We had the good fortune of connecting with Toriano Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Toriano, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting T Lauryn Martin was to be an affordable resource to individuals and small businesses to help them reach their personal and business goals.
Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
T Lauryn Martin is a CPA firm dedicated to individual, non-profit organizations, and small/medium businesses that need accounting, tax, and consulting services. T Lauryn Martin provides a dedicated and personal level of service that lets our clients know they are important and That we care about their success both professionally and personally. My goal is to have a client proudly say, “I have a personal CPA!”
I have over two decades of accounting and tax experience. Throughout my career, I was able to foster high levels of trust and confidence with clients and developed close relationships along the way. During my career, I realized that I was most satisfied when I could provide that personal level of service to clients. The problem was, due to corporate structure and business goals, that personal service was not always possible. The formation of T Lauryn Martin CPA was the solution! With T Lauryn Martin CPA, you will not have a firm looking after your financial affairs but you will have a personal Certified Public Accountant.
The road to becoming a CPA and starting my own firm has been a long and tough road. In the 9th grade at Business Magnet School in Dallas, I had an introduction to accounting class and from that moment, I knew I was going to be a Certified Public Accountant. I went to the Navy for three years after high school, I delivered mail for the USPS but I never gave up the dream of being a CPA. Two particular instances pushed me towards my dream, a big dog chasing me with mail in my hand and I had to jump on top of the mail truck and had to deliver mail late in the evening just to go home, eat dinner, and was back up by 5:30 the next morning to do it all over again. I made the decision to use my military education benefits and go to college. I started my professional career as an accounts receivable specialist, advancing through the ranks to Senior Accountant and into management and now Firm Owner. The biggest challenge was studying for the CPA exam while maintaining a family and a full-time job. All praise to God for his blessings! That exam will make you cry and second-guess why you are putting yourself through this! Through it all, the lessons I learned were to Trust God in all things, seek His guidance and direction for your life and everything else will take care of itself.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Favorite Spots in the city:
A week-long trip would include catching a Dallas Mavericks game at the American Airlines Center, catching a local band at Lava Cantina, and hanging out at the Shops of Legacy. Grandscape is another fun place we would hang out. Great food choices and different bands playing on the lawn makes Grandscape a really cool place to hang out.
There are so many great food places in the city but one that must, have to eat a Fleming’s Steakhouse. The diablo butter sauce everyone must experience! If Mexican is the flavor of the day then Anamias is my choice. Velvet Taco would also be included in that week-long trip.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother. Her prayers, encouragement, and advice gave me the courage to branch out of my comfort zone to reach a new level personally and professionally.
Website: tlaurynmartincpa.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/t-lauryn-martin-cpa/
Facebook: tlaurynmartincpa
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/t-lauryn-martin-cpa-little-elm
Image Credits
Fredonja’s Touch Photography