UK Enterprise Awards 2021

72 | UK Enterprise Awards 2021 Apr21857 Best Bookkeeping & Accountancy Firm - North West England Jargon-free accountancy practice, Aspire Accounts Limited, is on a mission to help local businesses flourish. A sturdy work ethic and a healthy dose of enthusiasm have proved Aspire Accounts to be a dependable and effective ally in these times of economic uncertainty. Jenny Vadasz and her team at Aspire Accounts are changing the face of accountancy in the North West. Based in Wigan, the firm works with businesses from sole traders to SMEs. It prides itself on taking the hassle out of dealing with the numbers. How many entrepreneurs can say, hand on heart, that they don’t begrudge the long hours spent pouring over their receipts and books? Many dread the end of year meeting with their accountant. Not to mention the rush that follows to get figures together for the dreaded tax return. Enter Aspire Accounts. This friendly company prides itself on an alternative approach. The team welcome clients as part of their family and form a strong relationship from the start. Keeping in regular contact with clients throughout the year means that the end of year pressure doesn’t get a chance to arrive. Clients make a point of saying how much they look forward to meeting up with the staff at Aspire Accounts. Jenny and the team put in the time to understand the clients and their businesses. This means they’re able to offer proactive advice and support wherever it’s needed, providing the best possible service for each client’s circumstances. Jenny tells us: “We understand that not all businesses are the same. Every single customer is unique in terms of what they offer, how they are structured and what they want to achieve. The services we provide depend on what genuinely fits them, not what fits us financially. We don’t work like that.” The business has a clear mission to help clients save money and provide sound advice to enable their businesses to grow and prosper. The no- nonsense, transparent approach has customers singing Aspire Accounts’ praises. The website is full of 5-star reviews. Aspire Accounts is passionate about connecting people and businesses. Last year, to bring local businesses together, the team decided to launch FAB Networking. FAB stands for Friends & Business. The series of friendly, informal, and jargon-free get-togethers was a great success. It gave businesses the opportunity to form new connections and revisit existing ones. Face-to-face meetings may feel like a thing of the past at the moment, but the team hope they will be able to host these valuable networking events again soon. This isn’t the only thing to have changed for the firm since the pandemic. As with many companies, they moved to digital platforms for meetings, and soon found that on the whole this saved time and money. Some clients appreciate the savings that remote meetings bring and actually prefer it. Others, however, were glad to return to face-to-face meetings once the rules relaxed. The firm currently offers both options. Of course, in the accountancy world, there have been many changes since COVID first hit the UK. The team have had a lot to learn. Figuring out the furlough scheme to ensure that the relevant claims were made on time for their clients was critical. The team loves a challenge. Jenny believes the current environment is very much sink or swim: “We love the water, and love to see fast swimmers here. Think fast, react fast, and anything is achievable. Belief in your business, and finding new ways to market yourself are huge here, you can’t rely on just your current client base.” Based in Wigan, Aspire Accounts has always found the local authority to be supportive of the small business network. It works closely with Wigan Council and has signed up for the Deal for Business Scheme. The scheme signifies a shared commitment to supporting the economic growth of the area. It aims to create a successful and sustainable economy by promoting opportunity, growth and innovation across the borough. Although very much a local business, Aspire Accounts reviewed its processes during the pandemic. It’s now able to take on clients from further afield, thanks to geolocation and tools such as Zoom. The internal culture at Aspire Accounts mirrors the relationships with its clients. Open and honest communication is key. Everyone is happy to talk freely and work together to solve issues. Aspire Accounts has taken on a further three members of staff in the last 12 months. There are also plans to recruit more staff to ensure it has the capacity to tackle the growing workload. Jenny tells us what she looks for when recruiting a new member of the team: “We look for adaptable, flexible individuals who are willing to learn, are happy, have a great sense of humour and who radiate positivity. We offer extensive