From Corporate Finance to Building an Accountancy Practice | NDC

A fascination with the story behind the numbers

Neil’s route into accountancy was never especially conventional. Long before university, he was already recording football results on his games console, tracking wins, goals and percentages in a notebook. Even his teenage paper round became a chance to measure delivery times, houses covered and changing pay rates.

That curiosity eventually led him to study accountancy and statistics at university. What interested him was not simply calculation, but the way numbers could explain what was happening inside a business.

It is an idea that still shapes NDC today: financial information should tell a useful story and help business owners make clearer decisions.

Learning commercial finance inside major organisations

Before starting NDC, Neil spent his career in industry rather than in a traditional accountancy practice. His roles included working within large corporate finance teams and contributing to the finance integration surrounding the Orange and T-Mobile joint venture that created EE.

Later, he joined a fast-growing veterinary group. There he moved from technical management accounting into commercial finance, travelling around the country to work directly with veterinary practices. Rather than handing over a profit and loss account and walking away, he helped clinical directors understand profitability, cash flow, key performance indicators and the practical decisions behind the figures.

That experience became the foundation for NDC’s approach. Most business owners are experts in their trade or profession—not in finance. A good accountant must therefore translate the numbers into plain English and make them relevant to the person running the business.

The setback that became a turning point

By 2019, Neil had started to imagine running a business of his own. He left a role he loved, and turned down a significant pay rise, to gain more technical experience before making the leap. The new position proved to be a poor fit, however, and in January 2020 he lost his job.

At the time, Neil had only a handful of small clients and roughly two months of household costs available. He faced a stark choice: return to employment quickly or give the fledgling accountancy business a genuine chance.

Neil and his wife calculated that around 12 monthly clients would cover the mortgage, household bills and essentials. By early March, the business had reached that first survival target. Then the pandemic arrived.

The timing could hardly have looked worse. Yet small business owners urgently needed clear explanations, reliable support and someone willing to answer their questions. Neil doubled down on useful social media content and direct communication. The practice continued to attract clients because people could see the person behind the accountant.

Growing an accountancy practice one milestone at a time

NDC’s early goals were deliberately concrete: first, earn enough recurring revenue to cover the household bills; next, match Neil’s former take-home pay; then build a sustainable practice capable of supporting a team.

The business reached £100,000 in turnover during its first full year and approximately £250,000 in its second. By the end of 2021, Neil had hired his first team members and moved into an office. At the time this conversation was recorded, NDC had reached £500,000 in annual turnover and received 16 awards.

Those figures mark impressive progress, but Neil is clear that growth is not the purpose in itself. The priority is maintaining a high standard of service, creating opportunities for the team and continuing to work with clients NDC can genuinely help.

Why communication matters as much as technical expertise

Asked how NDC builds strong client relationships, Neil’s answer is straightforward: care about the client’s business and keep talking to them.

Accounts, bookkeeping and tax returns are essential, but compliance alone does not make an accountant a trusted adviser. Business owners also need somebody who will explain what their figures mean, spot problems early and help them think through the next stage of growth.

This is particularly valuable for start-ups and growing businesses. Neil has experienced many of the same milestones himself, from registering a business and winning the first client to hiring employees, adopting new systems and moving offices. That lived experience helps NDC combine accountancy knowledge with practical commercial understanding.

Technology should create more time for people

Neil is an enthusiastic advocate for cloud accounting, automation and emerging technology. But the aim is not to remove the human side of accountancy. It is to reduce repetitive data entry and manual spreadsheet work so accountants have more time for meaningful client conversations.

Used well, technology makes an accountancy practice both more efficient and more effective. It can improve the quality and speed of information while creating space for the advice, reassurance and challenge that software cannot provide on its own.

Hiring for attitude and client care

One lesson Neil would take back to the early days is to hire sooner. Like many founders, he worried about whether the work would continue and whether the business could support another salary. Waiting too long, however, limited the time available for growth and client service.

When NDC does recruit, personality and attitude carry considerable weight. Systems and technical processes can be taught; genuine care, patience and the ability to connect with clients are much harder to manufacture.

This approach also creates opportunities for talented people who might otherwise be overlooked because they lack conventional practice experience. For a people-first firm, how somebody treats a client matters just as much as what appears on their CV.

Neil’s three-part advice for aspiring business owners

Neil distils his advice for anybody thinking about starting a business into three simple principles:

1. Find something you are genuinely passionate about.
2. Do it exceptionally well.
3. Tell people what you do.

Passion provides the energy to keep going when confidence is low. Quality gives people a reason to trust and recommend you. Visibility ensures the right clients can actually find you.

There will still be setbacks. Neil openly discusses redundancy, difficult roles, failed professional exams and the mistakes he made while building NDC. None of those experiences disqualifies somebody from success. In many cases, they provide the resilience and perspective needed to build something better.

Building a sustainable accountancy firm in Weston-super-Mare

Looking ahead, Neil does not want to build an enormous, impersonal firm. His ambition is sustainable growth: more brilliant clients, a slightly larger team and more opportunities to help business owners through accountancy, coaching and community work.

Outside NDC, that same people-first outlook appears in his work with local schools and colleges, mentoring other accountancy practice owners and volunteering in grassroots football. It reflects a broader belief that useful experience should be shared.

NDC’s story is still being written, but its direction is clear. The business will continue using numbers to tell stories, technology to free up time and honest conversations to help clients move forward.

Looking for an accountant who speaks your language?

If you run a start-up or growing business and want more than year-end accounts, NDC is here to help. Our team combines clear financial guidance with practical business understanding, without the confusing finance waffle.

Get in touch with NDC to arrange a consultation and discover how a people-first accountant can support your next stage of growth.