Jarin Jaffee’s background was as an educator and administrator in private schools, but after getting involved with Profile by Sanford, he pivoted to a new way of helping people improve their lives. He joined the health and weight loss program in 2018, and in 2019, he opened the Toledo Profile location. “I lost 35 pounds, and it helped change my life, so I got involved as a business owner,” he says. “We’re now the number two Profile location in the country.”
Before opening his business, Jarin joined a Business Networking International group, where he met Tom and Amy Friedel, owners of Padgett Toledo. “I was already connected to ADP and had a bookkeeper in Nebraska through Profile, but I needed an accountant, both personal and business,” Jarin explains. “So, I started with Tom and Amy through Padgett. Eventually, I asked what it would cost to add payroll and moved that over. They’ve helped me with PPP and ERC during COVID-19, my quarterly filings, pretty much everything except bookkeeping.”
With Padgett by his side, Jarin’s Profile business quickly found success. He broke even in less than a year, in March of 2020, and maintained profitability even during the pandemic. By September, his location was in the Top 25 Profile locations nationwide before taking the first-place spot in spring 2021. Though two locations have since merged and pushed the Toledo Profile down to number 2, it remains the top-rated fitness location in Toledo and a preferred referral of many local doctors. All together, Profile Toledo members have lost about 21,000 pounds—including Tom.
“Tom actually joined our gym, and he’s one of our ten members who has lost over 100 pounds in our program,” Jarin says. “We’re proud to support him as a business owner and support his health, because as a business owner his health is not entirely his own. Tom and Amy know what I do and believe in what I do.”
In Toledo, Jarin says that relationship-based connections are key, and that makes Tom and Amy’s large network an important benefit. “He’s helped refer others to us,” Jarin says. “I’ve certainly tried to steer some people their way as well. I consider Tom and Amy a big part of our success and I’m very grateful for them. I recommend Padgett whenever I can.”
“Small business ownership is really hard, even when you’re winning,” Jarin warns. But his advice for other small business owners? “Don’t sacrifice your family and personal happiness because it ends up not being worth it. It’s important to build a team of people to support you—you need those people to help you dig out of your mistakes. Otherwise, business ownership can feel lonely.”
But between spending lots of time at home with his wife and children and working with his Padgett partners, Jarin has avoided the loneliness. “I consider Tom and Amy friends,” he says. “I love their whole staff. They’ve been very helpful beyond the typical small business accountant services.”
“The thing I value most about Padgett is the personal attention,” he adds. “I can ask Tom and Amy questions in an informal way, and they never make me feels stupid. I don’t have a background in finance or accounting, and I know I ask some ‘dumb questions’ but they never make me feel like my questions aren’t worth their time. Shelley is amazing with payroll help, answering questions from my employees. It all goes back to that level of service that’s relationship based instead of transactional.”