By vocation, I am a tax professional and accountant. Through CPR Tax, I work with individuals, entrepreneurs, and business owners to solve tax problems, make better decisions, and gain greater clarity about where they are going.

But my profession is only one part of who I am.

Outside of taxes, I love food, running, entrepreneurship, connecting people, volunteering, and seeing others accomplish something they once weren’t sure was possible.

Tax Man Who Eats is where my vocation intersects with who Ryan Mitchell really is.

I have spent decades working with entrepreneurs, volunteering in my community, serving nonprofit organizations, connecting people, sitting around restaurant tables, and challenging myself one mile at a time. Along the way, I have learned that some of life’s most meaningful moments happen when we take an interest in someone else’s journey.

I Want to See Other People Win

One of the things that gives me the greatest satisfaction is seeing someone else achieve a goal.

Sometimes that means helping an entrepreneur work through a problem. Sometimes it means making an introduction between two people who should know each other. Sometimes it means supporting a nonprofit, helping someone get involved in their community, encouraging someone to take on a challenge, or simply being the person who says, “You can do this.”

I don’t believe success has to be a zero-sum game.

Helping someone else succeed doesn’t diminish my own success. If anything, it makes the journey more meaningful.

That philosophy has influenced how I approach business, networking, community service, and life.

Food Has Always Been About More Than What’s on the Plate

I have been going out to eat for as long as I can remember.

Some of my earliest memories involve meals with my father, grandparents, family, and friends. Over time, I began paying attention not only to what was being served, but to the entire experience—the food, service, people, atmosphere, creativity, and conversations happening around the table.

For me, a restaurant is more than a place to eat.

The table is one of the world’s great connectors.

People celebrate at tables. They negotiate deals at tables. Friendships begin at tables. Families reconnect at tables. Entrepreneurs exchange ideas at tables. And sometimes two people who had never met before leave the table wondering how they can help one another.

That is why food belongs in my story.

Running Taught Me to Keep Moving Forward

Running was not always part of my identity.

I went from the couch to becoming a marathon runner, and the experience changed far more than my physical fitness.

Running taught me that enormous goals become manageable when you stop focusing exclusively on the finish line and concentrate on taking the next step.

One mile becomes another.

One marathon becomes another.

One challenge leads to the confidence to attempt something you previously thought was impossible.

Running has also given me another vehicle for helping others. Through charitable fundraising and community involvement, the miles have become about something much larger than finishing a race.

Crossing the finish line matters. Bringing other people along with you matters more.

Business Is Personal

I love entrepreneurs because I understand what it means to build something.

Entrepreneurship involves risk, uncertainty, long hours, mistakes, relationships, opportunities, and a tremendous amount of perseverance.

My approach is rarely to tell someone what their dream should be.

I’d rather ask:

What are you trying to accomplish?

Then:

How can I help you get there?

Sometimes the answer involves taxes. Sometimes it involves making an introduction. Sometimes it involves sharing an experience or challenging an assumption. And sometimes the best thing I can do is listen.

Service Is Part of the Responsibility

Community service has been an important part of my life for decades.

Through Rotary, nonprofit boards, charitable organizations, fundraising, running, and other community initiatives, I have had the opportunity to work alongside extraordinary people who give their time without expecting something in return.

Those experiences continually reinforce one of my core beliefs:

We all have something we can give.

It might be money. It might be expertise. It might be an introduction. It might be an hour of our time. It might simply be showing up when somebody needs us.

You don’t have to change the entire world.

You can start by changing someone’s day.

Stay True to Who You Are

I am ambitious. I have goals for my businesses, my organizations, my running, my community involvement, and myself.

But achievement means very little to me if getting there requires becoming someone I don’t want to be.

I believe in working hard.

I believe in treating people fairly.

I believe your word matters.

I believe relationships should be genuine.

I believe in asking for help when you need it and offering help when you can give it.

I believe you can compete without hoping someone else fails.

And I believe there is almost always room for one more person at the table.

So, Who Is the Tax Man Who Eats?

He’s a tax professional who loves restaurants.

A runner who keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

An entrepreneur who understands how difficult building something can be.

A connector who loves introducing good people to other good people.

A volunteer who believes communities become stronger when people decide to participate rather than simply observe.

And someone who genuinely enjoys seeing other people accomplish their goals.

Tax Man Who Eats is my place to bring all of those worlds together—to talk about taxes, business, entrepreneurship, restaurants, running, community, service, and the people I meet along the way.

Because ultimately, I don’t think life is measured only by what we accomplish ourselves.

It’s also measured by the people we help take their next step.