Paul Hense, CPA

A CPA since 1972, Paul Hense is a small practitioner who lives and works in Grand Rapids. His firm focuses on small business, personal tax and financial planning. A staunch supporter and advocate for small business, Paul currently serves as chair of the National Small Business Association. He also chaired the Small Business Association of Michigan and has served both the Grand Rapids and Cheboygan Chambers of Commerce. A great communicator, Paul was a delegate to two White House Conferences on Small Business, as well as a Michigan version of the same event. He writes a monthly column entitled “Small Business Matters” for the Grand Rapids Business Journal and is a regular guest on WGVU,
a National Public Radio-member station for Grand Valley State University.

1. What made you decide to go into the accounting profession?

I asked a business owner what career would give me the best insight into the reality of what makes business function properly. His answer was to become a CPA.

2. What makes your job great?

My job is different every day. I do not know what boredom would feel like. I see the people, the money, the product, the marketing, the successes and failures. The biggest thing I see is the relationship between all those elements.

3. What advice would you have for those considering entering the CPA profession?

Becoming a CPA is a steppingstone. There are an infinite number of things to do once you have become certified. I’m currently chair of the National Small Business Association, which will see four CPAs in a row serving as chair – I come from a small practices, the others come from a large practice, a manufacturer and an oil field supplies vendor. We took totally different directions with our work lives from the same basic training.

4. Describe how you have made a difference by
being a CPA.

There are so many levels that I make a difference as a
CPA. With my clients, I help them become more profitable and pay less in taxes. With my family, being a CPA has
given them financial security. To small business advocacy, I have brought expertise, passion and an ability to communicate complicated concepts in ways that even a politician can understand.

5. Explain any obstacles you had to overcome to get to where you are today.

The main obstacle getting where I am today is me. I do not have an analytical personality. I am very right-brained and energetic. As an outspoken young man I was able to annoy some of the professionals I worked for to the point of feeling that I really needed to be somewhere else other than their firms. Ultimately, my career blossomed when I became
self-employed.

6. What are your major professional accomplishments?

Passing the exam was number one. I surprised myself as I do not have a degree in accounting – I passed the exam through correspondence courses. I have built a quality small firm with the help of a long-term employee. I am proud of what we do and the quality of my employees. Even with all the accolades I have received for my advocacy work, I think being a practicing CPA is the thing I am most proud of. It was the hardest thing for me to do.

7. What interests or activities are you involved in outside of work?

I am one of very few people in Michigan who are members of The International Ribes Association. That means I grow currants and gooseberries. I have a license from the Michigan Department of Agriculture to grow black currants. They are illegal to grow in Michigan without a license. I make Cassis, which is a very popular black currant wine in France. I make hard cider and have about two hundred wine grape vines. All of this takes place on a farm on the Black River about five miles from Cheboygan.

8. Are there any other interesting things about yourself or your career that you would like to share with other members, potential members and students?

I have been extremely lucky to have the life I have had and being a CPA has been an integral part of building a fulfilling life. Being a CPA has allowed me to be self-employed, which for me is a required condition in life. I have been able to be myself. Life has trimmed my edges but I have not had to function outside my core beliefs to survive.

9. What is your most meaningful volunteer experience?

I like speaking to small business groups and young people. I have a natural proclivity for speaking and writing. Public accounting gives me meaningful insight needed to communicate useful life lessons.

10. How do you balance your personal and
professional life?

I don’t. I don’t think I can. I have a wonderful wife who is emotionally self-fulfilled. My wife, kids and grandkids don’t get as much time with me as they would if I were “normal.” The trade off is that the time we do have together is great. At least it is for me. There is a wonderful scene in the movie “Shackleton” about the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. He apologizes to his wife for leaving again for Antarctica. She answers that he is leaving because he is Ernest Shackleton. The message is: It’s what you are. It is what you do. If someone is looking for a constant companion they should probably get a golden retriever. If you are married to some one who works hard and it annoys you, talk to someone who has a spouse that doesn’t work hard and see how annoyed they are.

11. What do CPAs need now to be successful in
the future?

Return to the basics. Don’t let greed lead you down the road to ruin. I could have made a lot more money in sales but I wanted to do something I could be proud of. Learn communication skills. We have the knowledge and integrity that can help companies succeed. We need to make our case to the public that we are the true financial planners in both business and personal finance. At the end of the day, be proud of what you did and who you are, not what you made. The money will follow.

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