We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Valerie Kemp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Valerie below.
Valerie, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
Being raised in a family of entrepreneurs, dinner table conversations included stories about different situations in our family business ranging from how to manage employees to the latest changes in their industry, the retail grocery trade. As children, my sisters and I learned that our success wasn’t dependent on someone else’s failure and that hard work truly does pay off in the end. Our parents has us working in their grocery stores from a young age. Nothing will teach you how to engage and interact with the public like running a cash register in a grocery store!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got into the accounting and tax industry by accident. Working as a cashier at my parents store, I heard a customer griping to another shopper about how she just quit a job working for a tax attorney because she didn’t like making coffee and copies. I knew I wanted to do more at 19 years old than run a cash register so I reached out to the tax attorney’s office and the rest is history. I went from making coffee and copies to becoming a CPA.
I believe what sets me and my firm apart is that we tailor a specific package to each client and maintain a team approach including the client’s attorney, investment advisors, bankers, real estate agents, insurance agents and anyone else connected to their financial picture.
The thing I am most proud of is that I’ve been able to use my knowledge and resources as a CPA to impact my community. That may be writing a check to a school organization to help them with a project or hosting a panel discussion on the latest tax laws. Our motto is “Strength in Numbers” and that doesn’t just apply to a strong financial statement. When we band together to serve our community and engage others, that strength in numbers helps make our world a better place.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
Early on in private practice, I had finished all outstanding work that week, paid the accounts payable for that week, and was balancing my business and personal accounts. Turned out, after everything that had to be paid was paid, I had very little money left and still needed to buy groceries and gas on my way home. I sat there wondering what I was going to hold on paying so I’d have the money for groceries and gas that week. I am a spiritual person so I sat at my desk praying that I would figure out how to make ends meet wondering if I had made a mistake leaving the firm I was employed by to start my own firm. Out of the blue, a couple walked in and asked if I could help them with a tax situation. I gladly obliged them and at the end of our brief consultation, they handed me two crisp $100. Needless to say, I got gas and groceries on the way home that evening and have never looked back.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The thing that has helped build my reputation within the market is being a genuine person. I do what I say I am going to do, treat people with respect no matter their station in life, and truly care about helping my clients better their financial picture. I try to speak in terms that are relatable to the specific client so they have a clear understanding of their finances. I have also put my time, energy and money into my community to help those who need it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vkdcpa.com
- Instagram: @valeriekempfromashlandcity
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/VKDCPAfirm
- Linkedin: Valerie Kemp CPA
Image Credits
Noreen Nooner Photography for the headshots