Accountants' Success Secrets

eatures Caroline Hocking, founder of Mona Accountancy Services in Beverley, East Yorkshire. Caroline’s story is a refreshing twist on the classic accountancy journey—her passion for tax (yes, really!), military family life, and accidental niche-building all come together in a practice purpose-built for flexibility and real life. Recently bagging her third personal tax qualification and working tow...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets. This week, Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee are back with a special reflections edition. Instead of a guest interview, they dive into lessons and highlights from their two most recent conversations with inspiring accountants. Listen in as they share what really stood out to them—unexpected approaches to technology, building a standout br...

This week’s episode welcomes Chris Hopwood, ACA, the founder of Tidal Accounting in Leeds. Chris made the leap from leading outsourcing teams in established accountancy firms to launching his own practice during the chaos of COVID. With a growing team, he’s built a reputation for supporting children’s activity providers—yes, those martial arts camps and holiday clubs you’ve always wondered about—a...

This week’s episode features Anum Hassan, FCCA, founder of Accounting Assist in central London. Anum’s journey is anything but ordinary: she launched her boutique practice from scratch while on maternity leave, starting with zero clients and a sleeping baby by her side. Fast forward, and she’s built Accounting Assist into a thriving six-figure business serving ambitious UK SMEs, all while carving...

May’s Reflections episode brings you a feast of honest discussion, expert wisdom, and plenty of relatable moments from the world of UK accountancy—co-hosted by Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee. This month, our duo take stock of what resonated most from three standout guests, including Andy Smith, founder of Abbeygate Accountancy in Suffolk. Andy’s story is a masterclass in learning from mistakes and b...

Welcome to episode 106 of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, your co-hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes celebrate three years of the podcast with a very special guest: Claire Rulton, director of Addison Accounts & Training in Milton Keynes. From beginnings as a tea scientist (yes, really!) to senior finance roles, and now running not one, but two accountancy practices—including a sp...

Welcome to episode 105 of Accountants’ Success Secrets! This week, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by Jonathan Amponsah, founder of The Tax Guys, an award-winning accountancy practice started back in 2008 with just grit, Google Ads, and no clients to his name. We’ll dive into Jonathan Ampensar’s journey from financial controller to multi-qualified adviser (he’s even a barrister!), explore...

Welcome to episode 104 of the Accountants' Success Secrets podcast! This week, your co-hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by Andy Smith, founder of Applegate Accountancy. Andy’s journey is anything but typical—think plot twists, a “business 2.0” reboot, and yes, five children (harder to keep up with than HMRC deadlines). From starting a practice as a finance director with zero blue...

This week, the Accountants' Success Secrets podcast features Jem Buitenhaus, founder of Accounting Gem Limited – a firm that started as a family-run bookkeeping outfit in Ipswich and has grown into a thriving practice supporting owner-managed businesses across Suffolk and Essex. After a career jump from the Army to computer engineering (with a detour flipping burgers with the BT redundancy cr...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Richie Lennon – founder of Around Finance and one of Ireland’s brightest finance leaders. Richie’s background is anything but ordinary: he’s a Chartered Accountant, qualified CPA, certified digital marketing professional, and brings years of hands-on experience as a CFO for tech, agency and e-commerce firms. From Galway to Dublin (with a virtual office in be...

This week’s 100th episode is a special milestone for the Accountants’ Success Secrets podcast, co-hosted by brand expert Philippa Haynes and mentor Mark Lee FCA. Reflecting on three years and 80 inspiring guests, Philippa and Mark take a lively look back at the professional journeys and success secrets of accountants who've built thriving practices through very different – sometimes quirky –...

Welcome to Episode 98 of the Accountants' Success Secrets podcast! This week, Speaker A and Speaker B bring you an episode with a twist. On this April 1st recording, they welcome Alexis Kingsbury, the founder of Accrual Intentions—the world’s first accountancy firm staffed entirely by AI bots, except for Alexis himself! Most weeks, the show features accountants with years of experience runnin...

Welcome to episode 97 of Accountants' Success Secrets, where Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes chat with inspiring practitioners about what makes a thriving accountancy firm. This week, we’re joined by Dan Heelan, founder of Heelan Associates, who shares his journey from retail management (and a childhood aversion to accountancy!) to leading a team of 40 and growing a hugely successful practice in...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, your hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Joanne Bell, Managing Director of Bells Accountants in Kent. From accidentally falling into the world of accountancy to leading a thriving, multi-office practice with around 30 staff and winning top industry accolades, Jo shares her inspiring journey. You'll hear h...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we dive into the real stories and reflections behind successful accountancy practices in the UK. In this special February Reflections edition, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee look back at the lessons learned and lightbulb moments shared by recent guests. From Jonathan Vowles' honest admission that he once focused on bei...

Fifteen years ago, Tej Gewara made the leap from a career in industry to open his own accountancy practice. Now, as owner of TaxAssist Accountants in Leicester East and Nottingham, with a team of 12, Tej shares what it's really like to build a thriving business from scratch. In this 30-minute episode, Tej talks candidly about: 🔹 Why he chose the franchise route—and the realities of leveragin...

Welcome to another episode of Accountant Success Secrets! This week, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Dave Sellick, the visionary behind Sidgrove, a purpose-led accounting practice and finance consultancy. Dave shares his journey from a tough start at PwC—right as Lehman Brothers crashed, no less—through years of soul-searching in founder-led businesses, all the way to creating his own i...

Welcome to Episode 92 of the Accountants' Success Secrets podcast! This week, your hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Paul Reid, founder of Empower Accountancy in Cambridge, for a conversation full of wisdom, wit, and inspiration. Paul shares his unusual journey—after selling his first practice almost ten years ago, he ventured into running a family insurance business before rec...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we delve into the personal journeys of accountants who have truly made their mark. This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes introduce us to Jonathan Vowles, founder of JVCA in Cranfield, near Cambridge—a man who started his accountancy practice last century from a cupboard under the stairs (yes, just like Harry Potter). Jo...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee are celebrating a milestone—it's the 90th edition of the podcast, and they're serving up one of their signature reflections episodes. If you're an accountant or bookkeeper looking for real, practical insights you can use, you're in the right place. Philippa and Mark ta...

Welcome to episode 89 of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by Sam Draper, founder of The Small Business Accountant in Tufnell Park, London. Sam started his practice right at the height of lockdown in 2020, juggling a tiny baby at home and a big leap from industry into practice. In this episode, Sam shares how his background as a financial control...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, where we dive into the journeys of accountants who are making a real impact in the profession. This week, hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee are joined by the award-winning Debbie Warburton, who leads GW Accountants and Business Advisors in Penryn, Cornwall. After starting her career at just 17, Debbie Warburton has worked her way up...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Chris Maslin, founder of Maslins Ltd, for an inspiring conversation you won’t want to miss. Chris shares the journey of starting his own practice in his mid-20s, after working in larger firms and always asking, “Why do we do it this way?” From knocking on doors to land his f...

Welcome back to Accountants' Success Secrets! In this week's episode, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are joined by the award-winning Rachel Chadwick-Harrison, founder of Chadwick Accountants and Bookkeepers in Bidford on Avon. With a background that spans financial services and rapid-growth businesses, Rachel shares how she built her thriving firm – starting from the humble beginnings of p...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! In this special Reflections Edition, Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee take a look back at the standout moments from some of their most recent interviews. Together, they chat openly about what resonated with them—both personally and professionally—drawing lessons from the journeys of inspiring accountants and bookkeepers. This episode div...