Alex Smith joined TaxAssist Accountants at the age of 30 in 2006 and now operates two shops from Plymouth and Peverell in Devon, alongside his wife Sarah and seven members of staff.
Prior to joining TaxAssist Accountants, Alex who is an FCA Chartered Accountant, operated as an accountant in industry and also an auditor in practice. He made the decision to move from Guildford in Surrey to Devon, seeking a more rewarding career which, at the same time, would provide greater flexibility in looking after the planned family. Fourteen years and two children later he hasn’t looked back!
Alex said: “It was a big decision to leave a job with a good regular income to join a franchise and start from scratch in a totally new area, but I can honestly say TaxAssist has provided me with everything I need.
“There are challenges along the way of course – for me a significant reason behind joining a franchise rather than going it alone was that my experience before joining was largely technical, and not in sales or marketing. From speaking with other franchisees, it was clear the TaxAssist model would fill these gaps in my skillset, and this has absolutely been the case. Initial business development training was excellent, and the ongoing refinement of our offering to clients continues non-stop.
“Thirteen years later, my role is more about looking after the great team of people we have in the business, and talking to clients and prospective clients. But I also think it important to keep fully up to speed on everything we do – for this reason I’ll always be at technical updates and keep a hand in the day-to-day technical work the team are looking after.
"A major change I have witnessed has been the growth in technology available to us, and specifically cloud accounting software and apps. I’ve always enjoyed checking out the latest tech and we started using cloud software ourselves relatively early on, some seven or eight years ago now.
"Since then the rate of development has been incredible but still continues apace – with Making Tax Digital on the horizon, and with the apps/software already available to us, now is a great time to be with TaxAssist as the opportunities in our sector to take clients on their own journey online, and then provide true advisory services beyond, are huge.
“I am happy to report that I now have more than 400 clients, which generate an income and flexibility in how I work that could not have been achieved on the corporate ladder I stepped off. Further, I know the practice will be a valuable asset for my future when the time is right. The shops, along with my own marketing, and the initiatives of the TaxAssist Accountants' Support Centre team, have proved invaluable in helping me to build a substantial practice.”
If you would like to find out more about taking control of your career and operating your own practice, why not give us a call to see if your ideal territory is available. Call 0800 0188297 for a confidential chat.