Today we’d like to introduce you to Alberto Tapia.
Hi Alberto, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my career in the automotive industry, where I spent several years in sales, finance, and leadership roles. That experience shaped how I approach business—focused on performance, problem-solving, and understanding people.
In 2014, I took my first step into entrepreneurship by opening a retail store at the Savannah airport. It gave me early exposure to running a business—managing inventory, dealing with overhead, and understanding customer behavior in a high-traffic environment.
In 2021, I expanded into the rental car space through Turo, building a fleet-based business near the airport. That experience taught me a different side of operations—asset management, utilization, and scaling a business tied closely to systems and efficiency.
Then in 2023, I transitioned into the tax industry. What started as an opportunity quickly became a clear long-term path. I saw that tax preparation wasn’t just about filing returns—it was about helping people improve their financial position and supporting small business owners in a meaningful way.
Since then, I’ve grown into a multi-office operator, managing Liberty Tax locations across Georgia and South Carolina. We’ve focused on execution—building strong teams, improving the client experience, and establishing a strong reputation in each market, particularly through word-of-mouth and online presence.
Today, my focus is on building scalable systems, expanding into year-round services like bookkeeping, payroll, and immigration, and developing leadership within my organization so the business can operate beyond me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The first challenge was the transition itself. Moving from the automotive industry into tax meant starting over in many ways—learning a new technical field, adapting to a highly seasonal business, and building credibility from scratch. Unlike automotive, where revenue is more consistent, tax compresses most of the income into a short window, which creates pressure on cash flow, staffing, and execution.
At the same time, I wasn’t just building one business. Alongside growing multiple tax offices, I was also operating a rental car business through Turo and running a retail store at the airport. Each of those businesses came with its own set of challenges—fleet management, utilization, and financing on the rental side, and inventory, debt, and slower-than-expected sales on the retail side.
Balancing all three forced me to make constant decisions about time, capital, and focus. Not every move worked. Some investments didn’t perform the way I expected, and at times I stretched myself too thin trying to grow multiple ventures at once.
Building teams was another major challenge. Hiring, training, and retaining the right people—especially in a seasonal business like tax—is difficult. There were times I had to step in personally to keep operations running, which limited my ability to work on the business instead of in it.
Financial pressure has also been real. Managing overhead, debt, and reinvesting into growth while maintaining stability required discipline and, at times, tough decisions.
But those challenges forced clarity. I’ve become much more focused on what truly drives cash flow and long-term value. I’ve learned the importance of systems, structure, and building businesses that can operate without constant intervention.
So no, it hasn’t been smooth—but it’s been a process of refining, focusing, and building something more sustainable and scalable over time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Liberty Tax and Vacation Outfitters?
We operate a group of Liberty Tax offices across Georgia and South Carolina, but at the core, we’re not just a tax preparation business—we’re a year-round financial services platform for individuals and small business owners.
Our foundation is tax preparation, but we’ve expanded into bookkeeping, payroll, and immigration services to better support our clients beyond tax season. A large part of our focus is helping working families and business owners not only stay compliant, but make better financial decisions throughout the year.
What sets us apart is execution and visibility. We’ve built some of the strongest reputations in our markets, particularly through Google reviews and word-of-mouth. Many of our clients come in already trusting us because of what they’ve seen online or heard from others. That didn’t happen by accident—it’s something we’ve been very intentional about.
Operationally, we focus heavily on consistency. Clear processes, strong communication, and making sure clients feel taken care of from the first interaction to the final result. In a space where many providers are seasonal or transactional, we aim to be reliable and present year-round.
Beyond the tax offices, we also operate a rental car business near the Savannah airport and a retail store inside the airport. Those businesses give us a broader perspective on operations, cash flow, and customer experience across different industries, and they’ve influenced how we run our tax offices—with a strong emphasis on systems and efficiency.
Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is the trust we’ve built in a relatively short period of time. We’ve been able to establish ourselves as a go-to option in multiple markets, not by being the biggest, but by being consistent and delivering results.
What I want people to understand about our brand is that we’re building something long-term. This isn’t just about one tax season—it’s about creating a business that supports clients year after year, while also developing a team and structure that can grow beyond me.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
If I had to narrow it down to one, it would be discipline.
Not motivation, not talent—discipline. The ability to show up consistently, make decisions when things are unclear, and keep executing even when the results aren’t immediate.
Building multiple businesses at the same time—tax offices, a rental operation, and a retail store—has forced me to stay focused and structured. There are always competing priorities, and without discipline, it’s easy to get pulled in too many directions or chase what feels urgent instead of what actually matters.
Discipline also shows up in how I approach growth. Being willing to evaluate what’s working, cut what isn’t, and stay committed to the long-term vision even when short-term pressures are high.
At the end of the day, discipline creates consistency—and consistency is what builds results over time.
If you want, I can give you a slightly more personal version or a shorter punchline-style answer
