Travis County Appraisal District mailing address is: 850 East Anderson Lane Austin, Texas 78752
What happens if I don’t complete a rendition form, and what if I sold my business last year but still received a property tax bill?
Samantha says,
If you sold your business last year, we do need to be notified which can be done a couple different ways so you can do it by email bpp@tcadcentral.org and you could also mail in a not in business affidavit that can be requested directly from the cad. Email is always better because we can print that out directly and send it via email and it just needs to be returned once we do that, the account will be closed for the year.
Are there exemptions available that would exempt me from having to fill out a rendition or pay property tax?
Samantha says,
Yes we do have a couple different exemptions available that would exempt you from having to fill out a rendition or property tax. We have a religious or charitable exemption so those are going to be your nonprofits and of course your churches. If those are granted, property owners don’t have to fill out an annual addition. Once it’s granted then it keeps that exemption for the life of the property. We do have another exemption for a vehicle used both in the production of income and personal use, you’re looking at your realtors. That makes the vehicle exempt from taxes but all other assets are still required to be rendered and they are still subject to taxes. That exemption is per vehicle not per account, so if the vehicle is sold or replaced a new exemption needs to be applied for. All other exemptions we have such as Freeport Exemption and Biomedical Exemption, those are still subject to property taxes in some form. So an annual application and rendition are still required.
A non profit or church can’t just assume if they have their 501c3 through the state, they still have to file an exemption because it has to be at the county level as well.
My notice of Appraised Value was higher than the amount I rendered, why is that, and can TCAD help me complete my rendition form?
Samantha says,
A property owner is required to file a rendition per the Texas property tax code annually. However we at the district aren’t required to accept it typically because we’re seeing assets that are missing. For example, we’re looking at a rental car place and we want to see those cars along with the assets so we do have alternate methods of evaluation.
If you notice something is not right, there are instructions to file the protest on it and we don’t typically help complete rendition forms just because you’re the one who knows the most about your business so if we try to help you we may not have the most accurate information about what you’re reporting. Although we can answer general questions so what can go in what section or if you’re confused on some verbiage we can answer general questions about that rendition.
I disagree with my property value, can TCAD adjust my value without me having to protest?
Nancy says,
No, so once the market value has been set and a notice of appraise Value has been mailed, the only way TCAD can review accounts to make changes or potential changes is with an active protest on file for the year that the value is in question.
How can I find more information?
Nancy says,
The first thing you need to do is visit our website at www.traviscad.org there we have frequently asked questions you can speak to one of our customer service representatives by phone as well as through the agent and/or taxpayer portal. I do want to say that at the end of February 28th, the BPP department will be hosting an informational webinar at 12 pm to provide further detail in regard to business personal property. If you go to our website you may sign up on our web page. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next webinar and that is typically going to go over the rendition process. The webinar will be about an hour long.
Appreciation
Amy says,
It has been a pleasure chatting with Nancy and Samantha today and we hope you find this episode useful to you. If you know someone who could benefit from listening to this episode please share the link to this episode with them. Remember that La Incubadora Podcast is part of the Economic Growth Business Incubator, a business incubator in Central Texas that offers training, coaching, and support to small business owners with barriers to achieving success. If you would like to learn more about the Economic Growth Business Incubator services please visit egbi.org and see you soon!
Kandace Vallejo is the owner of remedios consulting, she’s the founder and principal of remedios consulting and she’s a serial founder and intersectional organizer who has worked in social movements and philanthropy, she has built LED and scaled multiple efforts and grant making initiatives for racial climate and economic justice. She pairs her two decades of social impact experience with extensive training in the healing arts, her sharp political analysis and strategic mind combined with her keen business sense and highly relational sensibilities to position herself as a unique partner to nonprofit and philanthropic entities, working to align with and strengthen social movements. In 2014 she founded Youth Rise Texas, where she worked alongside young people to build a healing centered movement contesting criminalization and deportation. Miss Vallejo is a co-founder of the Texas Youth Power Alliance and the founding board chair of jolt action.
We share the conversation…
Larissa- What do you enjoy most about your job?
Kandace- Really for me, it’s about helping make other people’s life and their work easier and helping people grow, and helping people who are ready to take that next step in their life and their work. To take things to the next level and help connect people to other people and to other kinds of resources and to help people think outside of the box. Having been a founder I know so often, when you’re in the thick of everything and you’re just trying to get done with the things that you want to get done and you know everytime you get a big project done. I used to always say as a founder “I’m climbing 10 mountains at once and every time I climb one I look over the horizon and I’m like oh God there’s another 10 and you keep going”.
Larissa- Why do you think people/organizations fail to build profitable businesses?
Kandace- I think so often what I see leaders struggling with, whether it’s a business leader or a nonprofit leader, is that we’ve failed and I’ve done this too. I’ve failed to build the necessary foundations, back office and Operational Support that we need to be able to grow a sustainable and profitable business.
Larissa-What do business owners need to do to prepare to have a profitable 2024?
Kandace- One of the things that I would recommend people thinking about is to really focus on the basics of your business, what are your one to three main product, best sellers, what data can you pull about your revenue, your sales, your products, that can help you understand what are those three core products that your delivering to market. The other piece of advice I would give is, to think about your one or two major pain points that you’ve run into in the past year and try to think big picture about those pain points.
Larissa- How important is it to have a team that matches the goals of your business?
Kandace- Yeah I mean I was not aware that the statistics are that businesses will close in eight years, do more to the fact that there isn’t enough leadership support than its dues to revenue closure. I’ve seen it so many times, and i’ve lived it myself in the nonprofit world, working in startup nonprofit, and feeling burnt out and feeling like I just can’t get everything done in the amount of time that I have, and that feeling alone can really drive burnout so I really think team is everything. Think about how to build that core team as early as possible, of other leaders who are going to support your business growth.
Larissa-Why do employees fail?How important is it to have a team that is well trained for success?
I think that the training is of course crucial but I also think that if you are in a scenario where you have employees that you believed when you hired them you made the right choice and it’s still not working for some reason, then I think that’s also on us as owners and business leaders and nonprofit leaders to look at ourselves and to hold that mirror up to ourselves and say okay where did I go wrong to here to be able to identify for ourselves also our own growth edges or our business, to see where perhaps the business may be missing something that employee needed or where we as leaders may be missing something.
Larissa- What would you like people who listen to us to take away today?
Kandace- I think the biggest thing that I hope leaders that I used to talk to and work with, can think about is really how to build more Operational Support for themselves in their business. For some people, that is hiring an external company to do HR. For some people that might be contracting out your bookkeeping and paying someone else to do that piece of work that’s going to take them less time to do it then it will you because maybe you are not a numbers person.
Larissa- What services do you offer at Remedios Consulting?
Kandace- I think the way that I like to work with clients is very hands-on and very boutique so I don’t have specific programs that I put anyone through. What I like to do is have one to two discovery calls with someone to understand where they are at in the stage of their business growth, what are their major pain points, and what are they hoping to achieve in the coming years so that we can design a tailormade set of services for them.
Laura Ramos James is an expert with liability insurance and working with commercial businesses. Attorney Laura Ramos James is the owner of Ramos James law, a legal firm with over 20 years of combined experience in successfully handling hundreds of personal injuries and accident cases representing individuals, workers, and families who suffer from accidents, workplace injuries, product liability, truck accidents, wrongful deaths, and personal injuries. She graduated with honors from St Mary’s University and joined the prestigious Baylor law school program. Laura practiced as an insurance defense lawyer before becoming a planted lawyer and she’s truly knowledgeable of the legal strategies used by her opponents in court. She has won numerous awards during her practice. She and her team have continuously worked to develop their network of professionals to help their clients.
We share the conversation
Larissa- Please tell us a little more about your story and how you got to this career.
Laura- I am actually a dog bite survivor, I was bit by a dog when I was a toddler and I of course experienced trauma and injuries and a lot of the stuff that goes along with that. Growing up I wanted to help people that were in a similar situation but I didn’t quite know that my path would end up taking me to a legal career even though I did want to be a lawyer since I was little. Eventually I went to law school and found a way to be in the courtroom.
Larissa- What do you enjoy most about your job?
Laura-Two things I enjoy the most, I love writing wrongs and if somebody is responsible and refuses to take responsibility I just automatically side with the person that was wronged and it gives me great pleasure to bring justice to that person and make things right. The other thing that I really love is even though I’m an introvert, at the same time I’m a people person, I love people so I really truly love getting to know my clients, working with my team and getting to know people from all walks of life.
Larissa- Do you frequently work with small business owners, or against small business owners?
Laura- I would say a lot with small business owners because small business owners are typically the individual, so we work a lot with individuals and big insurance companies. We represent them as a person that was hurt, we don’t represent the business.
Larissa-Can you give us 3 examples of things that small business owners frequently fail to do and they should do to improve or mitigate risk?
Laura- That is really good I think focused and helpful because like you said it is very easy to think, $200, $300 that I save is gonna help me a lot but if you expose your whole business then it’s pointless to have not invested in protecting it. The three things that small business owners frequently fail to do and they should do to improve and mitigate risk would be to get commercial insurance, the other one would be to create a Limited Liability company (LLC) and to have a liability waiver in place for their company.
Larissa- Why do you think they don’t pay attention to it?
Laura- I think it’s a very easy call to say, I’ve gotten a quote. It’s $200 a month if I get commercial liability insurance or however much, like I would rather just use this money to get more laptops for my business. The majority of people, we don’t think it’s going to happen to us, like it happens to other people but we’re like what are the chances that it’s gonna happen here.
Larissa- What can be the consequences of neglecting to do this?
Laura- The consequences can range from, you having to pay out of your own pocket you know, open your checkbook and write a check to someone who is making a claim or trying to cover their losses, to absolutely losing your business. Losing personal assets if you fail to create an (LLC), so things that you have been working towards and building and trying to create can all get taken away because you neglected to mitigate risk.
Larissa-How can small business owners stay updated with risk management strategies for their business or vehicles?
Laura- I would say there are a lot of resources that are free of cost and some others have limited cost. Obviously staying in touch with organizations like yours and similar organizations can always be sharing those types of strategies with them, there are now in the Advent of the availability of information at our fingertips where we can just research things like that. The Texas department of insurance has put out certain resources like that for people.
Larissa- What would you like people who listen to us to take away today?
Laura- Probably, broader than the specific three things that we discussed, I would say, I would like small business owners to take away that, always stay educated always seek out knowledge and you know don’t bury your hand in the sand and say, you know we’re all busy, we all have homes and we all have businesses and things like that. It’s easy to kind of turn a blind eye or say, I don’t have time, I don’t have money. To seek out education is the best way to save some money in the future for your business and protect it.
