Luke Martin, St. Petersburg, Florida resident, studies finance and financial management at Clemson University. Versatile and hard working, he has a goal of earning CPA qualifications and pursuing a client-focused financial career. Across a pair of consecutive summers, Luke Martin worked as an apprentice with the CPA firm Koehler, Farry, & Company in Tampa-St. Petersburg. He assisted with corporate and individual tax return filings and issues such as asset depreciation.
Compliance focused, Mr. Martin also revised financial statements to ensure accuracy. He employed software such as QuickBooks in refining financial processes and providing integrity assurance. In 2025, he gained additional hands-on experience through a Continuum Wealth Management internship that focused on asset allocation strategy. He fulfilled client goals in areas such as insurance and equity finance. He also provided compliance support and employed Y-Charts in optimizing process flow and accuracy.
Mr. Martin’s professional experience extends to a managerial role with Clemson Athletic Facilities, a role in which he seamlessly prepared facilities for a number of sporting events and celebrations. A boating and fishing enthusiast, he enjoys exploring the outdoors when he has the opportunity.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
My typical day consists of waking up, grounding myself someway, at least by going outside. After that, I boot up my laptop and read news and maybe listen to a financial podcast. After, I’ll watch how the market opens, then go lift. I’ll then get my work done and hopefully have enough time to hit some golf balls after.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I bring my ideas to life through grit and hard work. I don’t stop when the road gets hard. All I’ve known my entire life is to plug away until something gives.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Although I’m not usually excited by trends, one that does excite me is the amount of people reading books again. I’d venture to say that some of it is performative in a sense, but I’m really happy to watch people my age ditching the screens for the books.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
One habit that helps me stay productive is simply reading the Bible. There’s so much humbling knowledge in it. For me, it provides constant motivation and wisdom for me to stay productive. I also am a huge fan of supplements—yes, yes bioavailability… By making sure my brain and body is healthy, it helps me stay productive.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The only piece of advice I’d give to my younger self is to learn to relax a little more. Not everything is meant to be taken so seriously, lighten up (when appropriate).
Tell us something you believe that almost nobody agrees with you on.
I believe that we owe it to our families to remain close (geographically speaking) enough to be able to help out when/if they need us. This also helps to keep the nuclear family closer.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
I wake up and go outside; first thing I do in the morning. I really think it’s important for us to get sunlight instead of artificial LED lights, especially in the morning.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I go and take a walk; I have to get outside if I’m feeling overwhelmed or unfocused. If not a walk, I go and hit golf balls at the range or just work on putting. I have to get outside to refocus myself.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
One strategy that has helped me advance my career is actually trying to get to know people. Genuine conversation is so important; it gives you much more insight to a person and their motivations, their thoughts, and how they operate.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
My biggest failure ever is when I spent too much time on a tax return and when the bill came for the client, it was almost double what it should have been. I overcame it by listening to my boss and implementing more efficient practices while I was working. One very big lesson I took away was to never be afraid to speak up; some of this wasted time happened because me and another coworker weren’t on the same page for most of the return and it bit us in the butt. Never be afraid to speak up when something might be wrong. It’s easier to say nothing, but it’s harder to do the job twice.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A business idea that I will give away is integrating soda dispensers with an active sugar count while the beverage pours. I think that this could make our country much healthier and happier. If people realized how much sugar was in their drinks, I think they would think twice before getting sodas.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
A software that helps me be productive is the notes app on my phone. Without this app, I would be running through forests of paper. I use it for little notes I need to remember, my shopping lists, and for remembering my past ideas on a subject so I know how to move forward more efficiently.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The best $100 that I ever spent was on this peptide called Semax. If you don’t know what it is, it helps to improve brain function and memory recall. It has absolutely changed my life within two weeks, and I’ll never not use it.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
My favorite book has to be Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. There’s so much I could discuss within this book, but the most important lesson I’ve got from it was that the salvation of man is through love and in love. This simple phrase echoed through my mind on a daily basis. It slowly made me realize that we can be loving yet do things not out of love. This in particular helped me become a more mindful person.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
A show I recently enjoyed was the anime Attack on Titan. For those who don’t know, it’s a great show with commentary on the human condition and the class system. 10/10, fantastic show if you can look beneath the curtain.
Key learnings
- Grit and hard work are the keys to bringing ideas to life.
- Make going outside part of your routine—sunlight and fresh air support mood, promote focus, and help manage stress and overwhelm.
- Getting to know others through genuine conversation and knowing when to voice your opinion are important to career advancement.
- Prioritize your health and wellness—physically, mentally, and spiritually.