Today we’d like to introduce you to Hiromi-anne Usui.
Hiromi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been a CPA since 2012. My experience began in the realm of auditing within a medium sized accounting firm, shifting into the Big Four with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 2014. As a child, my parents owned a Japanese and Filipino restaurant, which crafted my passion in representing small family businesses. As I worked for the large corporations, I always dreamed of helping the small mom and pop shops. I left PwC to pursue that dream in 2016.
To be honest, I was not specialized in taxes. As such, I did a few test runs with my family and friends who owned businesses and properties. In order to survive as an entrepreneur, I freelanced as an auditor and received payments as an independent contractor into my own S-Corporation called Hiromi’s CPA, LLC. Not every CPA knows taxes. I was once one of them. I asked advise and received help from freelancing CPA friends who were more experienced than me. I even became a CPA on Demand for TurboTax to get used to reviewing 2,000 tax returns. Over the years, I learned how to prepare tax returns using my own S-Corporation and mastered doing payroll by hand. As I continued to freelance, my tax client list grew. I left auditing to focus on studying the tax case studies and built connections to understand strategic legal ways to reduce taxes. Eventually, I went from a team of one to a team of ten to help me prepare and review tax returns. I changed the name of my firm from Hiromi’s CPA, LLC to Professional Tax Planning, LLC, so that clients understood that I was no longer alone in my business “doing it all.”
Has it been a smooth road?
The road is never smooth in whatever path someone chooses. I chose this path because I have a strong belief in my dream. I will do whatever it takes to achieve what I need to achieve. Although I was a certified public accountant (“CPA”), I wasn’t specialized in tax law. When I left the corporate world, I came to realize that my biggest fear was that I was alone and there was no quality check of my work through proper review. I became the sales manager, tax preparer, tax reviewer, admin, IT director and marketing. It was the worst job description I could ever imagine as a business owner. I needed help badly. I asked friends and family to help me but I was not experienced enough to delegate the business tasks. As I tried to hire inexperienced individuals, I kept having to let them go because there were constant mistakes, more money spent, and increased in time to prep work. I didn’t have enough funds to pay them and I didn’t have the time to train. Eventually, I picked up a book called “E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber. That is when I realized that in the beginning of any business, I would never hire anyone more experienced than me. To become successful, I needed to present clear instructions with checklists and processes. I must properly train the team to perform the mission the way I visualize. At this point, I was running out of funds, so my mother, who is from the Philippines, suggested that I call her best friends in the Philippines. That began my journey to outsource and begin my journey to build a systemized firm.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I chose this CPA entrepreneural life because I truly believe I can change the world. Ever since I was a child, I watched my parents struggle as business owners. The mission of our firm is to help bridge the struggling underserved class with the wealthy classes. We specialize in strategies to build wealth, lawsuit immunity and save on taxes. What sets us apart is that most of my CPA partners were auditors from the Big Four, including myself. I preach about systemization, automation, and organization using technology to earn freedom of time.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I feel our city is a good place for businesses like mine. I recommend anyone to start somewhere that has its economy growing. The busiest airport is in Atlanta, which is surrounded by plenty of “opportunity zones.” I highly recommend taking advantage of the tax credits while the value of these properties are low. There are still properties in the $100k-$200k range. I always recommend to new business owners to find ways to lower their living costs and learn to live modestly before seeking “millionaire” status. In 10-15 years, Atlanta is going to look very different from now, in a very good way.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1455 Lincoln Pkwy E, Suite 420, Atlanta, GA 30346
- Website: https://taxproplan.business.site/
- Phone: 470-588-6764
- Email: info@taxproplan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taxproplan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taxproplan
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/husui2/
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
