In 2011, Erin Neer had finally found a solution.
Erin, who is a CPA, was working as a finance director for a municipality in Colorado. During her tenure, she began to see that many municipalities, cities, counties, and states throughout the country were struggling to streamline their tax collection and licensing processes for businesses within their communities. Most jurisdictions were using antiquated methods that involved manual calculations, paper coupons, extensive mail processing, and frequent runs to the bank.
This resulted in frustrated business owners, overworked staff members, unpaid fees, and a myriad of other issues.
The more Erin analyzed the situation, the more she realized that there had to be a better way.
She decided to create an online nexus to connect businesses and jurisdictions in the simplest, most streamlined way possible.
With MUNIRevs, businesses can log in to the system and take care of anything they owe the city. Jurisdictions can use the powerful processing tools to manage compliance through integrated automations and a full suite of reporting and auditing tools.
Throughout the pandemic, the need for MUNIRevs has increased dramatically. Since 95% of their process is electronic, jurisdictions no longer need to manually sort through mail or deposit checks. Instead, the entire collection process can be completed online with very little hands-on management; it’s a turnkey solution for every type of government entity.
“One of the most exciting things we’ve done in the last year is deliver new revenues through our system,” Erin says. “This applies when local jurisdictions form an economic nexus, and it has made a really big difference in terms of volume of revenue that we’ve been able to collect for the communities, all while making it easy for businesses to comply.”
Today, MUNIRevs provides services for the Colorado Department of Revenue, all of the cities in Alaska, and more than 90 other jurisdictions across the country. They even provide support for businesses in the jurisdictions they manage. When business owners have a question, they can reach out to MUNIRevs for an answer, which takes one more thing off the jurisdiction’s plate.
When she launched her company in 2011, Erin met several helpful advisors through the SBDC. “Gary Masner, who went on to form SCAPE, was crucial,” she says. “SCAPE has been integral in our growth. It introduced me to really great investors and board members, which helped MUNIRevs grow. We are really lucky to have so many robust experts in our community.”
Erin encourages other entrepreneurs to pursue depth of knowledge before launching a product and to get advice from local resources. “I really do believe it’s important to know your industry deeply before you launch a product. If you don’t know your industry intimately, you can’t invent the right solution. Get depth first, then find someone who resonates and get their advice. Don’t hold your cards too close to your vest.”
