It may be that you want to be your own boss.  It may be that you want to be in charge of your own destiny, no longer having to seek approval for a day away from the ‘9 to 5’.  It may be that you have a passion, or a skill in a particular area or subject, and you want make money doing what you enjoy.  Or indeed, it may be that you are searching for financial rewards, so that you can turn your dreams into reality.  

In business there is no limit to what you can achieve if you are successful, but you either have to be an expert in everything, or have built an expert support team around you, in order to succeed

My own journey into starting up in business  resonates to some degree with all of these reasons.  I sat and passed an accountancy degree at Napier University, in the early 1990’s.  From there I went on to pass my professional qualifications, and embarked on a career as an accountant within industry.  Looking back on my career, a pattern emerged.  After about three or four years within a company, I would then leave, and move to another company looking for a fresh challenge.  It wasn’t planned that way, and it wasn’t always about more money, or career advancement.  At times, I just got bored and having portable skills allowed me to easily move to new companies and industries.

This periodic moving between companies, has had it’s benefits.  

Amongst other things:-

• It’s kept my outlook to business fresh, and flexible to challenge and change
• I’ve had a wide variety of experience in different industries
  • Motor Industry
  • Fashion Retail
  • Residential Property Development
  • Commercial Property Investment and Management
  • Civil Engineering Projects
• I’ve dealt with different types of business,
  • from the rapidly growing, privately owned company,  to the large established private sector company,  
  • I have also been involved in some large public and private sector projects.
• In each of these roles, I’ve been lucky enough to meet a number of great individuals.  They all had a couple of things in common, they were both passionate and knowledgeable in their own particular field.
• I’ve also seen how many companies work, what systems and indeed what controls they have in place.  How they deal with limited funds, and how they exploit opportunities, or minimise risks in their normal course of business.
• I’ve also seen the good and the bad of business, what works, and what doesn’t

But it wasn’t enough for me:-

5 years ago, I took the decision to set up my own company, and offer my services as a short term contract accountant.  I agonised over that decision for probably about two years, before taking the plunge.  With hindsight it was one of the best decisions I could have made.  

My services were in demand.  Companies continually face challenge.  It might be a peak in the finance department’s  workload, or it might be a key member of staff is off for whatever reason.  If it was a temporary situation, then I was available to help them until that difficulty was resolved.

I loved it!  It seemed to tick a lot of boxes for me.  Continual change, working with a variety of businesses, and continual learning, industries, systems, and how businesses worked.  As a contractor I was expected to be able to go into any situation, and provide seamless finance cover.  As well as meeting a lot of talented individuals, I also got involved in a number of projects that I probably wouldn’t have got involved in if I was a permanent member of staff within one company.

That then brings me up to today.  Why change, and have my own practice?  Well for me it was simple choice.  I have learnt from my contracting days, that I loved working with different businesses, and people who are passionate about their area of expertise.  I also know that I have a lot to offer, not just completing  compliance accounts and tax, but also as a valued member of the business team.  Working with larger companies is great, it allows you to see how things should be done, but at times your individual contribution just gets swallowed up in the overall hurly burly of normal large business life.

For a smaller business, the smarter a decision that is made, or the more efficient a business system or process is, the more successful or not a small business becomes.    

It’s a privilege working as an accountant with smaller businesses, mostly because of the variety, passion and knowledge that you have about your own particular business.  I look forward to working with you in the near future, and together we can hopefully make a difference.