When It Matters

John Toon has spent over 20 years watching the accounting profession transform — from carrying backups home on a Friday night, to leading digital transformation at a 300-person firm, to now serving as Head of Technology at HLB International, a network of 350 firms across 155 countries. In this episode of When It Matters, John joins Mark to talk about the seismic shifts reshaping accounting: the cl...

Kirsty Mitchell (FreeAgent) and Alan Broome (Acumenica) join Derek Granger to talk about marketing that doesn't feel like marketing 🌟 Kirsty explains how FreeAgent turned "we're ready for MTD" into a campaign that involved filing a tax return from space — and why it became a whole series rather than a one-off stunt. Alan talks through his Three Things Thursday email, why he'd never hire a full-ti...

Now this is one we couldn't wait to release... We had the one and only Jeri Williams of Smooth Accounting, Smooth Dubai, and the Digital Accountants Club joins us to discuss business growth, leadership, personal branding, AI, and the future of accounting. From being fired early in her career to building a thriving international business, Jerry shares the lessons she's learned about creating a high...

Sherelyn from Goodings Accounts joins Mark and Elle for a conversation about the human side of accountancy, the part the software can't replace ❌ We talk Making Tax Digital and the looming gap for clients who've always gone it alone, the shift from compliance to genuine advisory, and why Goodings structures its teams into "pods" built around relationships. Sherelyn opens up about building a cultu...

What does it take for international businesses to expand into the UK? 🚀 In this episode of When It Matters, we sit down with Louise Morriss and Ed Wallis from Zedra to talk helping multinational companies navigate UK audit requirements, international expansion, leadership, culture, and the future of AI in professional services. From supporting US companies entering the UK market to building caree...

In this episode, Keeley Walker from Brisan joins Mark Costello to discuss how accounting is evolving beyond compliance — and why clients now expect far more. They cover culture, pricing, advisory services, and the growing gap between traditional firms and modern practices. A must-listen for accountants and business owners looking to understand where the industry is heading.

In this episode of When It Matters, Grace Hardy and Yvette Fitzhenry sit down with Mark Costello and Derek Granger to talk about what really happens when you go out on your own. No clients. No audience. No roadmap. Just a decision to start 🚀 They break down:  What it feels like on day one of self-employment How to get your first clients from zero Why social media is changing the game for accounta...

What if everything you think is a “big problem”… isn’t? In this episode, Emma Crawford shares the brutal leadership lessons she learned serving in Afghanistan — and how they shaped her journey to becoming Chief Revenue Officer at one of the UK’s most successful female-founded accountancy firms, Mazuma 💜 From leading under fire to making tough decisions in the boardroom, this is a masterclass in r...

In this special International Women’s Day episode, we’re joined by Ami Copeland, CEO of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB). 🎙️ Ami shares her journey from growing up inside a family-founded organisation to leading a global professional body supporting over 150,000 members worldwide — many of them women building flexible, powerful businesses of their own. We talk about: – Why bookkeepers...

In this episode, Beth (Two Sisters Accounting) and Fi (Fineo) join us to talk about what building a business really looks like 🔎 From burnout and perfectionism to experimentation, failure, and opting out of hustle culture — this is an honest conversation about redefining success in accounting ✨ Is scaling always the goal? Or can a “lifestyle business” be just as powerful? A thoughtful, refreshin...

Three brilliant women. Three very different paths into accounting 💡 For episode two of our series celebrating incredible women in the accounting and bookkeeping space in collaboration with the Digital Accountants Club, Natasha Everard, Suzannah Whelan and Amy Hancock share what it really looks like to build a practice, pivot careers, find your confidence and create community in the industry 🚀

We're delighted to release Episode 1 of our very special series collaborating with the Digital Accountancy Club to celebrate International Women's Day throughout March 🙌 We had the wonderful Vanessa Fuller and Arlyne Chinyanganya share how they built their businesses, the resilience it takes, and how financial confidence changes everything—for founders and the people they serve 🌟

Meshed's Head of Partnerships Derek Granger sits down with Neil Criddle (founder of NDC Accountancy) and Phil Hobden (Head of New Customer Advocacy at Sage) for a no-fluff conversation on scaling a modern firm 💡   From redundancy to 620+ clients and a team of 16, Neil shares the realities of building and scaling a modern firm, while Phil breaks down how Sage is leading the charge in rapid AI adop...

We had the fabulous Emily Vass on the pod to share her journey to launching her own practice — from spending not a single pound on business development in her first six months, to unpacking the nebulous creator economy and its very real tax implications. We LOVED this one!!

We are so excited to release this one - we had award-winning practice owner, community-builder, podcaster, best-selling author AND long-time friend of Meshed on the pod - the one and only Stephanie Marshall 👑 We cover Stephanie's incredible journey to becoming a practice owner, how she learned to set boundaries, how she went from having anxiety to speaking in front of hundreds of people to author...

In his debut as host of When It Matters, our COO Jake is joined by the legendary Aarish Shah—fractional CFO, podcaster, and startup finance maestro. They dive deep into the weight of venture funding, why the wrong CFO is a "hidden" multi-million dollar mistake, and the unconventional secrets Aarish uses to scale startups. If you’re a founder, you can’t afford to miss this one 🚀

We are super excited to drop this one!! We welcomed the fabulous Fi Titus, aka the Financial Fairy Godmother, on When It Matters to talk her extraordinary journey from Deloitte accountant to street food vendor to practice owner and now to fintech founder! Proof that a career in accountancy can take you places you’d never expect 🚀

We are SO excited to finally release this one - we had the pleasure of having the incomparable Aaron Patrick on the pod. Founder of Boffix, co-founder of Ask the Accountant and the face of one of accounting’s most recognisable brands, we sat down with Aaron to talk building a modern practice, using tech and AI responsibly, and why empathy is the real competitive edge in advisory 🌟  

For a very special episode of When It Matters, we are joined by James Howard from RPGCC, alongside his customer Ben Stocken, founder of the first AI leadership operating system, Atherio — bringing the accountant and the client into the same room. Together, we unpack what great leadership really looks like when you’re: ✨ Implementing new technology ✨ Leading teams through change ✨ Preventing dis...

In this quick-fire episode of When It Matters, we sit down with two accountants to break down the most common financial traps SMEs fall into — and how to avoid them 🚨 From quick-cash loans and personal guarantees, to poor tax planning, cash-flow blind spots, and messy business finances, this is a back-to-basics guide for early-stage and growing businesses 💼 Short, practical, and jargon-free — pe...

In this episode of When It Matters, we’re joined by Della Hudson FCA for a masterclass on working smarter in accountancy 💡 Della shares how she built an accountancy practice from her kitchen table, scaled it sustainably, and ultimately exited the business — all while working just 25 hours a week ⏰ We explore why undercharging leads to underserving clients, how better pricing creates space for cl...

Too often, accountancy is framed as just numbers, compliance, and reporting. But in this episode of When It Matters, we sit down with Stephanie Marshall (A B C S UK and The 3BZ Podcast) and Aaron Patrick (Boffix, Ask the Accountant podcast) to show what’s possible when you treat your expertise as a platform, not a box.  They’ve built successful practices — and then gone further: Writing books Buil...

Multiple business owner, entrepreneur, and board member Jeannette Linfoot joins us for a very special episode of When It Matters to talk all things scaling. From evolving into a new kind of leader as your accountancy practice grows, to distinguishing between people who interview well and those who are truly transformative leaders, Jeanette shares powerful insights on how to be braver, bolder, and...

In this special episode of When It Matters, Founder's Associate Elle Noble sits down with the incomparable Zubair Mohammad to get an exclusive masterclass on how accountants can level up their marketing, attract more leads, and significantly better engage with their customers and audience. The biggest takeaway? There are no rules...

Meshed's Founders Associate Elle Noble sits down with the incredible Amanda C. Watts and Sunil Purohit to talk all things business advisory and how to make a seamless transition from compliance only to a multi-faceted advisory practice. From how to talk to your customers about price increases to the mindset shift required, this is the ultimate guide for any accountants wanting to make the move to...