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Curve Accountancy
UK Growth Coach started working with the business owner of Curve Accountancy, Chris Irving, in August 2021. Having been coached by us before in relation to another business he is a shareholder of, it was clear to Chris that our coaches could support and enable him further with change management at Curve Accountancy. Chris, therefore, identified us as a great business coach for an accountant!
Chris wanted to refresh the direction and purpose of the company, following a change in the directors which had allowed him greater autonomy. The business had fallen into the typical pattern of many a high street accountancy firm, where they were fulfilling compliance requirements and doing annual tax returns for clients, but not being particularly pro-active in other areas.
Chris wanted to update the driving purpose to be much more focused upon client empowerment, whereby business owners would be better able to understand their key numbers, make better decisions as a result and drive greater business success. The outcome intention was to create more enjoyable lives for the owners and everyone who dealt with their company. This mission is very well-aligned to that of UKGC, so a match made in heaven!
At the time, Chris was personally often working more than 80 hours a week; meaning he was missing out on family time at weekends and over holidays. He was also suffering with the high levels of associated stress and pressure that many a business owner will be familiar with. The situation was not sustainable and it was not allowing him the time, head-space or health to make the changes he wanted alone.
Chris called us in to help make both a business and personal change happen.
Business coaching for accountants involves a good working knowledge of the sector as well as a strong business background. Our coaches have both when it comes to accountancy!
One of the first aspects we worked together with Chris on was re-defining the vision and purpose statement of Curve Accountancy.
To deliver on the new purpose and move gradually towards the ultimate finished business vision, the services and organisation were also redesigned. The restructured services provide an increased and better range to clients. The compliance requirements are still central, but there are additional and alternative delivery mechanisms in order to add more value to their clients and help them understand their business’ better.
A new organisational structure within Curve was then necessary to ensure the purpose and new direction was well understood, bought into by the team and that they could deliver on it. This meant delegation, and giving greater responsibilities and accountability to colleagues. The success of this was all in the communication and explaining what it meant for them so that the individuals involved looked positively on the opportunity.
This change in direction also naturally led to a rebrand of the business, which was not simply a new logo and website but much more a matter of redefining the core messaging.
The final aspect has been working with Chris personally on his time management – delegating tasks and giving responsibility to the team where necessary (with training and support in order for them to succeed), diary management so clients know when he is and is not available, in addition to allocating time for him to spend on growing the business.
The professional and personal outcomes of this have been significant over a relatively short period of time.
The rebrand of Curve Accountancy has launched with it’s new mission and purpose, the team are thriving on the new responsibilities and Chris has cut his working from 80 hours down to around 40 hrs. He’s also been able to take his first family holiday in five years, with no mobile or laptop in sight, and the team running the business perfectly in his absence.
This is life-changing for Chris and is why he received the most improved client award during our quarterly planning session.
The final point to note is that whilst all this change has been happening, the company has also seen an improvement on both turnover and profit.
If you are interested in business coaching for accountants, you’ll find a wealth of experience and expertise here are UK Growth Coach!
“I want Curve Accountancy to be a market leader with a great reputation. I want the company to be able to run independent of me and I also want a business that’s a valuable asset to me and the clients. Once I saw what UK Growth Coach could provide, it was that missing piece of the jigsaw for me in order to make this vision a reality.
The key benefits I’ve seen to the business and to me personally, are that I’m no longer working the 80 hours a week that I was. It’s now more like 45 hours a week. I have a better structured week. I have more time with my family which they are very happy about and we had our first holiday this year, in five years.
It has also resulted in an increase in turnover and profitability for the company.
Tim will tell you things that you don’t want to hear but that you need to hear. Having a coach has helped my business, helped me personally and enabled me to provide better advice to our clients.”
Whether you are looking for a business coach Brighton, Eastbourne or elsewhere in West Sussex or East Sussex, our expert team of coaches can help!