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Who is Kit Poff, CPA?

Yes, I’m a CPA. Yes, I know my stuff (really!), but I’m also a weird, thoughtful, semi-chaotic nerd who understands both early-stage tech and regular messy humans.

Kit, wearing sunglasses, next to Miles. They are on a Ferris Wheel
also yes I am an actual human being!

I’m the founder of KEP Books, a consulting firm for early-stage startups, small business owners, and anyone else trying to build something real without losing their mind (or their socks) in a sea of spreadsheets. I specialize in financial systems, QuickBooks wrangling, and explaining accounting things in ways non-accountants can understand.

In my decade-plus of accounting experience, I’ve worked mostly in consulting and outsourced finance roles, supporting well over 100 small businesses and startups. Sometimes I’ve been their main finance person; sometimes I’ve jumped in to clean up the chaos, onboard a new system, or help a team get unstuck when things got weird.

I've worked with SaaS, fintech, edtech, cannabis, nonprofits, robotics, lawyers, food trucks, consultants, architects, breweries, environmental engineers, coworking spaces, cabinet makers (and so much more!), but my focus has always been on early-stage startups—not the jargon-y, VC-buzzword part, but the actual people trying to figure out payroll while launching a product and wearing eight different hats.

🧠 A Little More About Me

  • BA in Psychology from the University of Chicago (aka Nerds R Us), with minors in Philosophy and Classics
  • MS in Accounting from UT Dallas (go Comets!)
  • CPA licensed in Massachusetts (inactive) and Vermont (very active)
  • Western Mass → Chicago → Austin → Vermont
  • Currently parenting one and a half kids, four cats, and one deeply unimpressed tortoise.
  • Neurodivergent (in a few tasty and delicious flavors!). Most of the people I work with are as well, whether that’s a sign of intentional alignment or just that we tend to find each other. Either way, you’re welcome here, just as you are!
a box of ranbow nerds
"you mean my D&D group?"

🥖 Even More About Me

  • Yearbook Quote: “How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks.”― Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night
  • Favorite Client: enlightapp
  • Favorite Movie: Airplane!
  • Favorite Excel Function: countif. We had a literal party (there were balloons!) when xlookup came out, but as a diehard index/match person it sadly did not change a thing about my Excel habits.
  • Childhood Career Dream: medievalist, astrophysicist, and/or time traveler. (Thanks, Michael Crichton's Timeline.)
  • Favorite Authors: Terry Pratchett, Simone de Beauvoir, KJ Charles, A.J. Demas, and the occasional fanfic author from 2007 who never posted again
  • Favorite Dessert: Fruit Crisp
  • First Job: helping out in a lab studying classical conditioning in antlions
  • First REAL Job (💵): gallery attendant at the Smart Museum of Art
  • Favorite David Bowie Album: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
  • D&D Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
  • Spreadsheet Aesthetic: Color-coded with love, cross-referenced with mild contempt
  • Favorite Vacation Spot: Montréal
  • Hogwarts House: ✖️ None. J.K. Rowling is a TERF. We support trans lives and better stories.
  • UChicago House: Tufts (bring it back!)
  • Haunted House: No thank you. Absolutely not. Goodbye.