Practice Pulse

In this episode hosted by Carl Reader, Alistair Barlow of Ascendant shares his journey from corporate life at PwC to co-founding and then exiting Flindr — a modern accounting firm built on data, insight, and innovation. Starting with just £500 each and a blank canvas, Alistair and his co-founder reimagined what an accounting practice could look like. Rather than defaulting to traditional models, t...

In this episode, our host Carl Reader of the dt group sits down with Liam Wilson, founder of Elevate, to unpack how he scaled his accountancy practice to £700,000 in just two and a half years without spending a single penny on marketing. Liam shares his personal journey into accountancy, shaped in part by watching his father navigate business struggles. That early exposure instilled a deep underst...

In this episode, Yogesh Patel talks to host Carl Reader of the dt group about his journey from practitioner to owner of Telic and the emotional, strategic, and cultural shifts that came with it. Taking over a business you once worked in is no small transition. Yogesh reflects on stepping out from being the bottleneck, putting his own stamp on the brand, and redefining the firm’s identity around qu...

In this episode, Eriona Bajrakurtaj shares her inspiring journey from growing up in a family business to becoming a respected leader in the accounting industry. Drawing from her experience at Majors Accounts, Eriona discusses the challenges of navigating family dynamics, embracing digital transformation, and harnessing the power of community support with host Carl Reader of the dt group. The conve...

In this episode, host Carl Reader of the dt group sits down with Soaring Falcon’s Alex Falcon Huerta — accountant, entrepreneur, tech advocate, and digital nomad — to explore her unconventional journey through the profession. Alex shares how she carved her own path in accounting, blending practical experience with a passion for technology and innovation. From speaking on global stages about fintec...

In this episode hosted by Carl Reader of the dt group, Nikki and Nigel Adams dive into the journey of Ad Valorem, exploring how a lifestyle choice grew into a thriving, values-driven accounting practice. Nikki and Nigel share their experiences building the business, navigating challenges, and creating a culture that balances client focus, team cohesion, and long-term vision. The conversation touch...

In the first episode of our podcast series about taking your practice to the next level, Phil Ellerby shares the remarkable journey of building Northern Accountants from a garden shed startup in 2008 to a thriving £3.5 million turnover practice with host Carl Reader of the dt group. What began as a move driven by necessity rather than passion evolved into a masterclass in systemisation, leadership...

Winning an accountancy award isn’t just about the trophy—it’s about credibility, industry recognition, and growing your client base. But is it worth the time and the effort? PJCO Chartered Certified Accountants has been nominated for and won multiple awards. In this podcast, its Managing Partner Peter Jarman talks about the process that he and his team go through when deciding whether to enter an...

This podcast has been created from the session that Alastair Barlow (founder and former CEO of flindr) and Bhimal Hira (partner at Prysm Financial) presented at the 2025 Festival of Accounting & Bookkeeping in Birmingham, UK about their experiences exiting their practices. In it, they talk through the essential components of exploring exit options, assessing your company’s financial health, an...

In the final episode of the series, Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about their experiences at Accountex 2024 and their key takeaways - the advent of AI but how it can never replace accountants, and how you shouldn’t get sucked into any software without doing your research first. They also mop up all the areas they promised to re-visit in earlier episodes such as their hourly operational costs...

In the penultimate episode of the series, Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about collaborating with staff, clients and other accountants. A support network of other accountants is important for referring work you don’t have capacity or expertise for, but also so that you can have assurance that every practice has similar pain points. Then there’s networking with other industries and with other...

Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about what productivity means to them, how staff are key to your productivity, and the different KPIs you can use. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulation, tips from other members and ACCA partners, and how you can build your community. There’s even a checklist that you can use to check your progress...

In this episode, Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about taking on staff – at what point it becomes necessary, whether to recruit an admin role or an accountant role first, how outsourcing can help, using HR consultants, and planning for future recruitment. Who’d have thought that Pilates classes are a great place to recruit…. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice...

Amy & James look at the risk of pricing too low when you first start up, different pricing models, pricing strategy, proposal software, price increases, and the advent of value pricing. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulation, tips from other members and ACCA partners, and how you can build your community. There’s even a checklist...

What’s the best way to get your new accountancy practice out there? Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about marketing your practice using social media as well as more traditional routes to market their practices, the importance of SEO for your website, and how it isn’t a case of one size fits all. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulat...

In this episode of the series, Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about the add-ons to bookkeeping software that they use, debate CRM versus Excel, and talk about how you manage anti-money laundering requirements. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulation, tips from other members and ACCA partners, and how you can build your community....

In the first of two episodes about software, Amy and James look at whether you get the clients or the software first, the different types of bookkeeping, accounts & tax production and proposal software, CRM, and how the software needs of your practice will evolve over time. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulation, tips from other m...

In the second episode of the series, Amy Hancock and James Goulsbra talk about practice structure, practice names, the ideal client and deciding on the services you’ll offer when you’re first setting up. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub covering regulation, tips from other members and ACCA partners, and how you can build your community. There’s eve...

In the opening episode of our new series, ACCA members Amy Hancock of Hancock & Hastings Ltd, and James Goulsbra of Garrett Adam Accountants Ltd talk about how they came to start their practices. Find out about the services they offer, the use of specialists, and where they expect to be in five years’ time. This podcast series complements our hub Creating Tomorrow’s Practice Today – a hub cove...

It’s no secret that the macroeconomic environment has an impact on small businesses. Supply chain disruptions, staff shortages and rising overheads all come as a result from the global events of the last 3 years. And whilst we all hear the global news and economic updates, it can be easy to forget this has a very real-life impact locally as well as globally. With 61% of the UK’s employees from sma...

In this series, we explore the big issues impacting business and the accountancy profession as we navigate economic downturn. This time we are focusing on the role of advisory. With the increase in the complexity of the world in which businesses are operating, coupled with client’s ever-changing needs, forecasting has become increasingly challenging. This challenge is amplified by the significant...

In this series, we explore the big issues impacting business and the accountancy profession as we navigate economic downturn. This time we are focusing on the role of advisory. With the increase in the complexity of the world in which businesses are operating, coupled with client’s ever-changing needs, forecasting has become increasingly challenging. This challenge is amplified by the significant...

At the time of the recording of this podcast, there was less than 500 working days until Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self-Assessment (or MTD for ITSA as it's better known) was due to come into effect. Accountants may be wondering how much work is going to be required to prepare for it and operate under it. In this podcast, Jordan Smith and Andrew Smith of A G Smith & Co share their thoug...

This new podcast series in partnership with PracticeWeb will look at how to grow your practice through data driven marketing. In the final episode of the series, Mike Crook and Zoe Sweet of PracticeWeb discuss how you can market your firm on a budget. They’ll cover why marketing is important, the marketing options available for different budgets, the marketing tactics that work for the firms they...

This new podcast series in partnership with PracticeWeb will look at how to grow your practice through data driven marketing. In episode 5, Mike Crook and Zoe Sweet of PracticeWeb discuss how marketing can help overcome the price objection. They’ll cover the role that marketing plays in removing price objections, how to communicate your value to reduce those price objections, and practical tips on...