Damien Martin has been playing piano since he was very young. He liked it so much, he majored in music at the University of California, Berkeley and was often paid to perform with jazz ensembles when he lived in the Bay Area. While he was studying for his degree, he decided to take a few Intro to Business classes where he began to see a parallel between music and tax. Just like notes on a page, the numbers on tax forms need to come alive to create a unique experience for the audience or client.
In this episode, Damien and I talk about how he felt he didn’t belong at a public accounting firm because he hadn’t gotten an undergrad business degree. He didn’t want to share his passion for jazz and blues because he felt that others would think he wasn’t as qualified. What he realized is that once people found out, it was much easier to network and often times people wanted to come see him play. Now that he’s made that leap, he says, "If I try to separate it, it just doesn’t feel right. I feel like I’m holding something back and not being genuine.”