Its twenty years since I began providing bookkeeping and payroll services to a few local businesses.  I didn’t have a plan to still be doing the same thing twenty years later – but then I’m not much of a planner!  Finally I found something that gave me the variety I needed and I really enjoyed supporting businesses and helping them to get on track with their finances.

Within 3 years I had outgrown working from home – so much paperwork back then – and so much work I needed someone to work with me.  So I found some premises, had them converted to an office and here we still are 16 years later.  The team working with me has grown over the years and we are a team of 6 who work 4 days a week.

The change in the work we do and the way we work has changed massively over the twenty years.  In the beginning it was all floppy discs, Sage software and changing from paper filing of payroll to online filing.  Now of course we have numerous accounts and payroll software to choose from including third party apps and all cloud based so we no longer have to back up and clog up our computers. The Covid pandemic meant we could no longer visit to work with our clients and we brought everything in house.  This has been more efficient, but the relationship we have with clients who we never see is not quite the same.

We have worked with so many businesses over the years and I am really proud to still be working with many businesses who were my original clients in those first three years.  It not only showcases their success but their loyalty to us.

Reflecting on my personal achievements and those of the business over the last twenty years I am proud to have:

  • built a successful business with a good reputation
  • a team of bookkeepers and payroll administrators who joined as trainees and have grown with the business, developed their skills and knowledge and remained committed to the work we do
  • been invited to give evidence at the Work and Pensions Select Committee on the effect auto enrolment would have on small businesses.
  • been a payroll examiner for the IAB
  • achieved both the IAB Bookkeeper and Payroll Professional of the Year Awards
  • a supportive husband who has never complained at the long hours I have frequently needed to work!

It is not easy being in business.  It takes time to build in the beginning, then it grows rapidly until there never seems enough time to do everything you need or want to do.  But it has been a very rewarding and enjoyable journey building the business to what it is today.

Our celebration of this milestone is to make donations to four local and one national charity which have particular importance to our team. 

We look forward to many more years of supporting businesses with bookkeeping and payroll and making running the finance side of their business a whole lot easier.