Asim has been a practising accountant since 2009 and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales. He is the director of the accountancy practice AM&Co and he has many local clients including Yonder and Elbow Creative. In June 2019, Asim spoke at the Hive Collective event about Finance, Funding and Spending.
Hive Collective: Tell us a little bit about your business.
Asim Manzoor: AM&Co is an accountancy practice with a difference. We focus on our clients' needs and provide a tailored professional service to ensure you get the best out of your business and personal affairs. We have an excellent track history of helping small businesses and individuals with their tax and accounting needs. Our range of work covers small personal companies to larger organisations. Our current portfolio includes creatives, designers, animators, tech companies, the service industry, retail, trades and charities community interest companies.
HC: You previously worked for a big corporate firm, tell us a bit about your career path and why you started your own business
AM: Having graduated in Chemistry with a First Class Degree, I joined one of the "big four" to train as a chartered accountant but I found you can very quickly lose control of your individual career path. I found the experience insightful but it cemented the concept of me being more independent.
“Make sure you have a good rapport with your accountant and this will help improve communication. Keep track of income and expenditure on a monthly basis and this will help one plan future finances.“
HC: You have tons of clients in LBWF - what's the secret of your marketing strategy?
AM: There is no secret marketing strategy but it helps if you can provide and deliver a service that clients find beneficial and informative and then you hope once they are satisfied they will tell their friends and family!
HC: Having moved to North Yorkshire now please can you tell us how you manage a business from afar...
AM: We had to move to North Yorkshire recently, but it has not stopped us networking and engaging new clients in London and Walthamstow. In fact, we were recently asked to become accountants for clients on the Kent coast and as far a field as France. I am very proud of my Walthamstow roots and we hope to have a permanent branch here in the future. The key is to be available to clients and modern technology such as Zoom and Skype allows you to do this.
HC: Do you have any top tips for us for managing your accountant or finances?
AM: Make sure you have a good rapport with your accountant and this will help improve communication. Keep track of income and expenditure on a monthly basis and this will help one plan future finances.
HC: Which business accounts/software packages would you recommend? AM: I use several different types, but my favourites are Freeagent and Xero. Modern technology can save you a lot of time and money.
HC: What do you think has been key to your business success? AM: Ensuring open and honest service delivery and providing a personalised approach. I speak directly to my clients. I think small businesses and freelancers appreciate this more.
HC: What are your plans for the future? AM: To form a permanent office in Walthamstow and East London and to stay at the cutting edge of modern accountancy.
HC : Thanks for sharing so much with us Asim
You can find out more about AM &Co here:
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