Accountants' Success Secrets

This week’s episode features Kasia Machalinski, the multi-award-winning founder of Prevail Accountancy in Rochdale. Kasia’s journey is both inspiring and refreshing—moving to the UK from Poland with a master’s in economics, she’s become a CIMA-qualified accountant with a knack for supporting construction SMEs. Her specialist know-how in project costing and business planning is matched only by her...

Emma Willder founded Beyond Profit Ltd and built a thriving accountancy practice focused on the charity sector - with her family at the heart of the team. In this 30 minute episode, Emma shares her story, including the shift from a corporate financial career to finding purpose and balance by helping charities make a difference. As you listen to this episode, you'll...  🔹 Discover how Emma gr...

In this 30-minute reflections episode, Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee revisit inspiring interviews with Richard Wilson Artus (MWA Accounting), Stuart Harris (the Friendly Accountant), Penny Allard (Her Wild Bookkeeping), and Nicky Gentle (Thrive Bookkeeping). As you listen, you’ll...  🔹 Discover how Richard Wilson Artus navigated losing 85% of his hospitality clients during COVID and why having “br...

This week’s Accountants’ Success Secrets episode features Nicky Gentle, founder of Thrive Bookkeeping in Devizes, Wiltshire. Nikki’s journey is anything but typical. Originally aiming for Olympic stardom in equestrian sport, Nicky’s career path took unexpected turns through health challenges and corporate life, before she found her calling in bookkeeping. Her story speaks to the resilience and ada...

This week’s episode welcomes Stuart Harris, the man behind Stuart Harris Associates and known to many as “the Friendly Accountant”. With 30 years in the profession, Stuart’s story moves from a South London family firm, through specialist partnerships, all the way to building his own practice in North London. Now, with a small but tight-knit team, Stuart supports clients on everything from emigrati...

Richard Wilson-Artus started MWA Accounting in Manchester city centre back in 2014, and has grown a thriving practice with a focus on e-commerce, food & drink, content creators, and property businesses. In this 30-minute episode, Richard shares how he went from redundancy to building a successful ACCA-regulated firm with a small but dedicated team. As you listen to this episode, you’ll... 🔹 D...

🚀 Reflections from the Latest Accountants’ Success Secrets Podcast! 🚀 In this special Reflections episode, co-hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes take a lively look back at insights from four recent interviews with standout accountants and bookkeepers. Together, they unpack memorable lessons from Steph Beeston Clark, Simon Mason, Andrew Coombs, and Arun Mehra, drawing out stories of grit, growth,...

Arun Mehra left a successful career in investment banking to build his own specialist accountancy firm from scratch. Over the past 23 years, he’s grown Samera into a thriving business advising dental practices across the UK and beyond, with a unique team split between the UK and India. In this 30-minute episode, Arun shares:  🔹 Why he left the City and what inspired him to niche down in the denta...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, the podcast that shines a light on the stories of real accountants and bookkeepers making a difference in the profession. In this milestone 75th episode, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Andrew Coombs, who shares his unique journey from financial services to taking the reins at Kings Oak Accountancy—his family’s pract...

This week’s episode welcomes Simon Mason, the founder of Simas Accounting and Tax in Bedford. Simon’s journey is a powerful blend of experience-driven practice, tenacity, and genuine care—for clients, colleagues, and the future of accountancy. Having started his career at a top 30 firm, he rose to senior manager and partner-designate before bravely launching his own firm in 2017. Now leading a clo...

Today on Accountants’ Success Secrets, Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sat down with Steph Beeston-Clarke, who’s built an inspiring practice serving charities and non-profits across the UK - all from Winsford and sometimes sunny Lanzarote!  Steph shared her journey from kitchen-table bookkeeping to leading a remote team of eight. We talk honestly about overcoming setbacks, the importance of mindset,...

🚀 Reflections from the Latest Accountants’ Success Secrets Podcast! 🚀 We've just dropped the 72nd episode of the Accountants’ Success Secrets Podcast, and we’ve loved reflecting on some truly inspiring stories from accountants and bookkeepers across the UK. From home offices taking over the house to big decisions about growth and team building, this episode is packed with insights for anyon...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets!  This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Sudipta "Sid" Moore of Moore Accountancy for an inspiring and refreshingly honest conversation.  Sid shares her journey from training in London to setting up her own thriving practice in Altrincham, Cheshire right from her home. She opens up about the realities of...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets! This week, hosts Mark Lee of Bookmark Lee and Philippa Haynes of Insight101 sit down with Mark Melville, the founder of Concept Accountancy in Newcastle upon Tyne. Mark shares his journey from working in a local firm to launching his own practice back in 2014. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how Concept Accountancy has grown...

This week’s episode features Nick Heaney, the founder behind CWH Accounting, based near Carlisle in Cumbria. Nick’s journey is anything but ordinary. From an ambitious show jumper with 15 horses under his care, he made a dramatic leap into accountancy at age 30—after a bad fall changed his course. He’s since built his own thriving practice and now leads a growing, fully-remote team. Tune in as co-...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets!  This week, your co-hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes are back from their (very brief!) podcasting holiday and ready to dive into inspiring stories from the world of UK accountancy.  In this episode, they sit down with Kirsty Chaplin, founder of Flourish Accounting, who shares her remarkable journey from aspiring school-age accounta...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets!  In this special Reflections instalment, co-hosts Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee look back on some of their favourite recent interviews with inspiring UK accountants and bookkeepers.  Drawing on conversations with Sharon Baker, Jon Norton, Noel Guilford, and Kath Docherty, Philippa and Mark share standout insights ranging from personal...

We welcome Kath Docherty from Hydref Accounting to the podcast chair! In this episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes chat with Kath about her journey from running a compliance-heavy practice to creating a firm focused on building strong client relationships and delivering real value. Kath shares honest insights on finding her niche, the joys, and challenge...

"I try and only do what only I can do... If I can share some of the knowledge and experience that I've gained in my career, then that's a good way to round off my career, perhaps put it that way. Not that I'm looking to retire anytime soon." — Noel Guilford In this episode of Accountants' Success Secrets, we sit down with Noel Guilford of Guilford Accounting, a season...

We welcome Jon Norton from Barefoot Accounting to the podcast chair! "All you can do is worry about your next step. That’s all you can do." This beautifully sums up the organic, adaptable way Jon has approached his career - moving from one opportunity to the next, learning and evolving as he goes, and focusing on practical progress rather than having a rigid, long-term plan.  His story i...

In this episode, Sharon Baker, founder of Kinder Accountants, shares her inspiring journey from starting her own practice to building a thriving, award-winning firm with a focus on kindness, innovation, and client relationships.  Sharon reveals the highs and lows, the importance of saying no, the impact of technology, and her approach to building a supportive team and meaningful advisory services....

🎉 Podiversary Reflections! 🎉 In our latest episode of Accountants’ Success Secrets, we’re celebrating TWO years of inspiring interviews with accountants and bookkeepers who are changing the game. Join Philippa Haynes and Mark Lee as they reflect on four standout guests—from trauma-informed CFOs to niche ecommerce experts—and share what’s really making accountants shine in today’s world. Ready fo...

Paula Tomlinson started her journey with a simple, honest question: what do small businesses really want from their accountants?  Sitting down with a blank sheet of paper, she listened closely and found clear answers. Small business owners needed a chartered accountant who genuinely understood them, their ambitions, and the quirks of their business—someone consistent they could trust. They valued...

Welcome to another episode of Accountants' Success Secrets!  In this episode, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Ellie Flower, founder of Fox Clever Bookkeeping. Ellie shares her unique journey from running a digital SME in Cornwall to launching her own bookkeeping practice, now specializing in e-commerce and supporting online retailers across platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and...

Welcome to episode 59 of Accountants' Success Secrets!  This week, hosts Mark Lee and Philippa Haynes sit down with Chris Gascoyne, founder of Acumist, an accountancy practice based in Windlesham, Surrey. With over thirty years of experience, Chris has carved out a niche working with creative businesses as well as clients in property, construction, and wholesale. In this insightful conversati...