In this episode of the Winning at Business and Life podcast, host Professor Pete Alexander conducts a rapid‑fire interview with Julio Gonzalez, CEO of Engineered Tax Services, the nation’s largest tax‑credit firm. Julio shares how his company embeds humor into its culture, emphasizing that a playful work environment boosts morale. He stresses an employee‑first philosophy, arguing that caring for staff naturally leads to better customer service. When asked about a must‑read chapter in a fictional business book, he highlights the importance of the first chapter as a foundation for learning. Julio recommends fellow leader Phil Nikorosis for future podcast appearances, praising his intelligence, compassion, and vegan ethos. He recounts his first job at McDonald’s in the 1970s, describing how the experience taught punctuality, hard work, and people skills that shaped his leadership style. The episode closes with a plug for Engineered Tax Services’ website, which offers daily tax tips for small businesses and accountants to preserve wealth and stimulate economic growth.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
Hi, my name is Julio Gonzalez. CEO for Engineered Tax Services, and we're the largest tax credit firm in the country.
Well, Julio, it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the show. Question number 2: What is something that makes you smile and/or laugh about working in your industry?
Well, I think we try to have a lot of laughs here with our employees, and just having that comedy between us, and we work at that from culture standpoint, is just a lot of fun. It's just good to have that interaction. It doesn't have to be all work. It can be work and a little play.
That's absolutely right. And you know, when you have that laugh at work, it's, it just, it's infectious. And so I assume that that's how you have it at your company as well?
Absolutely.
That's great to hear. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
I'm definitely reading that first chapter. I want to see what's in the book, what's the content, and what am I going to learn and where to dive in. I'm just going to be excited for that first chapter.
Yeah, yeah, me too. I mean, you skip over some great content if you, if you skip over the first chapter. I always told that to my kids, and, and it really is true. So thank you for that. Question number 4: other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, what advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
Well, I would say care for employees. I really feel that if you care for the employees, then you get the care for the customer. And I always thought in the '80s and '90s it was care for the customer. That's what we were preached in the Fortune 500. But I really feel that if we don't care for the employees first, employees first, then the customers will never be first. Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. You know, how many times, I'm sure you've experienced this in your career, and I know I have, where an employee who is really happy at work is going to go the extra mile for the customer, and that keeps that customer loyalty, but it also works the opposite, where if somebody treats the customer poorly because they're not happy, what happens? You lose the customer. Am I correct?
It's true. It's human nature, right? And if you're having that good interaction, you feel great, and you feel like the company's taking care of you, you're going to take care of those people that you're working for. And, uh, I think it's a huge difference.
Absolutely. Question number 4— uh, 5, excuse me. What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
I would love to invite Phil Nikorosis. He's the most incredible vegan in the world, but he runs this company. He's extraordinarily intelligent, compassionate, loves the planet, and is great to his people.
Oh, he sounds like a great candidate. Thank you for that referral. And our final, our final question, question number 6: please tell me about your first job.
Well, probably the first job I had was like many other people in our country, which was McDonald's. So this was back in the '70s. I put on the green polyester suit. I went in there, flipped the hamburgers, you know, put the fries in, made the shakes, made the ice cream back then, the fish sandwiches. And, uh, but you learn so much from that. You learn how to be— go to work. You learn how to go to be there on time, you know, how to work hard, how to interact with people, how to interact with customers. And how to respond to management. It was such a valuable life skill.
And it's, you have to deal with the general public and everything. So it really does teach you something. And I'm glad that you had that opportunity. It probably set you up for your future success in some ways, would you say?
There's no question about it. I started at $2.50 an hour. I went to $2.55 in the first 6 months. I was really proud. I was able to afford my car payment, afford car insurance. And, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. And I was grateful for the people I interacted with. And I understood the value of working hard and being compassionate with your employees and with your peers. And it was truly a wonderful experience.
Well, that's great to hear that. And thank you for sharing that. And Julio, thank you so much for being on the show. How could people find you?
Yeah, engineeredtaxservices.com. We put up daily tax tips. For your small business, your accountant as well, so that you can help preserve some wealth and, uh, help grow the economy and grow jobs through that preservation of wealth.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Get hundreds of amazing business insights from previous guest episodes on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening.
