After many years working with larger companies, both in-house and with external accountancy firms, I have to say it’s a pleasure to be involved with the SME community again.
Small businesses are part of my background – my mum, auntie and uncle all run their own businesses in Wales – and so working with a company like Haines Watts, which specialises in SME accountancy, feels like a natural move. 
I’ve been based in Bristol for almost a decade now since moving here from London and I’ve always liked the spirit, the community feel and the closeness to the countryside.
And it’s great to be working with my fellow directors – Matt Bracher, Andrew Jordan and Conor O’Sullivan – to support owner-managed businesses in Bristol, Exeter and around the region.
There can be a gap between the services provided by accountancy firms and the needs of the smaller business owner.
Tax analysis and reports are great at providing the technical implications of major transactions, but they often stop short of the practical advice which SME owners need from their accountant and can lack that closeness of relationship that smaller clients often need.
The real value in having an accountant who can be a partner in the journey of your business lies in providing the scope of services which a client might not even recognise that they require.
For example, a disclosure needed in a tax computation, or when a payment is due in a capital transaction – these are things which may seem obvious to an accountant but which rarely occur to a busy SME owner who is spending most of his or her time running operations and supervising team management.
Over the years I’ve worked with businesses of all sizes and I know that the practical advice is just as important to a growing SME as it is to a large business.
Whether it’s Corporation Tax and governance, or transactional matters such as due diligence or preparing documents necessary for a sale, the same principles apply across the business spectrum.
The beauty of an SME specialist like Haines Watts is that we can look after the advisory elements as well as the procedural ones, with one point of contact providing a solid and enduring relationship.
We are also small enough to be able to talk across the departments within our company – so tax advisers can liaise with the accounts and audit side easily to find the best solution regarding the implications for the client.
So it’s good to be part of a talented team – not only in Bristol but across the South West – who can offer joined-up services across our client base.
The personal touch is why I’m not too worried about the onset of artificial intelligence as AI becomes more commonplace across the professional services sector.
Every business is different and has its own characteristics and complexities with many moving parts.
So it’s fundamentally really hard to replicate what we do and I’m not sure people want it, either.
It’s always rewarding to work with people and I think entrepreneurs in particular would prefer to have some support from a person rather than relying on the functionality of a robotic service.
That desire for personal service, the offering of quality conversations combined with excellent service, is something which I’m confident is going to endure beyond the advance of technology.
That’s why it’s great to be in a team of people who provide that to a thriving business community – an SME sector where the majority of innovation and dynamism is to be found.
