I did not grow up knowing I wanted to be an accountant.
I did not really know what I wanted to do. I started off in sales analysis, then moved into sales when I moved to London. I quickly realised I was awful at sales. It was not the right fit for me.
I moved into accountancy when my first child was born. The reason for this was simple. I wanted a career that gave me more flexibility in terms of where I lived and how I worked.
As I got more and more into it, I realised I enjoyed it. It was also something I seemed to be okay at.
For the first 10 years or so of my accountancy career, I worked for various organisations, mainly businesses around the £10 million turnover mark. I started at the bottom and worked my way up.
Two of the main areas I enjoyed were fixing issues and making work processes more efficient. I liked removing the unnecessary work, the duplicated tasks, and the processes that did not really add anything.
That has probably carried through into how I work now.
The Variety of Accountancy
Accountancy gives me variety.
No two clients are exactly the same. Different businesses have different problems, different questions and different ways of working.
One day might involve tax returns. Another day might involve payroll, VAT, accounts, bookkeeping, or helping someone understand what is happening in their business.
That variety matters to me.
I like meeting different people, learning about what they do, and helping them with the parts of business they may not enjoy or fully understand.
Solving Problems
One of the parts I enjoy most is solving problems.
Sometimes that might be a technical tax issue. Sometimes it is simply helping a client understand what they need to do next. Other times it is taking something that feels messy, stressful or unclear and making it more straightforward.
A lot of accountancy is not just about numbers. It is about communication.
Clients often appreciate work being completed quickly, but they also value someone who explains things clearly, listens properly, and speaks in a way they understand.
That is important to me.
I have never wanted to make accountancy sound more complicated than it needs to be. Most clients do not want jargon. They want to know where they stand, what they need to do, what they owe, what deadlines are coming up, and whether there is anything they should be thinking about.
I try to be down to earth with clients. I listen, I explain things in plain English, and I try to talk their language.
When a client is happy with the work I have done, that does mean a lot. It is good to know you have helped someone, especially when they may have been worried about something before they came to you.
Work-Life Balance
But if I am honest, the most important part of what I do now is work-life balance.
This has become more and more apparent the longer I have worked for myself. It is something I talk about with clients, and I do not hide it. It is now at the forefront of why I do this.
It was not the main reason at the start, but it is now.
I like starting work at 7am and finishing when I want to. I like being able to plan in squash at 4pm on a Wednesday without having to ask for permission.
Running my own business has given me more flexibility and more control over my time. I am more relaxed than I used to be, and I enjoy life a lot more.
There is no commute. There is no one telling me exactly what to do and when. I work in a way that fits for me, as long as I get the work done for my clients.
That does not mean I work less, and it does not mean there are no pressures. Deadlines still exist. Clients still need things doing. HMRC still has filing dates. Payroll still needs processing. Tax returns still need submitting.
Even if I have a week off, I will often still do some work. Partly because there are deadlines to meet, but also because I enjoy what I do.
The difference is that I have more control over my time and how I work.
I can play squash. I can go out on my bike. I can take time away when I want or need to. I can structure my working week around the things that matter to me, not just around a traditional 9–5.
Every Friday morning, I play squash. That is something I probably would not be able to do if I worked for someone else in a standard 9–5 job.
That flexibility is worth a lot to me.
If I want to go out on my bike, I can. I can do that when it suits me, as long as the work gets done.
Less Restriction, More Balance
Working for myself has given me fewer restrictions.
Of course, I still have responsibilities. I still need to look after clients properly, meet deadlines and make sure the work is done to a good standard.
But I can do that in a way that suits me.
That balance has become more important as I have got older. Now I am in my 40s, I do not think work should take over everything.
It is important to enjoy what you do, but it is also important to have time for life outside work.
For me, that means squash, cycling, time away, and being able to work in a way that feels sustainable.
Why I Do It
So, why do I do what I do?
I do it because I found something I enjoy.
I do it because I like the variety.
I do it because I enjoy solving problems and helping people understand things more clearly.
I do it because I appreciate when clients are happy with the work I have done.
But most of all, I do it because it gives me a better balance in life.
Accountancy may not have been the career I planned from the start, but it has become something that fits me well. It allows me to work with different people, do varied work, help clients, and still have time for the things I enjoy outside of work.
That is why I do what I do.
