Arguably, it influences how you're going to raise the bar in terms of the conversations with your clients as well. 

If you listen in to this podcast discussion with Dominic, you're likely to walk away with insights and ideas that could save you and everyone who is in a management role in your firm a time saving of somewhere between 20% and 40%, which is, by the way, what Dominic suggests is more than likely. 

So, please seek out this Remarkable Practice: Humanise the Numbers podcast at HumaniseTheNumbers.online, and scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Dominic and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

What were the triggers for that event happening? 

In the course of this podcast with Martin Wardle of TH WARD, we cover a lot of ground, including the pace of technology and where Martin sees the future of accountancy going. He also tells some great stories about the significant impacts he's had on clients that he's worked with over the years, and he shares a lot about what he's learned, both about himself and about the profession. 

This is one not to miss. If you can, join us at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Martin and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

Well, you obviously can't know for sure, but isn't it good to get an insider's viewpoint on how technology will change things? 

In this podcast with Derek Granger of Aris Growth, Derek talks about where he works and how he sees the changes coming through into today’s firms, changes that will have a significant impact, not only on recruitment and training, but also on fundamental work practices. 

To hear more about technology and to listen in to a wide-ranging conversation where we discussed private equity and the importance of soft skills in accountancy, go to HumaniseTheNumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Derek and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

When I interviewed Luke Farren of The Modern Firm recently on the podcast, I felt that Luke's comments about why accounting needs shaking up are certainly worth a listen. 

To hear more, join me and Luke at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Luke and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

What struck me in this podcast with Gareth Burton of Assure UK was Gareth's curiosity about the way that accountancy is carried out and the potential improvements to processes that can happen across virtually every part of our business. Gareth has got that down to a tee. 

To listen to more of that and to further useful insights about how and why Gareth set up his firm in the first place, join us at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or where you normally get your podcasts.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Gareth and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage, Phil and I cover several topics that are very relevant to the profession today, including:  how do we deliver value? 

Phil shares some great insights into his nine years working with accountants in a tech space, and also how he's developed a real understanding of accountants and their motivations and capabilities. 

And we have a really interesting chat around how accountants explain what they do to clients.

So, if you want to find out more, join me and Phil at HumaniseTheNumbers.online, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Phil and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

But in this podcast episode with Paul Miller of Cornish Accounting Solutions, that's exactly what I found. Paul genuinely thinks of himself first and foremost as a storyteller. 

The reasons for that will become apparent during the podcast, and that's why I highly recommend it to you. In a wide-ranging discussion, Paul and I talk through the importance of client selection, as well as how a scare with meningitis affected Paul’s outlook, not just on his firm, but on life in general. 

And you'll certainly want to dive into what's on Paul's ‘sacred cow’ and ‘magic wand’ lists. 

Please have a listen to the podcast. You’ll find it where you usually find your podcasts or at HumaniseTheNumbers.online. 

Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for Paul’s contact information and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

That's the discussion that I dived into with Jonathan Gaunt from FD Works. He set up Xavier, which was sold to Dext and became Dext Precision, and then set up Socket. 

In this conversation with Jonathan, we struggled to get to the numbers part of Humanise the Numbers and talked quite a bit about some very specific small things that have big results in enabling you to build your culture the way you want to build it – the working environment that you can be proud of, enjoy, and which delivers real financial success as well. 

I hope you'll take time out and go to your favourite podcast platform or to humanisethenumbers.online and look out for this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Jonathan Gaunt. I thought it was remarkable! 

Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for Jonathan’s contact information and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Donna Field of Autumn HR, we discuss how she faced adversity in the form of a business, one in which she was emotionally and financially invested, disappearing overnight.

This ultimately proved the catalyst to setting up what is now a thriving business, with Donna doing work that she loves and bringing huge value to her clients. 

I really enjoyed my chat with Donna. We talked about a number of things – the importance of team engagement, the positive effect of having weekly one-to-ones with your team members, and, of course, the impact that a good HR partner can have on your business. 

To listen to the podcast, go to humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. If you’d like to hear more engaging and informative podcasts, hit the subscribe button. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Donna and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

He covers a number of thought-provoking subjects in the podcast, including how they totally revamped their annual accounts meeting system to make sure that they covered purpose-related questions, ensuring that they were really living out that core purpose in the eyes of both their clients and their team members. 

If you’d like to hear more, go to humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like it, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Steve and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast, I explore the route taken by Caroline Carter, of Carter Clear Accounting. You'll find Caroline's route anything but traditional. 

From having mental health challenges in the house, to a teenage pregnancy, to running a pub – a busy pub – at age 23, Caroline's background is rich and varied, and all of this has served to inform how she runs her successful accounting firm. 

In this deeply human podcast, hear Caroline talk about how her background underpinned her approach to accounting, and how her diagnosis of ADHD helped her to make sense of the world. 

This is a cracking podcast. You can find it at humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts from. Please remember to hit the subscribe button. 

Scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Caroline and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Noel Guilford of Guilford Accounting, Noel talks us through how his onboarding process makes sure that only potential clients who value that type of service get through the net, get over the threshold, and become a client of Guilford Accounting. 

In this conversation – and it ranged across Noel's 50 years in accounting – we also talked about what the future of the profession holds. Noel has got some really interesting views on that, all of which point towards less compliance, more advisory. 

If you want to listen to that podcast, you'll find it wherever you get your podcasts or at HumaniseTheNumbers.online.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Noel and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

…how does that all come together when you set up a firm later in life with your son? 

In this wide-ranging conversation with Alasdair McGill, of Ashton McGill, we cover a lot of ground. 

We discuss the education system and how it often seems to stifle our natural curiosity and diminish our ability to ask questions. 

We talk about the future of the profession, and we talk about how Alasdair is very intentional about everything that he does within Ashton McGill. It's a great conversation. I really enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too. 

Go to humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts from to listen to this episode. Oh, and better still, if you like it, please hit the subscribe button. 

You can scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Alasdair and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

If all of that sounds a curious mix, please join me and Miranda Kendall of Spotlight Reporting on this podcast, where you'll find out the answer to this question and more. 

Miranda talks very passionately about why accountants do what they do and how we can harness that to enable better relationships with clients. And she's also got some really good snippets about how to handle team members. 

I found Miranda a wonderful guest – very passionate about what she does and also very clear and concise about the importance of being present in conversations, whether it's with a client or with a team member. 

If you're interested in finding out more, please join me on humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. And better still, click the subscribe button if you like it. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Miranda and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

There are a number of standout moments in this podcast, not least when Graeme describes how to have the team really working with purpose, with real meaning in their work, all the time. 

So please join us on the podcast, either via your usual podcast platform or from humanisethenumbers.online. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Graeme and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

We'll cover all of that and a lot more in this podcast with Laura Taylor from Bright Flamingo. Laura shares how that journey affected her, and she also reveals some secrets along the way that could help you in your own accounting firm. 

If you want to hear more, join Laura and me wherever you get your podcasts, or join us on humanisethenumbers.online. And if you enjoy it, please hit the subscribe button. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Laura and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Elinor Perry of Pentlands, you'll hear Elinor unpack 20 years of experience of running her firm – from when she bought in to the business to the garden party with 130 customers on a lawn wishing her every success for the next stage of Pentlands. How do you build that level of trust? 

Elinor shares her thoughts around establishing clear expectations and setting the standard early – how do you get going early with new prospects, so that it creates a foundation of trust that results in recommendations and results in clients paying fees of £6,000 a year or £20,000 a year or more, without any audit involved? 

This is one of those rare podcasts where you get someone's life experience of running a practice in an hour. Clearly, we've not unpacked everything, but it's well worth diving in to see what it takes to establish a business where the team trusts you, where the clients trust you, where the community trusts you, and where you enjoy life as a practice leader. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast with Elinor as much as I did. Head to your favourite podcast platform or go to humanisethenumbers.online.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Elinor and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Alan Farrelly of UHY Farrelly Dawe White, based in Ireland, you'll find out how it felt to contend with all of the advances in technology and the other changes that we've seen over the generations, to the point where Alan is thinking of planning for exit.  How does that all feel, that journey? 

You'll find the answers to these questions and more in this podcast, where Alan talks about what it's like to be a people-led firm. He shares what it's like to trust people and get out of their way to allow them to do their jobs properly. 

Go to humanisethenumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts from to have a listen to this very absorbing podcast with Alan.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Alan and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

How you move your firm from compliance services to advisory services is an ongoing, almost endless question.

And yet, it's normal, it's natural, to have conversations – human being to human being, individual to individual – and you're doing it all the time. It's just that you may not necessarily be seeing it as a natural part of who you are as an accountant working with your clients. 

But in this podcast discussion with John Thompson, we discuss the simple, elegant, obvious, natural merits of a normal, human skill that everyone can develop – the skill of conversation. 

We can all improve our conversational skills, but we have a level of skill now. We just need to use these skills and recognise that we're using them in different settings, in different ways, and make it a natural, systemic, cultural way of doing things in our firm. And we might just achieve what John, in one of his firms, achieved, which was trebling fees within two years. Sounds like an outlandish headline, but the reality is it's feasible. 

Average fees can be £10k per annum, £20k per annum, £30k per annum, and more. We know this because we see it in firms that have embraced having human conversations more often with more clients. And that's what this podcast is about. 

So go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and hunt out the Humanise the Numbers podcast with John Thompson. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for John and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast discussion with Russell Watkins, who's spent 30 years in the lean, process improvement space working with manufacturing and other businesses, we tap into a potential key for you, your team, your firm, to truly get to the levels of performance you believe exist within your firm. 

So why not go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and hunt out the Humanise the Numbers podcast with Russell Watkins. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Russell and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast with Sherelyn Cowles, Chief Business Development Officer at Gooding Accounts, we discuss how to build a great culture by identifying and articulating your core purpose and values, and by being very clear about how everyone is expected to behave. 

We also talk about the importance of ensuring your values, vision, and core purpose are available on your website so that, when people come for interview, they've had a chance to review these and are ready to sit down and work for you because they've already made their decision. 

They know that a clear purpose will give them meaningful work, and they can get behind the values and the vision. They know where it’s going to take them and how they can fit into that. 

To find out more, join us at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe so you'll never miss an episode. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Sherelyn and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

And once you’ve got that buy-in, how do you actually manage the expectations of your team and your clients, all while finding out yourself what it's like to be a leader? 

And when you're up and running, how do you rise above the sea of sameness? 

You’ll find out the answer to these questions and more in this podcast with Stuart Clark of Russell & Russell Business Advisors in Glasgow. 

Stuart and I had a great chat. We covered a lot of ground, and we invite you to listen to it on HumaniseTheNumbers.online or wherever you get your podcasts. It would be great to hear your comments. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Stuart and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

We tap into Mark's several decades of working within the profession, first as a board director of PLCs, then transitioning into a practice leader, starting up and successfully selling a three-office firm, and finally moving into working with networks for accountants across the UK. 

Mark is a bit of a hero of mine, overcoming serious health challenges to continue to pursue his passion for what you and your firm do – helping your clients succeed, helping your team succeed, helping yourself succeed. 

I hope you take time out to dive into the handful of profoundly powerful insights that Mark shares. It was a real pleasure and privilege to invite Mark onto the podcast.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Mark and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

So please join Douglas, my colleague, Stephan and I on the second part of this podcast at humanisethenumbers.online.

Where do you go looking for that advantage?

Once upon a time in the world of work, it was all about a product advantage or, in the accountancy space, a service level advantage. But at the end of the day, an audit service from one firm is not dissimilar to an audit service from another. The same goes for payroll, for management accounts, and so on.

There is therefore not much of a competitive edge arising from products and services. So, instead of going product-centric, go client-centric. Become really focused on client care, on delivering a client experience that provides an advantage and, don't get me wrong, I think in the accounting space there's huge potential for an edge there.

But what about the employee advantage? What if your team's ability to deliver work on time to a high standard and with a high degree of client care – ticking the client-centric box – is where a true advantage, a sustainable advantage, could be found?

In the first part of this 2-part podcast discussion with Stephan Meier, world-renowned author of The Employee Advantage, you'll be able to unpack – because Stephan does it for us – a large number of insights, ideas and strategies that could ultimately deliver a competitive advantage to you and your firm.

So please join Douglas, my colleague, Stephan and I on the first part of this podcast at humanisethenumbers.online and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Stephan and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

They get out of bed every morning to do good work. 

But to be successful as an accountancy firm, it's more than just the accountancy services that matter. As valuable as these are, what also matters is the care with which the work is done and the care with which a firm looks after and serves clients. 

In this podcast discussion with Dan Crowther from Thorne Widgery, Dan makes an impassioned plea for the privilege that is doing accounts – which is worth listening to in its own right – and he also unpacks a handful of things that we should take seriously if we want a firm that's fit for the future. 

Dan also runs a technology business, so he's got an eye on the future of technology as well as an eye on what's right for a firm’s team and, if he had a third eye, it would be on a future that's right for a firm’s clients too. 

I heartily recommend you check out this Humanise the Numbers podcast at humanisethenumbers.online, or go to your favourite podcast platform and look out for the podcast with Dan Crowther. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Dan and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

On the podcast, he unpacks and shares his insights of working with the profession, with individual firms, and with his own experience of starting up a new event space, one which had 600 people at the first event and has just had more than 5,000 attendees at the fifth. It shows you what's possible when you put your mind to it. 

If you want to get deep and meaningful and personal, Dan shares something very personal within this podcast, something that shows how important goal setting is to the success of an individual and to the success of a business. 

I really appreciated Dan being so open and candid about this because it was as human as it gets. So please go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and check out the Dan Cockerton edition of Humanise the Numbers. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Dan and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

That ultimately is where the value in this podcast actually lies. Roger is so open, so structured, in running through how to construct a sales meeting, a client meeting, with the paymaster general of your firm, your clients – and with your prospects. 

Roger has a way of cutting through to a really simple structure, unpacking the motivators that he's discovered from working with firms all over the USA, as he is from across the pond. 

I hope you can join us on this interesting conversation with Roger, because of the practical, valuable and powerful insights on how to run better client meetings. You’ll also gain a more global perspective of the profession, one that is just as relevant to your firm, whether you're in Stoke-on-Trent or Halifax or Canterbury – it matters not. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Simply go to HumaniseTheNumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform, seek out Humanise the Numbers and check out this podcast with Roger Knecht. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Roger and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

It was our great pleasure and privilege to welcome Stephen Paul on this podcast discussion, where we unpacked what really matters to Stephen – running the sort of firm that enables him to live the life that he wants and to earn the living that he wants to earn and to create a business that he can feel proud of. 

On this podcast, we dive into the technology that they brilliantly use as a team – because how else can you look after 900 clients with just 16 team members? That’s the technology piece, but there's also the purpose piece. Why is he in business? Why is purpose important to his clients and his team?  We also spend a bit – but an important bit – of time on the core values of the business and whether those values have teeth or not. 

We encourage you to have a listen to this podcast with Stephen Paul, of the accountancy firm Valued. We’re sure you’ll find it useful.

You'll find it on your favourite podcast platforms, including iTunes and Spotify. You can also find it at humanisethenumbers.online. 

Please scroll down this podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Stephen and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

Last year, the business grew by 60%, and the year before by 25%. This year, they’re looking to grow in excess of 25-30% again, possibly more. 

It was a terrific opportunity to spend some time with Vicky and Russ from Byrd & Link – an audit specialist, as it happens – to discover the insights, the lessons, the strategies, that they've been applying to their business to fully engage with their team and, at the same time, build an offer that's meaningful and valuable to their client base, which include accountants, not just business leaders in need of an audit. 

I hope you find real value and insight looking at an audit specialist and seeing how their lessons can be applied to your own firm. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did. 

You can find it at HumaniseTheNumbers.online, or go to your favourite podcast platform, check out Humanise the Numbers and look up Vicky and Russ from Byrd & Link. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Vicky and Russ and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

And that's the case with this podcast discussion with Richard Spofforth and Jenn Williamson from Kreston Reeves. As you would expect, we unpacked deep and powerful insights in and around technology, but also deep insights around customer and client care and how you make that come alive so that you deliver higher value to your clients. 

But perhaps more importantly, we also discussed the seriousness with which Kreston Reeves considers what matters to their team. One example is the quarterly review with each team member. 

Irrespective of the size and age of your firm, there's something to be valued in this discussion with Jenn and Richard. 

So I hope you take the time to go to your favourite podcast platform, including iTunes, Spotify and others, or go to humanisethenumbers.online and join myself, Jenn and Richard in what I thought was a profoundly valuable conversation.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Jenn and Richard and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

So it's worthwhile listening to this discussion with Rhys Madoc, CEO of UHY International, and hear his views and insights – from across the globe – that are relevant to your firm, in your locality, as much as they are to the global profession. 

We talk about selling, about how we have to get closer to understanding what's going on in our client's journey, their broader experience – other than just the services of audit or tax or accountancy or any other technical service you happen to be providing – and how that insight delivers the trusted advisor relationship that maintains client loyalty and builds their experience in such a way that they want to recommend you more, want to buy more services from you and are willing to pay higher fees. 

So why not check out this podcast discussion with Rhys Madoc of UHY International? You can find it at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform, look up Humanise The Numbers and check out the insights from Rhys Madoc. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Rhys and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

She’s working with a large number of leaders and managers across many firms and uncovering how they're adapting to the changes that are hitting the profession. 

It’s great to have an opportunity to tap into Billie's insights around the fact that it's a growing firm that creates opportunities for your key people – and that's a challenge. The technology, AI in particular, is coming at us like a train, and that is a challenge too. 

And then there is the challenge of demonstrating value to clients, because it's not just about 'Ooh, we saved you some tax' – it's about much more than that. 

I hope you enjoy and find value in this conversation with Billie. You can go to HumaniseTheNumbers.online or, if you prefer, go to your favourite podcast platform and look up the Humanise the Numbers podcast and Billie Mcloughlin. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Billie and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast discussion with the two Richards, Richard Brewin and Richard Bertin, of All In Place, you'll be exposed to some really powerful insights.  Yes, in accountancy, you have to deliver compliance services, and most, if not all, of your clients, expect you to do that.  But not all of your clients expect you to talk about their business lives in the round, and certainly many of your clients don't expect you to have a conversation about their personal lives. 

And yet, if you're going to be a deep and meaningful trusted advisor, then you are going to have those business life and personal life conversations. And what the two Richards do brilliantly in this podcast discussion is unpack what you need to consider in a real, practical way, so that the perception of your clients of your firm – of you and your team – is at a much higher level, taking you away from being simply a transactional accountant providing services that could be delivered purely by technology at some point in the very near future. 

So why not dive into this podcast discussion with the two Richards and unpack how you can improve the expectations your clients have of your firm, as well as how you can influence the way you communicate with your clients so that you deliver higher value. I'm sure you'll find it powerful. 

Click here to access this podcast and scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Richard and Richard and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

On this Humanise the Numbers podcast discussion with Hayley Plimley, Marketing and Communications Director at DGH, Hayley's been party to a journey from one office with a team of 60 people to 10 offices with a team of 568 people, in just four years. 

You can imagine the communication and marketing challenges associated with that! In our discussion, we unpick what's helped Hayley do a cracking job of marketing and communications in such a high-functioning, high-performing, high-growth business.

You can find the Humanise the Numbers podcast with Hayley on your favourite podcast platform, or go to humanisethenumbers.online. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Hayley and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

As well as the data, you'll want to better appreciate how to grow and develop the knowledge, skills and habits of your team so that they bring a client focus in a way that ensures that your clients believe they're in the best hands, that they're working with the best possible firm for them. 

Data, team, clients - these are the three topics of the discussion I was fortunate enough to have with Dawn Marriott, ex-CEO of Azets. Dawn is currently working with the funder HG Capital and with their rising stars across the 50 companies in which HG Capital invest.

If you want to hear more of what Dawn's got to say about some of the key aspects of growing a highly successful firm, go to your favourite podcast platform or, if you prefer, go to humanisethenumbers.online. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for contact information for Dawn and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

This is the subject of Philippa White's book, Return on Humanity. In this podcast discussion, Philippa dives into the practical, tangible skills necessary to build a more human firm, and she’s profoundly shifted my thinking around a number of things. 

First, the importance of building flexibility into your working model – the way you as an individual work, as well as the way your firm works – plus the need for and power of vulnerability. Also, simply being curious, perhaps coming from a place of doubt, can establish a greater degree of connectedness between you and your team and you and your clients. 

So why not go to the podcast discussion with Philippa White at humanisethenumbers.online. You'll also find it on Spotify, iTunes and other podcast platforms. 

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Philippa and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

This podcast with Jolawn Victor, Chief Growth Officer of Go Cardless, got me thinking (and will likely do the same for you) about the basics around helping clients collect cash. She shares insights to help you and your firm become better at collecting cash, as it is one of the fundamental basics of running a healthy business – it’s the oxygen of the business. As everyone says, cash is king. 

If you want to learn more and dive deeper into the insights shared by Jolawn, go to humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform, including Spotify and iTunes and seek out the podcast discussion with Jolawn Victor.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Jolawn and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

That business started in their bedroom, and they built it up over time to just short of a million-pound turnover – a modest-sized business, but what an insight into client care and how you create a business that works brilliantly with three grades of client, establishing enough capital value to enable it to be sold for a substantial sum. 

I hope you'll take time out to listen to this deep and meaningful, highly valuable conversation with Tracy Irwin. She signposts specifics that you and your firm can employ to build that value equation in your clients' minds, allow you to better look after your team so that they deliver exceptionally for your clients and then to ‘live happily ever after’, as the saying goes. 

I thoroughly enjoyed and found the discussion with Tracy profoundly insightful. Go to your favourite podcast platform or to www.humanisethenumbers.online and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Tracy and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

Well, that's exactly what Kat Wellum-Kent has done. She set up Fractional Finance and has grown that to a business with a fairly clear vision of building a £5 million turnover business in just five years. She already has clients paying her, yes, £400 a month, but also clients paying her £7500 a month. 

On this podcast, you'll hear Kat share her insights around fairness for the team and the vision based around how this will play out for her clients and the capital value that she's going to help them grow. She shares the importance of building a vision board and having good reasons for why you're doing what you're doing, so that in those moments where it gets tough, you can have a quick check-in on your vision board and say, yeah, I'm on the right path. 

Why not go to this podcast discussion with Kat Wellum-Kent to hear those deep insights and see how they might apply to your established firm, or your startup firm, or the firm that you've got in your mind's eye that you're looking to set up in the not-too-distant future. I'm certain you'll get great value and enjoy the discussion we have together. 

Go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and you'll find Kat Wellum-Kent sharing her deep, meaningful insights.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Kat and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

On this podcast discussion with Andrew Botham – accountant, business owner, guide, consultant, whatever label you want to give him – Andrew tells a handful of stories about how, with two or three numbers – not numbers that show up in the balance sheet or the P&L, but a handful of numbers – you can help business owners see sense and make decisions that turn a business that's generating £300k worth of profit per annum into a business that's generating £927k in net profit every month. 

This is because, as accountants, they help the business owner zero in on a handful of KPIs, ask a handful of questions and encourage the business owner to make a handful of key decisions. I've worked with Andrew in the past, and it was a delight to have him on the podcast to unpack his simple, effective ways and means of running client discussions, helping business owners transform their results. 

You can access the full podcast at Spotify, iTunes or your favourite podcast platform, or you can find it at www.humanisethenumbers.online. 

Please scroll down the episode page for this podcast for the contact information for Andrew and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast discussion, I was surprised by how this conversation moved to a place where we discussed how a better understanding of the client and what they want, as well as tax law and the way you manage your clients' tax affairs, is what ultimately humanises the numbers. 

This is a fascinating conversation with James which essentially confirms that the better you are at being curious about what's in the best interests of your clients, you build stronger relationships that ensure that clients are more likely to stay with you. If it's a prospect, they are more likely to join your firm because you take a proactive approach to your clients’ tax affairs using the support of a specialist. 

This is far from a sales pitch from James – it's more a ‘what can you do in general practice to make more of tax when working with your clients?’ It was an unexpected, enjoyable and valuable conversation with James. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

You can get access to the full podcast discussion on your favourite podcast platform or go to www.humanisethenumbers.online.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for James and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

In this conversation with Stuart Hurst of Cloud 10, a business in startup phase, we start unpacking what a startup does to not only build revenue, but also to build capital value by installing good structure and process. Stuart’s got a real eye on scaling the business without putting undue stress on him as a business leader. 

Don't get me wrong – any startup has its own challenges, and significant opportunities as well, and Stuart shares some of those on this podcast. When you've got a podcast called Humanise The Numbers, it's great to have a deep, meaningful, personal conversation to tie the numbers to the humanity of what's going on in an accounting firm. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast and find it as valuable, insightful and practical as both Stuart and I tried to make it. If you want to hear more, please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform. 

Please scroll down the episode page for this podcast for the contact information for Stuart and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

 In this podcast discussion with Aaron Harris from Sage, we explored a few issues around using AI in the accounting profession. We, perhaps surprisingly, opened up a very human conversation on this topic, exploring the idea that the success of your firm in using AI to support your clients and work better with your team is founded on trust.  

There is much scepticism around the use of AI in the accountancy profession, but it is important to work out how to build a high-trust environment within which AI can work. 

Bearing in mind that Bill Gates recently said that the use of AI is profoundly more impactful than any other single thing in the history of Microsoft, it’s something we have to take seriously. It’s not something that we need to be fearful of, but it is something that requires a foundation of trust. 

 So why not check out this profoundly valuable podcast discussion with Aaron Harris.  

All you need to do is go to your favourite podcast platform and hunt out Aaron Harris, or go to www.humanisethenumbers.online. 

And what Philippa does brilliantly on this podcast is to unpack two or three deep, key insights that can help you and your firm connect with the messaging around your firm's brand, to underpin the future success of your marketing, of your client loyalty and, arguably, the loyalty of your team. 

So why not go to www.humanisethenumbers.online and look for the podcast with Philippa Haynes or go to your favourite podcast platform. I hope you take some real value from this podcast, which is principally about marketing, but which also encompasses a discussion around ‘brand promise’. 

Please scroll down the episode page for this podcast for the contact information for Philippa and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

So, when Rebecca Mihalic of the Australian firm businessDEPOT talks about taking team members along to client meetings, not as a piece of furniture (to use her language), but as active participants in the meeting, using the tools of the meeting to enable them to contribute in a valuable, meaningful way, you can see how Rebecca is growing her team to deliver a result for her personally. She can cascade client relationship work to others, work that otherwise might not happen. 

It's a valuable discussion. There's a phrase towards the end of the discussion where Rebecca talks about creating a safe space to fail and a safe space to win as being one of the fundamental concepts that she uses when leading and managing her team. 

You’ll find many helpful insights in this discussion with Rebecca. I hope you'll go to your favourite podcast platform, whether it be iTunes or Spotify or another platform, or join us at humanisethenumbers.online and look for this podcast discussion with Rebecca Milahic. 

Please scroll down the episode page for this podcast for the contact information for Rebecca and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

Craig believes that an accountant does a brilliant job, a better job, if they're 80% human and 20% accountant when working with their owner-managed business clients. 

This podcast discussion is with Craig McKell, from our very good friend AdvanceTrack. Craig is working in the profession again and is now the General Manager of Asia Pacific for AdvanceTrack. 

He's amazed at the challenges the profession faces from a talent-shortage perspective. He shares a brilliant insight around the fact that you don't have to fall far from the corporate world of accountancy to make a real difference with real people – owner-managed businesses. 

It's worth going to this podcast to understand what you do, for example, with three names. What could you do with three names so that you're more human than you are an accountant (80% human, 20% accountant)? 

You’ll find great value in this podcast as we discuss the 80/20 rule according to Craig McKell. 

I hope you enjoy this practical, passionate podcast with Craig McKell of AdvanceTrack. 

All you need to do is go to your favourite podcast platform or join us at humanisethenumbers.online and seek out the podcast with Craig McKell.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Craig and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

Andrew is committed to the concept of the business of relationships, with a core focus, a core purpose, around building businesses and helping owner-managed business leaders build organisations that stand the test of time. 

We spent time talking about process and people. We spent a bit of time talking about purpose and profitability as well. But it was the depth of the conversation, the detail of the insight, that stood out for me. 

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to Andrew. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I did. 

Go to your favourite podcast platform or go to humanisethenumbers.online and seek out the podcast with Andrew Van de Beek.

Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Andrew and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast discussion with Nicky Clough of Insight Training, you'll hear Nicky unpack and expand on those thoughts. Yes, accountants are obsessed with the numbers, quite rightly so, because that's their area of expertise, but maybe we should also be obsessed with the humans in our firms, the people, and what we do to build their knowledge and skills. 

Nicky talks about the importance of building self-awareness as, when there's a higher degree of self-awareness, there's the willingness, the motivation, the ability, even, to build knowledge and skill.

I hope you get something of real value from this discussion with Nicky Clough – I certainly did. And you can get the full podcast at humanisethenumbers.online or you can go to your favourite podcast platform and seek out Humanise The Numbers and Nicky Clough.

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Nicky and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

In this podcast with Nicki Savill of Moore Kingston Smith, Nicki spends a good deal of time talking about how to build deeper relationships with clients and how to build a stronger sense of human connection across the team as, ultimately, it is the team's knowledge and skills that deliver for your clients. 

It's a powerful discussion. Nicki's very open and candid about what they do and how they do it, as well as about the metrics they use around face-to-face meetings, face-to-face interactions with the team – these are far more human than when using Teams or Zoom.

You'll hear Nicki describe how important, how impactful, those handshake, face-to-face discussions are with both team and clients. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Nicki as much as I did. The time absolutely flew by and I think you'll get something of significant value from the insights that Nicki shares. 

You can get the full podcast at humanisethenumbers.online, or you can go to your favourite podcast platform and seek out Humanise The Numbers and Nicki Savill.

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Nicki and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

That person is Neil Parsons.

In this podcast, we discuss the relevance of the right numbers for the right person in the context of the strategic key results of the business. And building those bridges and ensuring that there's a metronomic cadence to communicating the right numbers to the right people in the right way is as relevant to clients as it is to team members. 

And that's what struck me in this podcast – everything we talked about was as relevant to clients as it was to team members. I hope you find this podcast discussion with Neil as valuable, informative and insightful as I did. 

Please scroll down the episode page for this humanise the numbers podcast for the contact information for Neil and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

And it was those three factors – collaboration, education and protection – that stood out as the valuable elements of this discussion with Mike Dean of Whisper Claims, as he talks about R&D Tax, something I wasn’t expecting would show up on the Humanise the Numbers podcast. 

But Mike talks a lot of sense with regard to collaboration, protection and education in the R&D Tax space, a sector in which there is a high degree of uncertainty and, maybe, a sense of wariness, because of what's taken place in recent times. 

If you’ve got clients who are wondering about or who are interested in R&D Tax, but you’re nervous about it, why not check out this humanisethenumbers.online podcast.

Go to your favourite podcast platform and seek out Humanise The Numbers and Mike Dean, and I’m sure you'll get some valuable insights from the discussion. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Mike and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

In this podcast discussion with Dave and Andy from FD Intelligence, we unpack the value, the power, the simplicity, arguably, of introducing robot process automation into your firm in a deeper way. If you're not already working with it, you should take this deadly seriously. 

I think this is a profoundly valuable discussion with both Dave and Andy because of the time freedom that it can potentially bring to every accountancy firm – time freedom that enables people to think, enables people to deliver greater customer care and, as a result, builds a greater, more valuable firm. I hope you enjoy and value this discussion as much as I did. 

Please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform and look out for the podcast with Dave Clough and Andy Guy. 

Scroll down this podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Dave and Andy and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

In this podcast discussion with Jessica Pillow of Pillow May Accountancy, you'll hopefully experience what I did when talking with Jessica – a sense that she loves what she's doing and loves how her firm works, delivering exactly what she wants from leading and running an accountancy business. 

Now don't get me wrong – Jessica shares some really powerful insights around KPIs, around core purpose and around how that core purpose works for her clients, her team and herself in a deep way. 

There's something of real value in this podcast discussion. But as much as anything, I hope you get what I got, which was a sense of joy and excitement in talking with someone who loves what they're doing, on a daily basis. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I certainly did. You can find it at humanisethenumbers.online, or you can go to your favourite podcast platform and look out for Jessica Pillow. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Jessica and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

We welcome on this podcast discussion Vangelis Kyriazis, the co-founder and CEO of Syft, builders of a KPI reporting product, now with 150,000 business customers worldwide and working through 3,000 accountancy firms. 

Vangelis is a chartered accountant who's unpacked what it takes to hold essentially two conversations, the operational conversation about the operations of your client's business and the financial services conversation. Not operations OR finance, but both, because when you do, you build a deeper relationship. Build a deeper relationship and your clients stay loyal for longer, they buy more from you, they recommend you more and are probably more open to higher prices as well. 

Please join me on this podcast discussion at humanisethenumbers.online or at your favourite podcast platform and see how Vangelis can influence your thinking the way he's influenced mine when it comes to deep operational conversations and financial conversations that build those deeper relationships. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Vangelis and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

Making a difference and communicating that will also help you connect with potential future employees so that they're more likely to join your firm rather than another, ultimately making a difference to the business owner clients that you currently work with, as well as to future prospective clients. 

If these future prospective clients are able to see that you can really make a difference to them and their business, they’re more likely, obviously, to want to work with you and your firm. 

In this podcast with Mark Walker of VFD Pro, Mark unpacks his experience as a senior financial professional, including his time as a board-level finance officer at Carnival Cruises and his work with The Co-Op, as well as with a number of SMEs.  He has built a product, a tool, that's shown him, his client accountancy firms and their clients how they can make a difference by better connecting. Yes, there is a conversation around the future of their business, and yes, around the finances, but also around the whole business, so that there's a stronger relationship. 

That's why I think this podcast discussion is so important. I hope you'll take time out to go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform to find this podcast with Mark Walker. I’m sure you’ll find it really valuable. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Mark and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

On this podcast, Reza Hooda talks about the fact that your business clients would prefer to work with a specialist in their field, their market, their sector, rather than with a generalist. But Reza also makes the point that, ultimately, your business owner clients would much prefer to work with someone who knows them personally in a deep way. The marketers would call it Segment Size One – there's only one person, one business owner, in that segment. 

As Reza points out, your job as an accountant in a meeting with your clients is to help them see their business in a light that removes some of their concerns, worries and fears about its future, which is why I think this wide-ranging discussion with Reza is such a valuable podcast. 

I hope you'll take time out to go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and check out this discussion with Reza Hooda. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Reza and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

And that's why we brought in Mr. Steve Pipe, with whom I had the great privilege of working during the first five years of my career supporting ambitious accountants. Steve speaks in a deep and meaningful way about core purpose and values, about engaging your team, about making a difference on a level that is inspiring, but also challenging, and in a way that’s quite practical. 

I hope you'll take time out to hear the message that Steve shares and that you’ll take some action off the back of it – this will benefit your team and the commercial results of your firm and it could have a profound and positive impact on your clients as well. And that work could then go on to have a global impact. 

So please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online to find the podcast with Mr. Steve Pipe, Chartered Accountant, or go to your favourite podcast platform. I hope you find this conversation as stimulating and valuable as my team and I have.

Scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Steve and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast with the Managing Partner of UHY Hacker Young in London and Nottingham, Subarna Banerjee, you'll hear Subarna dive deep into his team-first approach – an approach that's led to the commercial results that they've enjoyed in recent times. You’ll also hear about his deep commitment to a core purpose and a set of values that aren't just corporate wall art, aren't just corporate BS, but real, alive and making a difference for his team and, at the same time, informing their decisions around their customers. 

If you're seeking out ways and means of building a more successful firm, consider checking out what Subarna has to say about a team-first approach, as opposed to one that is commercial-first, and see how, if you do that in an authentic way, you can build a more successful firm. 

Please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform and seek out the Humanise the Numbers podcast with Subarna Banerjee. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Subarna and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

On this podcast discussion with Ashley Leeds, a man with 16 years’ experience in working with accounting firms – from QuickBooks to Digita and in other organisations – as well as from the perspective of his work in coaching, we unpack exactly that. 

How do we better connect our team to the goals and vision of the business? How do we better connect our team to what matters to them as well, their personal goals? And what do we do to better tap into deeper and stronger levels of motivation, drive and enthusiasm, giving our team members the responsibility to help us develop the business as well? 

Please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform and seek out Ashley Leeds on the Humanise The Numbers podcast. I look forward to seeing you there. 

Scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Ashley and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

In this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Paul Richmond of theGrogroup, you'll hear Paul and I chewing the fat, but also diving deep into topics such as client grading, exiting clients, KPIs and building a leadership team that really drives the future of an accountancy firm forward. 

If you're interested in seeing two competitors – I don't necessarily see us that way, and I don't think Paul does either – not bashing heads, really, but sharing thoughts and ideas on how to transform the results of accounting firms, please go to www.humanisethenumbers online, or go to your favourite podcast platform. I look forward to seeing you there.

Scroll down this podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Paul and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

On this Humanise the Numbers podcast, we welcome Conrad Ford and Sophie Hossack, who share powerful insights, valuable ideas and principles around growth – and they should know, given the rate of growth they're experiencing at the moment. 

If you want to hear Sophie and Conrad unpack some of the principles behind their rapid growth and how it connects and is relevant to you and your accounting firm, then please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I have, and I hope you'll take one or two of the insights and turn them into decision-making and action across your firm. I look forward to seeing you there.

Scroll down this podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Conrad and Sophie and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

But how do you have those conversations? What questions do you ask? On what topics do you want to zero in and focus so that your clients get real value from that conversation? 

On this humanisethenumbers.online podcast discussion with Christine Nicholson, she unpacks her 30 years of experience, allowing you to take away a number of key insights that will stimulate great conversations with your clients, as well as within your own firm, so that you can prepare your accountancy firm for a better future without you as a manager and leader. 

Scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Christine and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

That success comes because deeper relationships with clients mean that they’ll stay with you longer, they’ll be more loyal, they’ll buy more services from you, they’ll be more willing to pay higher fees, and yes, they’ll recommend you to their friends in business as well. 

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Darren Glanville, the country manager for Fathom, you'll hear Darren unpack and share his insights on how, when you and your team drop into learning mode, you will end up building stronger, deeper, more trusting, more valuable relationships with your clients. 

Learning mode's about being curious, and what I loved about the conversation with Darren was this blend of questions, conversations and curiosity about the past, present and future, and how this leads to stronger, better, deeper, more trusting conversations and better, deeper relationships with clients. 

By checking out this podcast with Darren, you'll tap into his experience of working with accountants over many years. But you'll also be signposted to the knowledge, the skills and the habits needed to enhance the quality of the relationships you and your team have with your clients. 

So why not go to www.humanisethnumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform for this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Darren Glanville.

Scroll down the podcast episode page for the contact information for Darren and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

You might, though, be running out of energy, passion and ambition for your people, your clients and the business. 

Well, that's not the case with Simon Chaplin of Greenstones. Listen to this podcast discussion with Simon and you won't be able to help yourself in terms of buying into the passion he has for his team, his clients and the core purpose of his firm. There are huge lessons to be found within this discussion with Simon. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's easy for me to say that because I've known Simon for a long time, but it's the sheer commitment to the humanity within his firm that I enjoy so much in our discussion. I hope you do too. 

Go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and look out for this podcast discussion with Simon Chaplin.

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Simon and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

It was a great privilege and a great honour to have Elona Mortimer-Zhika, CEO of Iris, join me on the Humanise the Numbers podcast to share her insights on how important, how valuable, humanising the numbers is from her perspective. 

Dive into this podcast discussion and you may realise that you're already doing certain things well. You may also realise and appreciate the ways and means of improving one or two things that you're already doing. You’ll almost certainly go, ‘mmmmm, not even kickstarted that one – let's get into that because it can have a big impact on our team, our clients and the success of the firm.’

So I hope you'll join me and Elona on this podcast at www.humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform and you'll find the Humanise The Numbers podcast series there. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Elona and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

It can't be easy to grow from scratch an offshoring team out in the Philippines – from zero to ten in just twelve months. 

And it can't be easy to approach every one of your 30 team members across two locations and ensure that every one of them gets what they want out of working in your practice, on a really personal level. 

That's what Robert Fiford of djca accountants has done and, in this Humanise The Numbers podcast, he shares how he's done it. I found this discussion wide-ranging, only because Robert has so many insights to share. 

I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did and I hope you can take away one, two, three, or possibly even six or seven, high-value elements of this podcast.  Please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform. I'll see you there.

Scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Robert and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

Claire's worked in that industry for a long time. She has trained a lot of financial services people and is training accountants now on both personal and business cash flow and how to bolt the two together. And she talks profoundly, deeply, about the need, the value, of a long-lasting, meaningful relationship with a real future focus. 

You’ll hear Claire unpack her five-stage framework for running a brilliant client meeting, as well as many other powerful insights.

I hope you enjoy this discussion with Claire as much as I did. 

Please scroll down this episode page for the contact information for Claire and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

But also doing something special around – and Katie uses a phrase on this podcast discussion about ‘choosing your ending’, which I thought was brilliant – connecting with vision and goals. What are the goals and vision of your people, of each individual within your firm? 

She talks about personalisation as well, connecting with the ending in mind, the vision of your clients, having a conversation with them about the future of their business and, actually, about the future of the firm as a whole. 

I'm sure you'll find this podcast both entertaining and valuable, listening in to what Katie's got to say about the accountancy profession and how it can have a positive and meaningful impact on you and your firm. 

So please go to www.humanisethenumbers online or to your favourite podcast platform and look out for Katie Hawking. 

Scroll down when on this episode page for the contact information for Katie and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

Well, that's exactly what Rachel Harris of the accountancy firm striveX has achieved. 

And one of the reasons for the success of that journey is down to Rachel's 'team first' approach. 

Even though she's gone from 50 to 700 clients, the focus is 'team first'. And she unpacks on this Humanise the Numbers podcast the five strategies, the five processes, that make her firm, striveX, a ‘team first’ business that's delivered the growth, the results, that she's now experiencing.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with arguably one of the most vocal people on social media, Rachel Harris. You will see the depth in the way she manages and leads her business around her team. 

Please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform. I'll see you there.

Scroll down on this episode page for the contact information for Rachel and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

What does it take to grow an accounting business which generates average fees per client of £30,000? Another great question. 

What does it take to grow an accountancy business where its people absolutely love working and where the clients respect and love the work that the firm's doing for them? 

I had the great privilege of spending an hour on a podcast discussion with Alastair Barlow, co-founder of flinder. Alastair unpacked many things, but he talked specifically about the determination to systematise the business so that it's not reliant on Alastair and it's not reliant on his co-founder, Luke. 

And standards – the power and the importance of standards and expectations show up big time in this discussion. Last but not least, the determination to uphold those standards across the firm comes through really strongly. 

I hope you take time out to listen to this profoundly valuable conversation with Alastair and that you enjoy it as much as I did. Please join me on this Humanise The Numbers podcast or you can go to your favourite podcast platform. I look forward to seeing you there.

When on the episode page, please scroll down to the bottom to see Alastair's contact information and to access the additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In a profession that leans more towards introversion than extroversion, it makes sense to dive into what is it accountants could and should do to build stronger relationships with their clients.

It was great to have Amanda C. Watts on the podcast to unpack her experiences and to share her understanding as a self-confessed introvert on how and what accountants can do to build stronger relationships through asking better questions and listening more, as well as the deeper, practical skills of making that come to life. 

If you can see that relationship building is a primary source of value for your clients, and that improving the knowledge and skills in that space would pay off for you, your team and your firm, why not join Amanda and me on this podcast.

I hope you enjoy this Humanise The Numbers podcast as much as I did, please scroll down the episode page page for the contact information for Amanda and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

And that's why I felt so excited, so privileged, to be able to spend some time with Will Farnell on the Humanise The Numbers podcast, talking with Will about the insights he has captured in his book, The Human Firm.

Will is very open, very keen to be clear regarding his first book, The Digital Firm, which was about his experiences around how he got his firm to a place where they were the first 100% cloud-based accounting firm, and how those insights have driven him to realise that it's more about the humanity within the firm, around your clients and your team, that matters. 

This is why I was so enamoured and so up for a conversation with Will, where he shares deep and meaningful insights about his progression from an offline to a completely cloud-based firm by 2009, and how those experiences have continued to influence his progression towards being a firm (of 75 people) that's committed to the humanity of what's going on in his business, from his team's perspective and from his clients’ perspective. 

I hope you'll join Will and I on this humanise the numbers podcast. You can go to Spotify or Apple or your favourite podcast platform if you wish, but please take time out and have a listen to Will Farnell. I'm sure you'll get some real value from it.

When on the podcast page, please scroll to the bottom to see Will's contact information and to access the additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

It's a great honour to have welcomed Gary Turner, ex-UK lead at Xero, onto the Humanise The Numbers podcast to discuss growth, leading and managing change, the successful implementation of technology and how the balance between the importance of the team and the importance of clients plays out in every business, not just in accountancy firms. 

I'm absolutely certain you'll get something of deep and meaningful value from this discussion with Gary. I look forward to seeing you at the humanisenumbers.online podcast. 

Or if you prefer, go to your favourite podcast platform. I'll see you there.

Please scroll down on this episode page for the contact information for Gary and the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

It's one of the sticky, challenging, thorny aspects of leading and managing people, leading and managing accountancy firms. In this podcast discussion with Des O'Neill of the CPD Store, you'll hear Des and I unpack the detail behind determining the boundaries you should put in place and how you do that, as well as what standards you set, minimum and aspirational, in order to make expectations clearer, so that accountability is easier? 

And that's only one of many subjects Des and I touch on in and around the ‘humanise the numbers’ topic – humanising for the team, humanising for your clients – so that you are certain to get something of real value that you can directly apply to your firm, with your team and with your clients. 

I hope you enjoy this humanise the numbers podcast discussion with Des O'Neill as much as I did. 

Please scroll down the episode page for the contact information for Des and additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.

And now, two years on, it's no longer an experiment, because I consider it a privilege to be able to have deep, meaningful, valuable conversations with leaders in the profession. 

And it's not surprising, is it, when you come across a great leader of a great firm, that they'd want to focus on reducing the grunt work, they'd want to have a real systems approach to support reducing the grunt work. They'd want to recruit and support the right people and at the same time build in accountability so that high performance can be measured. 

And that's exactly what Lucy Cohen at Mazuma is doing. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this conversation with Lucy, especially the value of the small comments that Lucy makes throughout the discussion. 

And if you've followed what we do at Remarkable Practice and my obsession with KPIs (Key Predictive Indicators, not just Key Performance Indicators), I was very keen to understand Lucy's approach to measuring the performance of the team and how she brings that to bear, so that their 35-strong team have a sense of achievement and deliver a great result across their 3000 clients.  This is a really interesting team member-to-client ratio, and they actually measure the number of calls that take place between clients and team members – approximately 750 calls a week.

It's definitely worth your while to check out this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Lucy Cohen from Mazuma. 
Please scroll down when you are on the episode page to find Lucys contact information and the additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

But more importantly, as technology takes over more of the technical work of accountancy and bookkeeping, there’s a real need to invest more time, more energy, and more money, even, in the development of human skills, the skills that help you work better together as a team and that enable you to work better with your clients. 

And with that in mind, it made sense to invite Alexandra Bond Burnett onto the humanisethenumbers.online podcast, so that we could tap into Alexandra’s experience, knowledge and insight from her work at drama school, her work in the finance world and her work as a coach, trainer and speaker for professional service firms. We discuss what it means to look at precision in a different way and the challenges that brings to accountants who want to get everything right in a world of ambiguity around people skills, the client skills.

So, if you want to improve your firm’s capabilities, knowledge, insight and human skills that enable you to build a better, stronger team and enable you to build better relationships with clients so that they stay with you longer, are more loyal, who refer you, who are happy to pay decent fees and actually want to buy more from you, why not join me on this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Alexandra. I'll look forward to seeing you there. 

When you are on Alexandra's episode page please scroll down to see her contact information and additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Well, that’s Julie Wilkinson of Wilkinson Accountancy Solutions. She joins us on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast discussion and shares valuable observations around marketing, around how capacity comes before growth and around the challenges and processes needed to ensure that the systems are right in a high-growth business, as well as the importance of having a strategic reset every 13 weeks with the whole of the team. 

Fascinating conversation, useful insights. I hope you’ll join me at humanisethenumbers.online and check out my discussion with Julie Wilkinson.
Please also scroll down this episode page for Julies contact information and the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast discussion with Peter Ellington, you’ll hear his candid, open and quite revealing insights, insights based on the research he’s done into the environmental space. 

He’s now building educational programs with the ACCA, and with ICAEW, and is growing his 800-client accounting firm on the back of his work in and around environmental sustainability. 

By the way, these are insights that you can apply to your firm as well, which could make you and your team feel a greater sense of pride and which could make a big and lasting difference. 

Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast here or go to your favourite podcast platform to listen and subscribe.

Please scroll down once on Peter's podcast episode page to find his contact information and additional, downloadable resources mentioned in this podcast.
Once on the episode page for Peter, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

So why not join Ian Cooper and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast. If you wish, go to your favourite podcast platform and I'll see you there.
Once on the episode page for Ian, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Well, in this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Johann Goree of OnPoint Accounting – with four offices, two in Scotland and two in England – you’ll hear Johann share how he has adopted a human approach to running an efficient firm that embraces and welcomes innovation and change. 

So why not join Johann and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast or go to your favourite podcast platform if you wish? I'll look forward to seeing you there.
Once on the episode page for Johann, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

The old adage that, if you don't grow your people, you won't grow your practice, is as plain and obvious as the nose on everyone's face. 

It was a real privilege to welcome Paul Barnes from the accountancy firm MAP onto the Humanise The Numbers podcast and hear lots of practical, valuable insights that Paul has picked up over his 10 years since starting MAP.

What was remarkable was how open Paul was about the challenges, frustrations and difficulties that he, as a fairly well-recognised accountancy firm leader within the UK, has faced.

It's just brilliant when someone is vulnerable and open and transparent about challenges, but also very open about what it is that makes a good, or a great, arguably, accountancy firm work.

Paul has built a firm with just 120 clients and 26 team members, and does an exceptional job of ensuring that each of his clients, either monthly or quarterly, is receiving deep, crystal-clear insight into the financial merits or otherwise of their business. 

I believe everyone in the profession would benefit from the insights that Paul shares on this podcast. I found it so inspiring that someone would be so open and so practical in what you do to make an accountancy firm successful. 

I hope you go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and listen in as Paul Barnes shares his insights.  Once on the episode page for Paul, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Which is why I was just delighted that Sam Edwards, of the firm Strategy&, an advisory firm to businesses acquiring or selling other businesses, said yes to joining us on the HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast. 

In the discussion with Sam, he’s very candid, very open, about the strategies, the processes and the principles behind building EBITDA and profitability from the standpoint of private equity firms buying into accountancy firms.

He's been involved in 12 deals in recent times, and he brings a real practicality to appreciating and understanding the drivers that deliver EBITDA and capital value growth. 

So I hope you’ll join Sam and me and go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or your favourite podcast platform to check out this valuable and worthwhile discussion with Sam Edwards.
Once on the episode page for Sam, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

One argument says that we should build social capital, building stronger connections between ourselves and our team and between team members, so that they feel a greater sense of camaraderie. But the challenge with that is we could burn lots of time, and time is money. Why do that, when we could get our team actually doing some work and making the firm some money? 

It's with great pride that I was able to get a ‘yes’ from Margaret Heffernan to join the HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast. Margaret shares her experiences of working with multiple leaders of substantial businesses, and setting up her own businesses over time, as well as her insights into the value of social capital, building those stronger connections, so that a team are better engaged and more enthusiastic, and, as a natural consequence, will deliver better and higher quality work, and deliver it faster, generating a true bottom line improvement in results across the firm. 

So why not, if you want to get more from your team, with your team, join Margaret and me at www.humanisethenumbers.online, or on your favourite podcast platform.

I'm certain you'll get some real insights, real value, from the nuggets that Margaret shares. I'll see you there.
 Once on the episode page for Margaret, please scroll down to find her contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

It’s what Sharon Hirsch of Argus did in May 2020, and on this HumaniseTheNumbers podcast discussion with Sharon, you’ll hear her share a number of valuable insights:  the KPIs that matter most, what her emotional charges are and what it is that’s driving her to do what she’s doing for her 74 clients, some of whom are paying between £1,500 and £2,500 per month. 

She also shares how important it is for her to have a future perspective, to deliver genuine value to her clients and for her and her team to make a real difference.

I hope you're tempted to check out this podcast discussion – there are some really important lessons to learn, and I could feel the passion that Sharon has for her business, for her team and for the importance of client relationships. 

So please go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and check out this discussion with Sharon Hirsch.
Once on the episode page for Sharon, please scroll down to find her contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this podcast discussion with the UK General Manager of Intuit QuickBooks, Jolawn Victor, you'll hear Jolawn share a wide range of insights into what it takes, not only to run and lead QuickBooks in the UK, but also to run and lead a successful accounting business, drawing on her own and her team’s experience of working with many accounting firms.

It was a wide-ranging discussion with Jolawn, one I thoroughly enjoyed because of her open, transparent, candid approach to the discussion and her willingness to share insights on how to power prosperity, not just across the UK accounting profession, but on a global scale as well.

So why not join Jolawn and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast. Or, if you wish, go to your favourite podcast platform and you’ll find us there.

Once on the episode page for Jolawn, please scroll down to find her contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this podcast discussion with Michael Hemme of MDH, an accountancy firm in Croydon, you’ll hear Michael share what he’s doing to build what he calls “soft” skills. I call them hard, because I think that the human skills, the conversation skills, come less naturally to accountants because of the way they’re trained and because of their focus on the numbers. 

But those human skills, those conversation skills, ultimately determine your true value in your clients’ hearts and minds, and Michael seems wholeheartedly committed to building the knowledge and skills of his team so that they can have more high-value conversations with his clients.

It's a really worthwhile conversation on many levels, including his willingness to actually dig out some ancient history – he talks about a Dale Carnegie book, which is the best part of 50 years old, and on which I relied in my early formative years in business, and he uses the insights and the principles of great conversation that were the same 50 years ago as they are today. 

He then works with his team on developing those skills so that he builds stronger relationships or, rather, his team build stronger relationships with his clients. Clients become more loyal, they’re more likely to recommend the firm and they’re more likely and happier to pay more as well.

If you are tempted to listen to what Michael’s got to say in more detail, please go to humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and look out for that podcast with Michael Hemme.
Once on the episode page for Michael, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this podcast discussion with Steve Price, of the Manchester firm Inspire, Steve openly admits that they’re a work in progress and that they’re on their journey to being a better firm, but they have so many good things already in place. 

I loved this conversational debate with Steve because we covered quite a bit of ground, but it was his commitment to his clients, to his team and to the development of the team and the systems which enable his firm to be less reliant on him that stood out for me. 

If you like the idea of creating a firm that’s less reliant on you, a firm where the team are genuinely and wholeheartedly engaged in what they’re doing, then I heartedly recommend you go to humanisethenumbers.online and dive into the podcast with Steve Price. It’s a cracker.
Once on the episode page for Steve, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

It also creates an interesting environment for Douglas and me to chew the fat and see if we can unpack some joint insights that have had a profound impact on us, and hopefully you, and which therefore helps both us and you transform the numbers that matter, so that we can enjoy and feel pride in our work and achieve greater profit and capital value growth.

So if you are up for listening to Douglas and me having a little bit of conflict, uncovering and unpacking a few insights on how to build deeper, stronger connections with your team so that they stay with you and enable you to earn the right to recruit more high-quality people and earn you the right to win more high-value clients, then you'll have a valuable 60 minutes with us on this podcast. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. I hope Douglas did as well and that he’s not wondering why he did it in the first place, but I don't think he will be.

Go to www.humanisethenumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform, because everything we do is about sharing knowledge and building that knowledge into skill and the skill into the habits that ultimately help you transform your results. I think you'll find this of great interest and value, and also very practical around some very simple core questioning and listening skills. Enjoy the podcast.
Once on the episode page for Doug, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

But Glenn also has views on accountants seeing themselves slightly differently, as a broader service provider than “just accountancy”, as important as accountancy is. He points to one or two ways, one or two insights, that can signpost many more ways that you and your firm can deliver greater value to your clients. 

So if you are interested in hearing more, join me and Glenn Collins from ACCA on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast on your favourite podcast platform. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Once on the episode page for Glenn, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast discussion with Joe Sole of the 8-person firm Sole Associates, you will hear Joe unpack some of the detail, not just on what he does, but on how he engages with his team and how he engages with his clients, so that he's creating a systemic, time-efficient approach to high-value conversations with his clients. 

And not just for Joe to conduct those high-value client conversations, but for his team to also take the steps necessary to have high-value, advisory-style conversations, using brilliant numbers and so on to help those conversations flow without fear and uncertainty sitting within those so-called “compliance accountants”.

So please join Joe and I for a high-value, Humanise The Numbers discussion at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform to listen in. 

I hope you enjoy this two-part discussion with Joe Sole of Sole Associates.

Once on the episode page for Joe, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this humanisethenumbers.online podcast, you'll meet a qualified accountant and experienced General Manager of a UK corporation and hear her interpretation of the relationships between business owner, business leader and accountant. 

Gaye Prime has been that General Manager and is a qualified accountant, and she explores a couple of topics – education and interpretation – in different ways; both are clearly connected. You’ll be able to see that if you are better at educating your team, better at interpreting what’s going on in your business from their perspective, you’re going to get deeper engagement with your team members.  And the same approach would apply to your clients. 

That education/interpretation theme crops up several times in this discussion with Gaye Prime, and these insights are extremely valuable for anyone in practice, or anyone in business, for that matter. 

Please join this discussion with Gaye Prime and me at your favourite podcast platform, or go to humanisethenumbers.online.

I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did.

 Once on the episode page for Gaye, please scroll down to find his contact information and additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast discussion with Joe Sole of the 8-person firm Sole Associates, you will hear Joe unpack some of the detail, not just on what he does, but on how he engages with his team and how he engages with his clients, so that he's creating a systemic, time-efficient approach to high-value conversations with his clients. 

And not just for Joe to conduct those high-value client conversations, but for his team to also take the steps necessary to have high-value, advisory-style conversations, using brilliant numbers and so on to help those conversations flow without fear and uncertainty sitting within those so-called “compliance accountants”.

So please join Joe and I for a high-value, Humanise The Numbers discussion at HumaniseTheNumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast platform to listen in. 

I hope you enjoy this two-part discussion with Joe Sole of Sole Associates.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Joe and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

But someone will pip the quality of those relationships when they get involved in discussing, planning and executing the sale of your clients’ businesses.

On this humanisethenumbers.online podcast discussion, you’ll hear from Andy Denny and Liz Jackson – both directors at an organisation called BCMS, a specialist M&A provider helping business owners turning over anywhere between £10 and 100 million, sometimes a little bit less, sometimes a little bit more – and how they get really deep, really strong connections with business owners over a six- to twelve-month window. 

In this discussion they share insights, ideas and some really valuable points about how building a stronger human connection with your existing team, with your clients, has a profound impact on the way they do business, and impacts the team and how they get engaged with what they’re doing. This applies to your firm of accountants too.

Two different types of relationship, but the insights and the points are relevant to their business and relevant, I believe, to your accountancy business too. 

I hope you get value and I hope you enjoy this discussion between Liz Jackson, Andy Denny and myself on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast. If you've got any thoughts or any questions on what you hear or if you can watch the video version, please get in touch.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Liz and Andy and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

And it’s not just about those boundaries. Advisory is becoming more important, more relevant, more valuable to your clients, so how do you move your firm forward in the volatile and complex world in which we’re all now living? 

In this podcast discussion with Amy Vetter, a qualified accountant (CPA) from the US, you’ll hear her share her zeal and commitment for internal marketing, what she calls internal education, between departments and between team members.

Something else I found fascinating about this discussion with Amy was her focus on mindset, and she has a real go at me around an error I made in terms of the way I'm interacting with one of my team members. All credit to her for doing that!

Whether you want to pursue an advisory strategy or dive into outsourcing offshoring, or if you want a new piece of technology embedding in the firm, without that long-term, ongoing commitment to educating your team, you’ll likely encounter resistance. With internal education, you’ll secure more and more buy in, more and more success and, as a result, humanise the numbers in your firm in a better way so that you get the results you want for your firm. 

Why not join Amy and I on this podcast discussion at humanisethenumbers.online. You can also find it on your favourite podcast platform.

I hope you enjoy the conversation with Amy as much as I did.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Amy and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

As a firm, you and your client portfolio have almost certainly got clients who started young with a small business and then grew them into substantial businesses. So, how do you tap into that younger audience? 

In this podcast discussion with Sam Mitcham, you’ll learn how Sam, though in the early stages of building a successful accounting firm, demonstrated energy and enthusiasm in winning the 200 clients she's already got, despite only setting the business up a couple of years ago. Discover her methodology of appealing to and attracting younger business owners. 

Why not join Sam and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast discussion, or go to your favourite podcast platform and locate it there, and you'll hear Sam share her insights into the use of social media and marketing, as well as a number of other profoundly powerful insights on how to grow and, at times, hold back from growth when it really matters. I hope you enjoy this podcast with Sam as much as I did.
 
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Sam and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

So, it was a real pleasure to welcome Andrew Jordan of Connect 4 onto a podcast discussion where we actually unpacked, thanks to Andrew's experiences at BDO, his experiences of establishing Fathom in the UK (the KPI reporting tool, Fathom), and his experiences of founding and growing Connect 4 in the UK. 

Andrew shares some brilliant insights into building client relationships and therefore building the loyalty clients have for your firm, their willingness to stay, to buy additional services and also recommend you and your firm, but also how your approach to client relationships has a serious impact on your ability to retain and therefore probably recruit new high quality team members. 

So why not join Andrew and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast and see what you can take from it and apply it to your firm, so that you can help transform and grow the success of your firm.
 
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Andrew and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

That’s a big question to unpack, but in this humanisethenumbers.online podcast discussion between myself and Eriona Bajrakurtaj, you'll hear how she has transformed the behaviour and performance of the people, as well as the effectiveness of the systems and processes, in her 19-person, 1600-client firm. 

She and her team moved a thousand clients from one way of bookkeeping to another in just six months – a thousand clients in six months! This is a podcast definitely worth listening to if you are wondering how to approach change in your firm. 

Listen in to hear Eriona describe her journey – starting as a 13-year-old bookkeeper in her father's accounting firm to transforming that firm later in life as Managing Director. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast with Eriona as much as I did, and I hope you can take from the discussion insights that will help you humanise the numbers in your own firm.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Eriona and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

However, there are ways and means, techniques and processes that you can use to help your team want to change, to embrace change, so that it’s your team, and not you, which takes the lead in driving change. You can leverage and scale change in such a way that, not only do you secure a future firm, you get a firm that can thrive because there’s a whole team driving these initiatives.

This podcast was recorded with David Hassall, one of the founders of XU Magazine and an owner of a reasonably substantial accountancy firm as well. David shares some really powerful insights about recruitment, along with how to build stronger relationships with clients and how you get your team to embrace necessary change.

So why not join David and I on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast or at your favourite podcast platform and get these amazing insights from David Hassall.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for David and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this podcast, you're going to hear from Elaine Godley. I've known Elaine for decades, and Elaine has helped me, my business and other firms with which we work to identify how to get the best out of our people, as well as how to bring some science to recruiting the right people, so that they match perfectly, or as closely as possible, to the job that you need them to do.

Why not join this podcast at HumaniseTheNumbers.online and listen to Elaine's deep and profound insights into blending a team so that they’re more productive, enjoy their work more and have a greater sense of mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. This kind of team is a result of effectively matching job, person and roles and responsibilities together.

I believe these are valuable insights which could really benefit your firm. I hope you enjoy the podcast with Elaine as much as I did. 
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Elaine and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

However, David doesn't work within or provide for the accountancy profession. He builds websites (now over 400 websites) for the legal profession, for lawyers and solicitors. But David’s attention to detail, his obsession with the numbers that really matter when marketing your firm, and his business as well – I think you’ll appreciate his insights, knowledge and guidance on how we should be working better, harder and stronger to capture the numbers that matter so that we can market our businesses in a much more successful way.

Please go to HumaniseTheNumbers.online or to your favourite podcast platform and look up the David Gilroy podcast. I believe you’ll get something of real value from the discussion.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for David and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

He's the author of three books – Built to Sell, The Automatic Customer and The Art of Selling Your Business – and in this podcast, John shares insights which can help you change the conversation, become fluent in the conversation – not just the manager of a business conversation, but the owner of a business conversation. These are two distinct and different conversational styles with different questions, different content. 

When you listen to John, you'll receive insights into some of the eight key drivers for improving and increasing the value of your firm. But I think, more importantly, these insights can help you drive or support a conversation with your customers, your clients, so that they can improve the capital value of their businesses as well.

Please join John and I on one of the, I think, most impactful podcasts we have seen, and there have been quite a few of those. I hope you enjoy this discussion with John as much as I did.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for John and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

Zoe discusses the need to “make time” – carving out time each week, without fail, to successfully market your firm. She also signposts how to spend that time – building and nurturing lists and building content. 

If you are up for learning ways to successfully market your accountancy firm, I think you'll find this podcast exceptionally valuable.

Please go to humanisethenumbers.online or your favourite podcast platform, including Apple and Spotify, to access the podcast. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Zoe as much as I did.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Zoe and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

But what stands out most from this discussion with Scott are the principles behind healthy growth, not just growth for the sake of it – growth in which everyone can take great pride and growth that is sponsoring the future success of the firm, as well as generating great financial results now.

I hope you'll be tempted to go to this HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast and dive into all the little details around the importance of culture and values in underpinning rock-solid high growth in an accountancy firm. I hope you enjoy this discussion with Scott Heath as much as I did.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Scott
and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

In this discussion with Phil Hobden, now of Wolters Kluwer, I was able to unpack Phil's experiences as a business owner, as well as an employee and leader of education at Capitalise and, previously, at Futrli. 

He shares some amazing insights. The discussion twisted and turned from value for clients and value for team members and how much they're part of a virtual circle. When we, as leaders of our respective businesses, get that value equation right – make it clear, demonstrate it well – we put our firms on that positive path towards reaching our business goals. 

I hope you'll join me and Phil on a fast-moving, action-packed and, I think, content- and value-packed podcast at HumaniseTheNumbers.online.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Phil and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

Well on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with George from Pinfields in the West Midlands, you'll hear Georgina, George, share some deep, practical and relatively simple but important insights into what she did, what she and her team did, in order to smooth out the flow of tax returns to diminish the normal spike of tax returns in December and January, to less than half what they were when she started on this journey.

George is really generous in unpicking and highlighting the three or four key things that have enabled her to achieve, what has been a quite impressive production workflow methodology within her firm around the production of tax returns. So why not join George and myself on this Humanise The Numbers podcast and see which one of the insights that George shares is of particular value to you and your firm when you next look at planning out your flow of tax returns.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Georgina and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

On this podcast with Graeme Tennick, you'll hear Graeme share his commitment to his own accountability, as well as how open and transparent he is with his team. He allows them to see that he’s being accountable himself and thus earns the right to hold others in his team to account. I push Graeme on the actual process of accountability, and I think he handles it very well.

But this podcast isn’t just about accountability, it’s about how you work with your clients in a 360-degree, future-focused and past-focused way. You do, of course, deal with the annual accounts, but you’re actually holding conversations with your clients, which they see as being of greater value because they're future-focused. 

Graeme shares brilliantly how he holds those conversations with clients.

There are other great, valuable insights in this podcast, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Graeme brings his Northeastern sense of humour, which makes for an entertaining conversation. So go to HumaniseTheNumbers.online or to your favourite podcast source and seek out Humanise The Numbers and the podcast with Graeme Tennick.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Graeme and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Paul Dunn is one of those individuals, he has served the accounting profession for several decades, CEO of B1G1 - Business for Good and he's won several awards.

On this podcast discussion, Paul shares his insights on the value of purpose and the value of values so that you can apply the success of them to your firm.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Paul and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

There’s also a question to be addressed regarding how you connect in a deeper way with your clients, so that they want to work with you more often and take more action based on the insights, guidance and advice you can share with them.

In my conversation with Karen Eber, you'll hear about the importance of the power of stories in connecting in a deep and emotional way with your team, and in a deep and emotional way with your clients, so that you get the results you and your firm deserve. 

Karen talks about how there is power in both data and stories, but connecting data – the numbers – with stories results in greater power and a deeper connection that will make a positive difference to every meeting you have with team members, either one-on-one or as a group, as well as every meeting you have with clients. 

So why not join Karen and I on this HumaniseTheNumbers.online podcast, or go to your favourite podcast platform – Apple, Spotify, Google – and hunt out the podcast discussion with Karen Eber.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Karen and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Well, on this HumaniseTheNumbers podcast discussion with Charlotte Zacharia of the accountancy firm Z², you'll hear Charlotte share her powerful insights into how clients’ perceptions and expectations have changed and how she and her firm have responded to that. Her observations can perhaps influence the way you think about the way your firm serves your clients. 

So why not join Charlotte and I on this HumaniseTheNumbers.Online podcast discussion and see what you think of Charlotte's views and how you can apply those powerful insights to your firm.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Charlotte and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this podcast, which was a great pleasure and privilege to make, we have Ron Baker discussing pricing, the subscription model, niche marketing and positioning, strategy and purpose. I hope you'll take the time to listen to the insights, the valuable gems, that are included in this podcast.

Why not join Ron and I at humanisethenumbers.online or on your favourite podcast platform to discover and take advantage of the insights and valuable strategies that Ron is suggesting could pay off for you and for your firm, for your team and, by the way, for your clients as well.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Ron and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this podcast discussion with Stephen Pell, you'll hear Stephen and I unpack the emotional part of the value equation, drawing on Stephen’s knowledge and expertise in his work with music artists.

Stephen and his team of 15 people serve artists primarily in the UK, expanding into the US. And he does a brilliant job of demonstrating how to set up and run a niche accounting firm. But he also has many insights for all accountants, specifically around the importance of building an emotional connection with clients.

So please join me and Stephen at humanisethenumbers.online or on your favourite podcast platform – Apple, Spotify or others – and see what you make of Stephen’s valuable insights.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Stephen and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this podcast discussion with Sian Lloyd and Rebecca Johnson from the Cardiff-based firm Lewis Ballard, you'll hear them share how they’ve created a future-focused, advisory-focused, genuinely caring approach to running an accountancy practice, where there's a real human connection between the team and between the team and their clients. They also discuss what they're doing to advance their firm’s value in the eyes of their customers, by getting better at advisory work and at that future focus.

So why not seek out some inspiration for your firm of the future from Sian and Rebecca on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast? I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised by what was a light-hearted discussion, but one with a serious context. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Sian and Rebecca and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this podcast discussion with Paul Lodder of Dext, Paul shares some amazingly valuable insights into his experiences, both in the accounting firm and at Dext, insights which I believe can profoundly influence the way you install and implement technology in your firm. But as the name of our podcast platform suggests, Paul’s insights can also help you Humanise The Numbers in such a way that your firm is capable of winning the game with your team – recruiting and keeping good people – and winning the game with your clients as well, so that you deliver ever greater value and enjoy ever greater profits.

Please join me at humanisethenumbers.online for this invaluable discussion with Paul Lodder.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Paul and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Vipul Sheth of AdvanceTrack Outsourcing, you'll hear Vipul share insights from the many dozens of firms with which he and his team work, specifically around the magic of one or two profound shifts, or profound little changes, in the way you look at and tackle production workflow, so that you and your firm can free up time for your people and still build stronger relationships with your clients.

I hope you'll enjoy the discussion I had with Vipul as much as I did, and I truly hope that you take on board the messages that he shares.  I'm convinced, and I know because of the experience I have with other firms, that what he's talking about makes absolute sense and will deliver the results that you want for yourself and for your firm.

 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Vipul and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Join me on this podcast discussion with Cliff Spolander of Business Optics.  Cliff is a serial entrepreneur, having started, bought, sold and, on occasion, just simply closed 12 different businesses, and who is now helping business owners with their exit planning.

You'll hear Cliff share his insights and the thoughts, processes, strategies and conversations that drove real value into the hearts and minds of his clients and to his businesses, and that you, your team, your firm can use to deliver value for your own clients. 

Please join me at humanisethenumbers.online or go to your favourite podcast source – Spotify, Apple or whatever – and have a listen to what Cliff has to say about exit planning.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Cliff and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

And that seems to be getting harder, doesn't it?

On this podcast discussion with Jenny Cessini of Davis Grant in Ilford (a five partner firm with 40 people in their organisation), you'll hear Jenny describe in granular detail how their weekly workflow process helps to marry up and balance the weekly expectations of their clients and new prospective clients too.

Jenny describes the weekly processes that they use to balance the workload amongst the team, get team buy in so that they're better at delivering on the targets that they have set every week and achieve the customer care that they're clearly so passionate about.

So why not please join me and Jenny on this Humanise The Numbers podcast, and hear how it's possible to balance, blend and achieve with the two things that really matter - a fully engaged team and a delighted client bank.

I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did.

 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Jenny and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Also very few firms would disagree or argue with the fact that the clients that feel loyal to your firm do so because of the quality of the relationship you have with them. 

Very few firms, it seems to me, and in my experience actually track and measure either the quantity or the quality of the client interaction, number of meetings, number of zoom meetings, number of calls etc.

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast, you'll hear David Belbin and I lock horns a little bit.

We talk about Arsene Wenger and about Mike Tyson, and why this is relevant to you and your firm. 
It's relevant, because David brings up a really valuable point I think.

One of his intentions, rather than where he's got to so far, is to build a client score card.

A way of tracking and measuring the effectiveness of the relationship between him and his clients, his team, and his clients.
Check out what David's got to say about the way he and his 24 person firm builds a human interaction with their clients.  How they do it in such a way that they're building the fundamental foundations of great client loyalty and therefore fees, profits and capital value for the future.

 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for David and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this podcast discussion with Rob Whittall of Dyke Yaxley, USA, Rob shares the insights, ideas and strategies that have helped him grow his firm and build two teams, one in the US and one in the UK. He will also share how his specialist firm helps UK and US businesses, as well as individuals, navigate the complexities of tax across the two countries. 

Join me at humanisethenumbers.online and hear how Rob has grown a really elegant, professional firm, a firm of which he is rightly very proud.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Rob and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

In this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Paul Kennedy of OBK, a relatively small firm north of London, we discover that for decades Paul has been a keen student of Ron Baker, Rick Payne and Bootcamp, and he has implemented an approach to value pricing in a very practical way. 

You’ll hear Paul share his insights and his thoughts about how his firm have implemented value pricing. There's a lot of discussion around value pricing, but Paul reveals the practical ways of delivering value, so that your clients will say: 'oh, that is worth far more than the 10 minutes or 10 hours you've invested in working with me.'

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Paul and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

And every improvement that this firm makes is towards improving that client care.

I hope you enjoy this Humanise The Numbers podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Sian and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

Well, over the years, Matt Flanagan from BlueHub has built a reputation for really knowing his onions when it comes to the technology, but because he's helped so many firms install, implement, and habitualise technology across their firms, he sort of knows what differentiates the best firms from all the other firms in the profession. 

So why not join Matt and I on this Humanise The Numbers podcast, and seek out the one or two things that you can implement in your firm, so that you transform the performance of your team, the performance of your firm as a whole, but also maybe even transform the performance of one or two of your clients too.

I hope you get a chance to listen to Matt, I loved the discussion. He's so down to earth, so practical, it's definitely worth a listen.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Matt and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.

Well, on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Mike Crook, you'll hear Mike share his profound and I think amazingly valuable insights into how PracticeWeb have worked with accounting firms over Mike's time in the business as Managing Director and, he essentially unpacks and unlocks some of the insights that drive success in accountancy firms in his experience.

Now, we were privileged to capture Mike, because he was literally a week away from leaving PracticeWeb and joining another company outside of the accountancy profession. So, Mike is really candid, really honest, and it's brilliant that PracticeWeb have given us the thumbs up to share this information, because it's so valuable for the profession, if, assuming you want to grow your accountancy firm. 

Well on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Jenny Sparks of Cedar and Co in Derby, you'll hear Jenny share her insights from working as a marketeer in a top 10 firm, and then her experiences more recently of working in a smaller sole practitioner firm and what's needed, what's necessary to generate a flow of high quality, high value leads into the firm. Jenny states that in the last 18 months they've identified and won more new client work than they have done in the previous six years.

So she's got some real experience in terms of what works and she signposts the little things, the important things that ensure that Cedar and Co continue to win new, valuable clients that they love and that they like working with.

So why not join Jenny and I on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion and work out which one or two things you can take from it and apply to your firm, so that you can bring greater confidence and greater certainty to winning new high value clients for the future of your firm.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Jenny and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Vipul Sheth of AdvanceTrack Outsourcing you'll hear Vipul share a number of insights from his many experiences of working with many dozens of firms across the UK and the rest of the world, about the small things, the little things, the valuable things.

Actually, they're not that small, because what we really talk about on the podcast is the obsession that builds in the health and the future success of your firm, which is connected to client relationships.

So why not join Vipul and myself on this Humanise The Numbers podcast and hear what Vipul has to say, what Vipul has seen work in many other firms and see how you can improve one or two things in your firm so that you get the results you want by literally humanising the numbers in your accountancy firm.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Vipul and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.   

What does an accountancy firm do to make strategy really come to life in their firm?

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast, you'll hear Glen, Phil and Gareth from two different accounting firms talk about what has to happen in their firms so that their vision, their purpose, their values really come to life.

They’ve worked out how to make it mean something to the directors, the team and their clients.
It isn't corporate BS it’s actually happening in their firm.

They're living it.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Glen, Phil and Gareth and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.   

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Jo Edwards of JE Consulting, you'll hear Jo describe in detail the things that her and her substantial team of marketers do for in excess of a hundred accounting firms.

She's a specialist marketer for accountancy firms. So why not, if you want to grow your firm with ideal clients, join Jo and I on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion.

I think you'll find it of significant value to you and your firm.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Jo and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.   

But how do you successfully grow a niche-focused accountancy firm?

In this podcast discussion with Carl Reader you'll hear Carl unpack some of the deep, valuable, insightful ways that he and his team at d&t Chartered Accountants have come to dominate the franchise sector, with a significant percentage of their total clients in that particular sector.

So, if you're interested in the power of niche marketing and focusing your firm on a niche, take time out to listen to Carl and I, as Carl reveals the deepest of insights about his approach to his niche and how it's paid off for his firm.  Why not see what you think could and should work in your firm, so that you can get some real value out of listening to this Humanise The Numbers podcast.

It's a fascinating discussion with Carl. I can't believe how generous he was! I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Carl and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.   

In this podcast discussion with Carl Reader, the first of two podcasts recorded. you'll hear Carl's passion, verve, and zeal for the humanity that he believes is necessary to run a successful accounting firm.

You'll hear his take on the processes and systems that tie him and his team to the work they do with their clients. He also talks about the use of technology but also the importance of making a connection with your business owner clients. 

I hope you'll take a little time out and invest in listening to what Carl has got to say and share around successful firm, d&t.  I'm confident there will be one or two gems, if not more, for you and your firm to take away.

So why not please join Carl and I on this Humanise the Numbers podcast, the first of two podcasts we've recorded together.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Carl and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

As Alison says ' basically anywhere where there is a mind I can pop up and hopefully help them.'  

During the conversation we dive into the strategies, processes and frameworks that you and your team can put in place to manage the difficulties of change in your accountancy firm in a much more effective and personal, if not human way.

It's a revealing, candid and enormously insightful interview.  Do join me on this Humanise The Numbers podcast to hear what Alison has to say.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Alison and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

In this podcast discussion you'll hear from Michael Carthy of Carthy Accountants in Stafford.

Michael talks about the 'value register' they keep for every one of their 300 limited company clients and how he's skilled up his team to ask the goals questions - what do you want to achieve for your business, for your life - even?

This is because Michael and his team are passionate about helping their clients achieve a better life, not just a better business. 

So, what does it take to to get trained accountants to ask business owners - "what do you want for your life ahead?"

Michael's cracked that one!  Every year, for every client, he's captured a 'value register' that shows at least one of the three 'freedoms' that Michael talks about in this podcast discussion.  

The three freedoms they want for their clients around time, time to do what business owners really want to do, the money that enables them to do it and the peace of mind that comes from running a business with confidence and certainty, partly because they've got the right accountancy firm working alongside them.

So why not please join me on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Michael Carthy.

I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I have.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Michael and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Rob Walsh, you'll hear Rob describe how he grew the commerciality of his team so that he did less, they did more, and they contributed significantly to the growth of fees and the profitability, and ultimately the capital value of the firm too.

Rob's story is an interesting one because Rob progressed in a multi-office multi-partner firm before he realised that he needed to go it alone.  He set his own practice up, grew that to an excess of a million pounds, grew a significant amount of fees from the world of advisory consulting with his business owner clients and then 18 months ago sold that practice onto one of his key managers.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Rob and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Sometimes even that lack of people in time resource can undermine the existing performance of the business too.

So what do you do?

Well on this podcast discussion with Glenn Martin of Avery Martin up in County Durham, you'll hear Glenn share a couple of insights and more about what he and his team have done in order to make the key decisions around which clients to work with, which clients not to work with so that it tees up his firm for the future success.  The future goals that he's got for him, his team and his clients.

Join Glenn and I on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion and hear Glenn's valuable insights into how he's making one or two key decisions that help his firm grow and prosper and achieve the things he wants for his firm. 

I hope you enjoy the podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Glenn and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Certainly I've been experiencing a number of conversations with a number of firms around time sheets and  as a result I was stimulated by one of those firms to consider having a podcast discussion with several firms on the merits or otherwise of using time sheets.

One of those firms suggested wouldn't it be great if you got the world's expert, Ron Baker involved as well. 

And I thought’ that's a great idea. Let's ask him’, And I did,  And I'm pleased, proud, privileged to say that on this podcast, you'll hear from Ron Baker. 

You'll also hear from three very strong managing partners of accounting firms across the UK, one in the North two in the South.

You’ll hear each of them sharing their experiences of not working with time sheets, working with time sheets. 

And so we've created this podcast called the time sheet tussle, which I hope contributes to your thinking around the merits or otherwise of using time sheets and maybe other ways of driving the effectiveness, the efficiency, the productivity, and therefore, of course, the profitability of your firms.

So please join me the three managing partners and Ron Baker at humanisethenumbers.online.

 I hope you enjoy this very thought provoking podcast discussion.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Ron and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Some have got a really healthy advisory part to their practices and have that compliance work taking place as well, but very few firms are advisory only, but Rob Boll in his firm of 30 people called Evoke is dedicated entirely to advisory work. They use a framework and they use the word SCOPE to describe that framework. 

In this discussion, this podcast with Rob, he shares the details around what SCOPE stands for and how effective, how useful, how valuable it is asking questions around that scope framework.  It's this that enables him and his team to have high-value advisory conversations with all of his business owner clients.

Go to humanisethenumbers.online and you'll find the podcast interview with  Rob. 

We believe you'll get a lot out ofthe nitty-gritty detail of how Rob interacts with his clients to ensure that he keeps his 30-person firm growing around exclusively advisory work.
 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Rob and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Harvee Pene from Brisbane, Australia, you'll hear Harvee describe the crystal clear way they've worked out how to measure the impact they have on their clients lives and the different it will make to them.

I hope you enjoy the podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Harvee and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

I hope you enjoy this Humanise The Numbers podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Jason and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

It's not just a top down accountability.

It's top down, bottom up, side to side accountability because everyone has that drive and enthusiasm and verve for achieving performance standards and behavioral standards that everyone in the firm holds dear.

Join me on this podcast interview with Neil Ballard and Rachel Barry of Lewis Ballard, a 24-person, two-office firm in South Wales.
Neil and Rachel also happen to be father and daughter. 

Hear exactly how they have created this culture of accountability thanks to some monthly routines around team feedback.

Hear also about the impact 360-degree feedback has had on Neil, the managing director and how they connect in a stronger, deeper, more emotionally, valuable way with their clients because of their approach to a communication strategy, which I think you'll find fascinating.

So please join me, Neil and Rachel, on this HumaniseTheNumbers.Online podcast.

I look forward to hearing and hopefully reading your feedback on this fascinating and I think really valuable discussion.

 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Neil and Rachel and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Join me on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Emily and Stephen. And you'll hear them describe the merit, the value, the payoff associated with clarity around strategy for them.

Both of these firms are niche firms, one is in the music entertainment industry the other is in the building CIS arena and they talk eloquently about the focus they have for their firm and what the key trends and the things stable in time that show up in their particular sectors.

And then they elaborate on the key trends and the things that are stable in time within the accountancy profession so that you can get a real insight into two aspects of strategy. Trends that are inevitable and the things that are stable in time, the foundations of great strategy. I hope you get some real value and practical insight from the discussion with both Emily and Stephen, enjoy the podcast.

 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Emily and Stephen
 and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Is the hard thinking, hard work going to pay off for you and your firm?

Well, on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Phool and Cheryl, owners and leaders of two different accounting firms, they share their insights on how getting clarity on values has actually paid off for them.

Whether it be in recruiting new team members, setting standards of performance with their existing team or even the impact of sharing values with clients.

I've just finished a workshop with eight different accounting firms, the smallest with a team of 12, and the largest with a team of more than 200 people. 

We openly discussed the merits of having no values, having good values that aren't really lived, and having great values that genuinely exist in their firm, values that are lived, that you can see happening every week, every day, across the firm. 

Now clearly, if a team of people seriously buy into a set of values, seriously buy into the purpose you have for your firm, they're going to have a reference point for all the decisions and all their actions, which will sponsor the future success of your firm.

So why not join me, Phool and Cheryl on this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion and see what they have to say about interaction with team members, interactions with potential future team members, interactions with clients and how values impact those really key conversations that ultimately fuel the future success of their firm and can fuel the future success of your firm too.

When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Phool and Cheryl and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Where's the value in having a crystal clear sense of purpose for your accountancy firm?

On this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion, you're going to hear from James Lizars and Steph Rickaby, two sole owners of two modest size accounting firms that think big  about their core purpose.

And you'll hear Paul Shrimpling ask them, where's the payoff?  Where's the value in having and building and creating and living a real sense of purpose?

 Hope you enjoy the discussion with James and Steph.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for James and Steph and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Well, this was a question posed to me by ACCA.

So, on this Humanise The Numbers podcast you'll hear Douglas Aitken, a colleague of mine, and I talk about the core elements of strategy and how those core elements can deliver a true return on investment for you and your firm.

This is podcast 1 of 5 in the ACCA Strategy Series.
 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Douglas and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Well, in this Humanise The Numbers podcast discussion with Hugh Steadman of C&H Steadman in Hemel Hempstead, you'll hear Hugh describe his views on how talking the historical reports from annual accounts is so last year and actually talking about the future is so where we need to be at as a profession.

Hugh also shares his stories of helping clients with outsourcing, strategy, recruitment and how a serious illness last year created a huge opportunity for his firm and allowed his team to step up in a way that has had a profound impact on the future of the firm.
 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Hugh and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

Nathan Keeley from Carpenter Box down in Sussex, joins me on this HumaniseTheNumbers.Online podcast and shares in quite intimate detail, a number of the things they've done and things they're doing to ensure that they've got that sense of collaboration within the team and the sense of collaboration too, with their clients.

Yes, they’ve been using technology but also looking at every role in every department in its own merits and building KPIs that suit each individual and each department in its own merits. I think you'll find a huge amount of value in what Nathan has shared in this podcast. And I hope you'll join me at HumaniseTheNumbers.online

And please, if you get the opportunity to give me your feedback, it'd be great to hear from you.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Nathan and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

 On this HumaniseTheNumbers podcast discussion with Wayne Hockley from Anthony Russell, you'll hear Wayne describe in detail how they've moved their firm from a monthly rhythm for production workflow, to a weekly rhythm around production workflow.

 Plus how important it's been to drive more regular, daily, if not more than daily contact with each and every member of their team.

 That may sound inefficient but this approach by Wayne and Tony has delivered effective results and effective bottom line profits for their firm.
So why not join me on this podcast interview to hear the insights that Wayne has to share.
 When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Wayne and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

On this podcast interview, you'll hear Luke Smith of Purpose -  this is part two of a two-part discussion I had with Luke recently. 

Myself and a bunch of other accountants actually grill Luke on this podcast and you'll hear Luke describe what it is his team are doing to ensure that there's a real connection in every year-end meeting between his team and his business owner clients.

So why not join me and a bunch of other accountants on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast and hear what Luke has got to say about how he and his team do great work to build that connection between his team and his clients.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Luke and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.  

And how do you explain that a million pound turnover business can and should, and willingly will pay you £20,000  or more per annum for the work that you do with them.

Well, on this podcast interview with Luke Smith of his firm Purpose, you'll hear Luke describe in detail what he says, what he does, how he says it,  and how he does it to earn the right. to charging an average fee across all of of clients in excess of £20,000. 

So why not join me on this humanisethenumbers.online podcast and hear what Luke has to say about how he does a brilliant of of working with these clients, but also demonstrating the value that his firm delivers to his clients. 

I hope you enjoy the podcast.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Luke and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

And we have what I believe is a valuable conversation about the two types of value, the two aspects of value or pay off as I like to call it.

One being the, functional, factual, financial payoff that your client's experience of working with your firm and the other being the emotional payoff, you know, that sense of reassurance and certainty and confidence that everything's all right in the world that clients get from working with you, their accountant.

So why not join me, Carol and Jonathan on this Humanise The Numbers podcast at Humanisethenumbers.online and see what you make of those two elements of payoff or value functional and emotional. And hopefully you'll derive, get some value and take some action on the back of making more of the opportunity to talk value in two different ways with your clients.
When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Jonathan and Coral and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast. 

I've just interviewed that accountancy firm they're called Wood and Disney.

I've interviewed Brendon Howlett one of the owner directors of Wood and Disney. 
And he shared what's behind the firm's corporate focus...

Building Better Futures, which...

 I'm fairly certain applies to the team, just as much as it applies to the clients and Brendon shares some insight, some knowledge around what and how they make the most of that central purpose, how it influences their conversations with their clients and the impact that has on client loyalty and the ability of that central purpose.

That commitment to building better futures brings them new clients, especially given the challenges we've had in recent months with the coronavirus issues and so forth.

So tune in here at humanisethenumbers.online and you'll be able to access the podcast interview between Brendon and I, as well as a handful of other podcast interviews. 

And, when you've had a chance to listen to it's about 30 minutes with Brendon, I'd really appreciate you dropping me a line. Let me know what you thought and what you've got out of that podcast interview. 

Hope you enjoy it.  When on this episode page, please scroll down for the contact information for Brendon and to find additional resources mentioned in the podcast.