Ron Yamashiro has been a certified public accountant for more than 30 years. He began his career as a financial analyst, spending five years in the oil industry, before he joined Brewer & Tominaga Certified Public Accountants in 1988. He became a partner in the firm in 2001, specializing in tax planning, mergers and acquisitions, supporting tax-related litigation and managing corporate liquidations.Question: What inspired you to start your business?Answer: My dad. After years of working for someone else, he started his own plumbing company in the San Fernando Valley. It’s always a scary “leap of faith” when jumping from the private sector to owning your own business, but my dad navigated well through this process and became very successful. He was an inspiration to me as I transitioned 33 years ago from the financial department of Exxon Corp. to the public accounting firm of Brewer & Tominaga CPAs.
Do you like being your own boss? Do you ever think about trading it for a steady paycheck?Not a day goes by with thoughts of trading my partnership for a job with a regular paycheck. The mental stress of being a CPA is exhausting especially with complying with all the tax deadlines and adhering to new tax law changes. But in the end, I would not change my position of being in control of my own destiny for any other type of work.
What’s the best aspect of running your own business?Working closely with energetic and caring staff and partners, which keeps the office environment fun and lively. Another rewarding plus is the “one on one” interaction with clients to get to know them, not only on a “business” level but a “personal” one as well. Finally, the scheduling flexibility of being a partner is a great benefit.
And the worst?In running your own business, the worst part for me is not being able to turn off your “work” mind completely. When I’m away from the office, my laptop and phone is always close enough to remotely access my work computer, check emails and answer client calls.What’s the biggest challenge your business has faced? And how did you deal with it?COVID. In an instance, we were faced with working remotely, compliance with new tax deadlines, quick learning of the financial assistance offered to small businesses and more recently all the tax law changes. Our firm weathered successfully through this turbulent time by staying in touch with our clients and staff.What’s your favorite story about running your business?To increase your customer base and value as a partner you need to get involved in civic and community groups. Our firm joined the local chamber of commerce and Rotary Club, where I represented our firm. That was 19 years ago. My participation in these groups included starting a new chamber networking group that is still around today and serving as president one year and board member for many years of our Rotary Club. My association with these groups during this time has resulted in not only getting new clients, but, more importantly, allowing me to give back to my community in a charitable manner and, of course, making great friends along the way.Has being Asian affected your business?My parents were incarcerated in “Japanese Internment” camps during World War II. As they saw their parents struggle with having to cope with such an American tragedy, they were made keenly aware that at a moment’s notice your rights as an American citizen may be stripped away. … Both my parents worked hard and impressed upon me to always have respect and care for others. And made me keenly aware that racial issues can change one’s life almost immediately. Their commitment and awareness carried forward to me in my ability to work hard and be dedicated to my business and treat staff and clients with the utmost respect.What advice would you give someone who wanted to start their own business?To go for it! But be sure there’s a “Plan B.” In my line of work, I have seen businesses succeed and businesses fail. The reasons for either result are based on so many different factors. I do know that if you have extensively researched your marketability and viability, were comprehensive in structuring your business plan and consulted with a financial advisor and a CPA, then you have all the right ingredients for getting started with your own business. And in starting your own business, you’ll now stop wondering what it’s like on the “other side of the fence” and you’ll soon experience that scary but wonderful “leap of faith” feeling! – Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert
New Career requires ‘Leap of Faith’
