By Cat Hall In practice Real growth stories from across the accounting profession 12 May 2026 We hear from different accountants about how they’re helping clients to grow alongside their businesses. Accountants have been taking on strategic and advisory roles for a long time now, and this trend is only increasing as generative AI beds into financial services. Over the years we’ve spoken to all sorts of experts about how they’re helping their clients, and their own businesses, grow. Here are some of the highlights. “We help clients formulate a growth strategy by producing cash flow forecasts as well as profit & loss and balance sheet forecasts. This helps identify opportunities and threats in the future. These documents can also help to back up the client’s application for finance to fund the growth.” Zahid Mustafa, Erdingsworth Business and Tax Advisors A growth plan generally considers: Financial condition: company performance including cashflow review, assets and liabilities. Timeframe: agreeing on a specific timeframe for growth plans for the next one to two years. Measuring success: key performance indicators (KPIs) targeting sales growth rate, net profit margin or market share. Staff and expertise: focusing on recruitment strategies, training and development. Marketing strategies: allocating budget and resources, and identifying potential advertisement opportunities. Expanding opportunities: providing new services, targeting new markets, setting up overseas or opening new domestic sites, and mergers & acquisitions. Finding staff with the right experience Chapter 1 of AAT’s report Filling the Gap found that 34% of employers struggled to fill finance and accounting positions. The skills gap is a limiting factor for growth. There are different ways to address this – some accountancy practices are competing to attract talent with higher salaries and better benefits. Others are avoiding recruitment issues by investing in training for current staff. Small businesses can’t always compete on salary, so they have to find other ways to attract employees. “Salary is the ‘blunt instrument’ that has been seen as the only way to attract talent. People also need the time, flexibility and support to be able to get on the carousel of life; to take the ride and not be chained to the same desk for eight hours a day simply because the salary is good.” Stephen Leonard, FCCA ACA MAAT, Partner, J L Winder & Co “The greatest challenge as an SME employer is securing the right talent. We work hard to communicate our quality, ambition and culture. As a boutique company, it helps us punch above our weight as a great employment prospect. We’re only a 15-strong team, but we’re a B Corp, we’re multi-award-winning and we do interesting, technically challenging work. By telling that story, we can compete with the larger practices.” Yogesh Patel, Managing Partner, Telic “We’ve adapted by placing more emphasis on developing people internally. We have been investing more time in training and supporting staff through their qualifications and trying to make the firm an environment where people can grow rather than move on too quickly.” Kieran Burge, Partner, DS Burge & Co Recruiting staff can be expensive, but many employers find apprenticeships to be a cost-effective solution, thanks to the apprenticeship levy. SME employers report that the process helps them afford to hire new staff, and shape their recruits’ skillsets. “I needed the help, but I couldn’t really afford to pay someone without support. The staff have developed the way I expected, I got a sense from the beginning that they were really going to throw their soul into it, commit themselves to their studies and really develop. They’re really valuable and now I’m at the stage where I can go away on holiday and know that things are taken care of.” Kevin McKnight, Founder, McKnight Acountancy & Tax Getting the word out You need to get more clients to grow, and to do that you need to tell potential clients you exist. Emily Vass attracted 100 clients in her first year of running her firm Nourished Accounting through engaging use of social media. However, huge followings count for nothing if they’re not bringing in business. “I’d rather have 100 clients than 100,000 followers, because that’s what pays my mortgage,” Emily says. “It’s all about understanding who your target customer is and where they spend time. If your average client is a man in his 50s, then posting on TikTok won’t generate many leads; similarly, if you’re targeting builders, they won’t be spending much time on LinkedIn. There’s no point shoving loads of stuff on social if you’re not clear on who you’re talking to. ”For my first 90 days on TikTok, I posted a video every day. I viewed it as a non-negotiable KPI for my business because winning work was the most important thing.” Emily Vass, Founder, Nourished Accounting “For most accountants, LinkedIn should be your priority,” says Rumana Jeffreys, founder of accounting consultancy Fast Track Clients. Research shows the platform can generate three times as many leads (277%) as both Twitter/X and Facebook. It’s also where professionals are increasingly active: 85% of FTSE100 chief execs have a presence on the site, up from just 12% in 2023. “Start with three posts a week: an educational post, thought leadership/insights commenting on industry trends or on regulatory/tax changes, and a human or story-led post.“ Rumana Jeffreys, Founder, Fast Track Clients Growing elsewhere Some companies are looking overseas to expand. HaysMac established an office in Cape Town in 2024. “In just under two years, the team went from five to 45 people – and we expect headcount to increase further. This expansion has enhanced our ability to meet client needs efficiently, despite broader market challenges.“ ”We’ve also explored a range of outsourcing and talent solutions. Our partnership with AdvanceTrack provides valuable support in delivering select services and offers key insights into how to structure and scale effectively.” Natasha Frangos, Managing Partner, HaysMac Funding opportunities Others are capitalising on private equity’s interest as a buying frenzy drives up valuations across the industry. Nearly nine out of 10 UK accountancy firms (86% of respondents) have been approached by PE houses, according to a 2025 survey from law firm Kingsley Napley. So how can PE help accountancy practices? Many smaller businesses lack the funds to updgrade their tech systems, a critical concern given AI and Making Tax Digital (MTD) changes. PE can provide a capital injection – circumventing bank loans and partner contributions – as well as management expertise. “Capital injection for smaller firms allows them to undertake technology transformation that would otherwise take years to self-fund. Whether this is implementing cloud-based practice management systems, improving cybersecurity infrastructure, or rolling out AI tools, PE-backed firms can afford significant upgrades to their systems that smaller practices simply can’t justify.” Julie Matheson, Partner, Kingsley Napley Many of the major accounting firms have PE backing. Azets has grown rapidly since 2016, acquiring more than 100 smaller firms, an expansion partly funded by PAI Partners and Hg. Investment from Waterland in 2022 and then Lee Equity Partners in 2024 led to Cooper Parry’s turnover quadrupling to £250 million in just a few years. Meanwhile, Birmingham-based Dains Accountants has expanded into London and south-east England thanks to investment from IK Partners in 2024. There are other ways to get funding, of course, including bank loans and business funding platforms such as Swoop. Grown enough? Businesses have to manage growth without alienating current clients, or burning out staff. “I believe in business growth. However, I don’t believe that growth should come at the price of diminished quality of service for existing clients. What’s the point in growing if you are losing clients at every turn? Of course, clients will move on naturally due to various circumstances, but you don’t want one of those reasons to be your work.“ Jess Middleton, Founder, MPAS UK Here’s how Jess plots sustainable growth: We look at management accounts so far in the financial year to review business progression and identify patterns of income (i.e which months show highest income and which show lower?) We use a database to track and review our own capacity, based on how up-to-date we are with work and realistically how much more we could take on. We review recent feedback, including a monthly 15 minute catch-up call and constant contact with clients via WhatsApp. We look at what growth rate is sustainable to keep the balance: keeping clients happy and continuing to grow to reach our targets. We produce a cashflow forecast to see how this looks and then decide whether we need to increase our headcount at some stage in the future to help maintain growth and quality. “I have been fortunate in my practice that growth has been organic without any sales or marketing, but there have been times when I had too many clients and the overwhelm was detrimental to my health. “Making the decision not to grow any more really works well for us. I’ve seen clients be busy in their businesses, working all hours, only to reach burnout and subsequently lose work because they have taken their eye off the ball. “It’s such an important lesson to realise where your business is sitting on the spectrum of value and growth so that informed decisions are made for the better.“ Sharon Wray FMAAT, Director, Sharon Wray Accountancy Services Cat Hall is Content Specialist at AAT.