Ohio CPA named Small Business Person of the Year

By Abigail Draper, OSCPA communication & engagement manager

OSCPA member John Kirsch, CPA, said he was “astonished” recently to have been named by the Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce as Small Business Person of the Year.

Kirsch, CEO and managing director of Kirsch CPA Group LLC, said though it may be cliché, no small business could be successful without the help of many people.

“I’ve had a very strong support system,” he said. “There are always players in the orchestra that are driving success.” This system includes a group of long-term friends, a supportive family, influential parents, professionals with mutual clients and the 37 members of his organization.

More than 300 of those people, including the entire Kirsch CPA Group team, were on hand recently for a luncheon held to celebrate the honor.

“When you get 37 people behind a certain culture, that gives you a lot more leverage to get the right things accomplished,” Kirsch said.

30 years ago, Kirsch had a dream to create a business-oriented firm that adopted the latest technology for a competitive advantage. “I just had the entrepreneurial bug,” he said.

Kirsch has worked with his team to create a work-life balance and flexible schedules. They also have a good time doing what they do. “We take what we do very seriously but try not to take ourselves too seriously.”

The firm focuses on the middle market, small business and medium enterprises. Kirsch thinks this focus allows them to understand these clients’ specific needs and pain points.

“We focused on a particular market, and by focusing there, we know what to do to help those people. So that’s really exciting to know we can be that impactful on a broad scale.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant,” Kirsch said, “but I hope we’ve made an impact on thousands of clients.”

Kirsch doesn't want to take all the credit for this award or the success of Kirsch CPA Group.

“It’s the nature of myself and the culture of our business that the focus is on our team and our business, and just a teensy-weensy bit of focus on me personally.”