In this episode recorded back in November, Adrian and Kevin speak with the Founder and Director of Abbott Moore Accounting - James Abott.

James explains his passion and the importance he places on not only being a successful accountant but also a successful business owner. He discusses his thoughts and emotions while setting up Abbott Moore and his plans to continue to grow by providing top class service for his clients.

Enjoy!

Do we really need an office? This is a question Alan Broome, Founder Director of BroomeAffinity, asked himself when he found himself working from home more frequently due to the arrival of Kane, his golden retriever.

In this episode, we discuss Alan's response to this question and how he has used technology to grow BroomeAffinity from a humble local accountant to a thriving firm in central Scotland. We dive into the challenges Alan faced growing his business and also those challenges that have the potential to disrupt his success.

Where does technology fit in to solve these challenges? How can it be used to make further efficiencies to both his business and his clients.

Alan proves to be a facinating guests with strong views on the future of the accountancy world!

Have you heard of Open Banking? Do you know what it is and how it will affect you and your business?

This week, Kevin and Adrian are joined by FreeAgent's CCO, Kevin McCallum, to discuss the next digital revolution about to impact the UK - Open Banking. We touch on what this means for businesses and accountants, the opportunities this will bring and how the exposure of bank data will bring a rise of new and exciting technology to enhance your day to day financial needs.

We also have a short discussion about the recent Royal Bank of Scotland purchase of FreeAgent - how this came about and Kevin's involvement in these developments.

In this week's podcast, Kevin is joined by Michael McCullion, founder of Bright Ideas Accountancy to discuss how he built up his accountancy practice from his bedroom to a highly successful firm in the North West.

Michael talks to me about his experiences working in "contractor focussed" accountancy firms and his passion to create a similar firm but concentrating on the client relationships more. Michael also discusses the importance of technology in his rapid rise and also the steps he is taking to future-proof Bright Ideas. Michael talks candidly about the early days of being a business owner, the "sink or swim" feelings that brings and how determined he was to succeed.

We end with a quick chat on IR35, MTD and how this legislation could impact the Contractor marketplace.

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In this week's episode, Kevin meets Ian McLeish, Founder and Director of Rosslyn Associates. Ian has run his own accountancy practice for 15 years following a successful career in tax advisory with the inland revenue and other practices.

Listen to how Ian is installing new values into his business, using his skills in advisory, coaching and therapy to change the way Rosslyn Associates work with their clients. Ian also discusses the need for building the best relationships and how valuable that skill can be in the accounting world.

There is also a short interview with Mark Montoya, one of Rosslyn's directors and someone that is "new" to the profession. Mark openly discusses his desires to help grow Rosslyn and again highlights the strong bond that the team has with their clients.

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Yvonne Cookson and Fiona Heyes met on their first day of college. With entirely different reasons for studying accountancy, they forged a close friendship, a working relationship and a desire to change the image of accountancy.

'Your Tax Shop' opened in 2011 and has had huge success, growing from a kitchen table to outgrowing the first office, picking up awards along the way for the fantastic personal service for a growing client base.

We speak about the early days, finding the brand and how this helped them grow and gain clients. Yvonne and Fiona speak passionately about the culture of 'Your Tax Shop' and how important it is when building a successful, engaged team, which, of course, results in happy and long term clients.

Enjoy!!

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****BONUS EPISODE****

In the short bonus episode, Kevin and Adrian are joined by Emily Coltman (FreeAgent's Chief Accountant and goto Budget expert!) where we discuss the latest Autumn statement and how this affects small businesses and accountants.

We discuss IR35 in the private sector, Annual Investment Allowance and the immediate actions to be taken following the chancellor's statement yesterday.

This week's guest is Jason Dalton from Safe Hands Bookkeeping. Working in the banking sector, Jason felt that his career was not where he wanted it to be. Then he watched Simon Sinek's TED talk "Start with Why" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA), read the accompanying book and decided to leave banking and become his own boss.

The business quickly became 'Safe Hands Bookkeeping'. In this interview, we ask Jason about his feelings when he started out, growing his business from his bedroom to how it looks today with 10 staff members and huge plans to grow this year.

We explore Jason's passion for meeting people, giving help and support to small businesses to help them achieve their goals and how using software allows his business to expand and offer new services.

Enjoy!

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