Tarek Gjonnes, entrepreneur – and founder of multiple successful businesses – began a working relationship with Rotherham Taylor during one of his earliest ventures.
With a long and varied career in property development behind him, Tarek, is an expert in conceptualising new venue concepts, planning, designing and managing public and private spaces.
He has been heavily involved in identifying the potential of unused property assets, being immersed in numerous development projects that have earned him acclaim, including the transformation of the boiler house at Battersea Power Station.
His relationship with Rotherham Taylor began during the development of his second business, a specialist venue management agency.
Tarek often consulted with the firm, on HMRC regulations and equity considerations, whilst developing his first businesses.
Throughout his career he has relied on Rotherham Taylor for financial advice and accounting services. He says: “It’s great to be able to work with a business that isn’t so much about counting the pennies. It’s understanding that it’s all about building relationships, supporting an individual or a business throughout the founding stages and beyond.”
Tarek says: “I’m a creative person that needs the proper administrative support, advice and guidance.
“That’s the thing, when it comes to entrepreneurs, and where they often stumble; they might have the creative vision, but you need to have that the right administrative backbone to the business to make sure that it’s going in the right direction.”
Tarek has repeatedly praised Rotherham Taylor for maintaining a very efficient and professional working relationship with him, and his businesses.
He adds that Rebecca Bradshaw and Chloe Greenbank – who have over 30 years of combined experience working at Rotherham Taylor – were great at giving good, sound advice and being very quick and responsive, unlike other firms or companies he’d worked with.
Rotherham Taylor recognises the challenges that individual entrepreneurs undergo. “Being an entrepreneur and essentially building businesses from the ground up, you need the kind of support you receive from Rotherham Taylor,” says Tarek.
Tarek appreciates the added support from Rotherham Taylor when things get hectic, juggling so many businesses at once.
“As an entrepreneur,” he says, “you’re working on a million things at once. It is easy to forget to fill out a form, or something like that. The fact that Rotherham Taylor chase me – and sometimes chase me relentlessly – is something I really appreciate. It’s so easy when you’re in the thick of it and trying to keep momentum to forget the less obvious elements.”
Outside his commercial businesses, Rotherham Taylor has also managed Tarek’s personal finances and provided financial advice during his early endeavours as an up-and-coming entrepreneur. He says: “That’s why I’m still with them after all these years…I know that they care”.
Tarek plans to maintain the relationship between Rotherham Taylor and his own businesses.
“I think I’ll be working with them forever. I really don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t.”
McGrath Technology Services Ltd was founded by Chris McGrath in 2021.
His business provides consultancy services predominantly in IT, technology, and digital, with customers in finance, banking, retail, and insurance.
The Chorley-based business comprises of Chris, his wife Janet, and his brother, Barry.
As soon as Chris founded the business, he got on board with Rotherham Taylor, who assisted with setting up the company with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Although Rotherham Taylor didn’t come recommended to Chris, he had his reasons for choosing them as his accountants.
“I looked them up,” says Chris, “and they fit the criteria I was looking for in that they were local, they had good reviews, and they were very responsive when I first contacted them.
“Now you’d think the last point would be a given, but you’d be surprised at how many accountancy firms aren’t that responsive.
“Rebecca and her team at Rotherham Taylor understood what I wanted immediately, and they were very clear and upfront about their costs so I could then forecast it with some certainty, which was really important to me. Ultimately, this was why I chose them.”
As the accountant for McGrath Technology Services Ltd, Rotherham Taylor assists with the accounts and financial control of the company.
They have implemented a Xero cloud-based accounting software package in which Chris does all his expenses and accounts through.
Rotherham Taylor also covers such processes as banking reconciliation, VAT and PAYE, Corporation Tax and end-of-year accounts.
Chris has been so impressed with Rotherham Taylor that he also uses them to help with his self-assessment reporting.
“Every month we receive a newsletter from Rotherham Taylor,” says Chris. “It is always filled with all kinds of useful information about tax updates and things of that nature.
“I don’t normally read newsletters that come through but with theirs, I read every word as it’s always got handy advice that can help us keep compliant.”
As Chris has already mentioned, the team at Rotherham Taylor understood what he wanted immediately. For Chris, this has been the most significant feature of their business relationship.
“It was great for me that they knew exactly what I wanted so early on,” said Chris. “However, what’s even better is that they’ll go one better and ask me if I’ve missed anything. So, I’ll say I need this and this, and Rebecca at Rotherham Taylor will quite often say, have you considered X, Y, and Z?
“That’s just the way they think, they add value to the conversation which is important to me because I don’t just want a number cruncher. I want someone that’s going to understand the business and how we operate and act like a pseudo-financial controller within the business which I think Rebecca does very well.”
For Chris, it is not just the value that Rotherham Taylor adds to the conversation, but how they respond to the conversation in the first place.
“They are incredibly responsive,” says Chris. “Sometimes it’s a bit embarrassing, I can send something over to Rebecca and she’s on holiday, but then I get a response, so I’m just imagining her on her laptop replying to me from the beach!
“Going above and beyond like Rotherham Taylor does is very important to me. It’s not so much about the immediacy of the response, but the quality. I studied accountancy for a while, so I have a fair understanding of the numbers so it’s not about that for me, but the value of understanding our scenario as a business.”
“What I’ve found to be great,” Chris adds, “is that Rebecca and her team can put everything in a language I understand. She then gives useful advice and tells me if I’m going to do things a certain way, then I need to structure things financially in a certain way to make the most of my situation.”
Chris sees Rotherham Taylor as an accountancy firm that will go above and beyond to improve your business. “I’d recommend Rotherham Taylor to anyone,” he says.
“For me, it’s about professionalism and understanding accountancy in the context of our business.
“They don’t just think of themselves as accountants, they think of themselves as there to facilitate the success of your business. I think that’s the big difference.”
Founded in 2014, Education Business Partnership (NW) Ltd was the brainchild of co-founders Emma Woan and Tracy Gardner.
The company brings education and business together with the predominant aim of supporting the careers education programmes within local high schools. Its footprint area is Lancashire, where its work and services feed in to support the Lancaster Career Hub Network.
The work Education Business Partnership (NW) Ltd delivers helps schools to work towards and achieve the Ofsted careers education framework and meet the Government backed Gatsby Benchmarks which are the best practising standards that schools should be meeting.
As part of this work, the company coordinates work placements for students and careers, education, and information guidance-based interviews in school (CEIAG).
When Emma and Tracy began the venture back in 2014, it was initially only meant to be a freelance project, but they soon realised they had a strong business model, so set about registering the company on Companies House.
“Rebecca (at Rotherham Taylor) must be really proactive at checking out new businesses registering themselves on Companies House,” says Emma. “Within days of registering, she had contacted us to see if there was anything we needed help with, so we set up an informal meeting.”
The meeting must have gone well, as Rotherham Taylor has been the accountant for Education Business Partnership (NW) Ltd ever since.
“Back in 2014, Rebecca told us about all the legalities of what’s involved in running your own company and what to do to sustain it moving forward. So as we’ve moved forward from just myself and Tracy through to employing a small team and then expanding and moving into new premises, Rebecca and the Rotherham Taylor team have been there every step of the way.”
One of the most significant ways that Rotherham Taylor has helped Emma and Tracy is by guiding them through their company’s growth and advising on different ways of doing business.
“Being a limited company didn’t necessarily lend itself to the not-for-profit work we did in the community outside of our core school services,” Emma says. “So, Rebecca helped us in setting up a community interest company. She’s also been particularly helpful with business advice around scaling up and pushing the barriers.
“There have been times where we’ve had little wobbles. But she’s been there to tell us in black and white what the figures are and helped us get over those wobbles.”
Aside from business advice, Rotherham Taylor helps Education Business Partnership (NW) Ltd with accounting requirements such as monthly payroll, calculating Corporation Tax, P60s, and providing advice around holiday and sickness pay.
However, Emma is most impressed with Rotherham Taylor’s provision of accounting software.
“We started off on a bit of a paper-based system,” she says. “With this, we’ve got lots of receipts going backwards and forwards and requests for copies of invoices, so it was easy to get disorganised.
“Rotherham Taylor soon put us on a cloud-based accounting system called Xero. We’ve also moved to a secure document exchange portal as well. It’s made everything real-time.
There’s no lag in producing information if I need to run a report, it’s all there at the push of a button. Having this technology has taken away the need for a finance manager, which is obviously saving us money, too.”
Emma feels that Rotherham Taylor’s knowledge and trustworthiness are reasons why she would recommend them to other businesses. Additionally, the personal element of their services is a source of huge appreciation.
“We are quite a niche business,” says Emma. “We are obviously working to an academic year, so there are periods of time where we have no income and other periods where we are generating lots of income. Rotherham Taylor is very understanding of this, they have taken the time to get to know how we work and got to know me and Tracy too.
“We aren’t just a business in their books. Even though it’s a formal relationship, there’s that friendliness and approachability to it. I can ring Rebecca or Chloe up and ask if I can pick their brains over something, and they’ll always be happy to help.”
As Rotherham Taylor has helped Emma and Tracy expand their business over the past decade, Emma’s future plans seem to revolve around the accountancy firm too.
“We are looking at the next two phases of the business,” says Emma. “Firstly, we are looking to expand, there’s a couple of business opportunities we have in the pipeline that Rebecca’s helping and advising on.
“After that, it will be looking at what our exit strategies are as business owners, so it is all about the longer-term planning and what the future might hold. In any case, we will have the right people in Rotherham Taylor advising us.”
Rosner Ltd was founded in May 2020 by Daniel Rosner and is primarily involved in the fashion sector.
The London-based company help its clients take an idea from inception to market across different categories. They begin by coming up with a brand identity, helping them define their tone of voice and point of view, to very practical things such as defining their visual identity.
After this, they refine their client’s idea, so it is a marketable product. For fashion brands, they help design the collection, supplier research etc. Once the collection is completed, they assist their clients with pricing and merchandising structure.
Rosner Ltd often take established businesses that are ‘stuck’ and take them to the next level by ascertaining their merchandising structure and other aspects of their products.
Daniel hired Rotherham Taylor to be his accountancy firm after positive experiences when working with them across several other businesses he had been a part of previously.
Rotherham Taylor takes care of Daniel’s account management, tax returns and bookkeeping amongst other things, leaving Daniel to focus on his core business. Rotherham Taylor’s expert accountancy advice has helped Daniel not only with the finances of his own business but helped him better understand the workings of his clients’.
“A lot of our clients are start-ups,” says Daniel. “So, they come with an idea, and we help them build on it, the advice Rotherham Taylor has given me has been invaluable in helping our clients grow”.
Handling Rosner Ltd’s accounts and providing Daniel with advice are all part of the Rotherham Taylor Service, but Daniel also likes how responsive they are: “It’s easy to get hold of them,” says Daniel. “I can pick up the phone and they will be there to answer any questions I have.”
“As a young business, Rotherham Taylor is perfect for us,” Daniel continued. “They are brilliant with start-ups and helping fledgling businesses grow by helping them jump hurdles and navigating the challenges that any young business will face.
“They are very nurturing and supportive of their clients with a long-term view in mind.”
With growth comes the ever-growing importance of remaining tax-compliant, something Daniel is all too aware of: “There is a lot of compliance to deal with,” he says. “But Rotherham Taylor has been great in helping me meet my legal requirements when it comes to accounting.”
As Daniel grows Rosner Ltd, he sees his relationship with Rotherham Taylor growing too: “I definitely want to work with them moving forward,” says Daniel. “There’s an added value that Rotherham Taylor knows and understands my business and they also understand my client’s business.
“They know what we need to grow, and I am a big fan of long-term loyalty, and the personal relationships I have with people I work with daily.”
Preston-based recruitment firm Wilson Mannion Recruitment Ltd was founded in 2022 by James Wilson and Ian Mannion.
The company specialises in the recruitment of professionals within the legal sector. Both James and Ian have many years of experience in dealing with all areas of law, having worked with top 200, legal 500, regional and high street practices alike.
With the founding of the new business, James and Ian chose Rotherham Taylor as their accountancy firm after a bad experience with their initial accountant.
“So, the people we were with previously were making some really bad errors,” says James. “For example, they’d listed shares incorrectly and had got our names wrong on Companies House.
“When we hired Rotherham Taylor to replace them, they were not only able to spot these sorts of errors but put a fix in place that was at a minimal cost to us as a business.”
Rotherham Taylor’s assistance in fixing these issues is a big reason why James would recommend them to other businesses.
“We’ve experienced some bad accounting practices,” says James. “But Rotherham Taylor have been different. They’ve always been on hand to ask questions, very friendly and professional and explain things in a manner we can understand. They’ve also been great at solving problems before we even realise they are problems!”
James and Ian’s experience with Rotherham Taylor has led them to recommend them to other businesses. “I’ve been asked by friends in the industry about who my accountants are, and I happily recommend Rotherham Taylor to them,” says James. “They keep us up to date with the latest tax news so we are always compliant and give us tips on things we wouldn’t have known otherwise in order to save us money wherever possible.”
James and Ian are relatively early on in their business journey with Rotherham Taylor, but the signs are promising. “I have no qualms with them whatsoever,” says James. “They have been brilliant, and I see absolutely no reason why we wouldn’t carry on with them.”
Globechain is an innovative technology company, passionate about the planet and in helping large enterprises reduce waste costs which, in turn, benefits small businesses and charities.
Founded 8 years ago by CEO, May Al-Karooni, the business now has a global footprint with over 10,000 members and multiple staff based in the UK, New York and Texas who work with some of the largest, market leading brands helping them improve and monitor their ESG goals and targets.
May’s unusual business idea started when she questioned her then, Investment Bank employers, about how they disposed of furniture when they moved office and wondering how this could be re-used or donated to smaller businesses or charities rather than just sending what they considered “waste”, off to landfill. Exploring this further, the realisation of just how much waste of this type went to landfill, set May on a course to set up Globechain with the mission of reducing waste costs to the benefit of others. In turn, enterprises can collect more tangible ESG data and report more effectively on their social impact initiatives.
From the outset of starting the business, May chose to work with Preston based, Rotherham Taylor for the provision of their accountancy services. That decision says May “has been hugely beneficial from the start. The team at Rotherham Taylor have been my financial sounding board and supporters along this journey from day one. I liked their young, friendly and dynamic approach after being introduced to them and they have really grown with me over the last 8 years. From dealing with the usual start up pains to VC funding they have helped and guided me and now deal with every aspect of our business finance function. This goes much further than just our compliance needs”.
As a tech business Globechain have been able to take advantage of the Research and Development Tax Credit Scheme which says May “is where Rotherham Taylor have been able to contribute extensively with their knowledge of the scheme and helping us produce what is a complex application, successfully each year. It has bought cash back into the business and they have been able to take the heavy lifting of the application away from our desks”.
In addition, with an expanding global base, May now has staff in multiple global locations. “The payroll team at Rotherham Taylor have worked with us to ensure we handle international payroll correctly and have taken the time to teach their own team to understand the requirements of a global business. We didn’t expect that and it’s been great to see them take that journey with us”.
“They are extremely accessible, very “on it!” and their international expertise is valuable to us. They have a strong network of contacts to call upon and I really feel that I can ask them anything and they will find out the answers for us as well as trusting them to keep us compliant”
Future plans for Globechain will mean a wider international reach for May which she says “means Rotherham Taylor will continue to be our trusted partners in our continued growth. I would recommend them to any business looking for an honest, reliable and resilient accountancy partner”.
Fairview Poultry Services is a family-run business based in Chorley, Lancashire. Marina Cemodanova, her husband, and her dad are current directors at the company, which was founded by her father in 2007 on a self-employment basis, before it later gained limited company status in 2010.
The main role of Fairview Poultry Services is to travel to farms across the UK and handle poultry, which includes the loading of chickens and turkeys into modules that then go on to lorries to be taken to factories.
When Marina’s dad started the business in 2007, he had one team, but in the years that followed the company grew, and now there are 11 poultry-catching teams across England. Fairview Poultry Services work with some of the biggest agricultural services in the UK, who provide them with transport services to the farms.
Rotherham Taylor has been on the journey with Fairview Poultry Services since it became a limited company in 2010, assisting Marina’s father with various financial tasks, including accounts and payroll.
Marina and her husband, who joined the company as a director in 2012, went further into the day-to-day assistance that Rotherham Taylor provides: “They basically cover everything for us!” says Marina. “VAT returns, weekly payroll, self-assessment for directors and shareholders. They basically cover all the accountancy aspects.”
With Rotherham Taylor heavily involved in keeping the financial side of the business healthy, Marina went on to explain how their expertise in compliance has helped them massively, and how this advice has had the biggest impact.
“Throughout the years they’ve been assisting us to be tax compliant and tax efficient,” she says. “They make sure the financials run smoothly and that we have everything paid and submitted on time, as well as assisting with laws and regulations. If it wasn’t for them, I’d be paying a lot of late payment fees because they always remind me! They’ve been so much help and of great assistance over the years”.
Fairview’s relationship with Rotherham Taylor spans more than a decade, and it is this lasting association that makes Marina feel their services should be taken by other businesses.
“Rotherham Taylor is very reliable and reputable,” says Marina. “I work with Chloe Greenbank there and she’s my go-to person. Whenever I need help or if I have a question, she manages to give me responses that are not only informative but extremely speedy, which helps when I have an urgent question!”
Marina believes communication is of vital importance to maintaining a good business relationship and feels that Rotherham Taylor excels at this. “If communication fails, you are kind of stuck,” Marina says. “However, Rotherham Taylor is brilliant at getting back to me at the drop of a hat.”
Marina and her family have branched out into a new business, which has been greatly assisted by the contacts that Rotherham Taylor possesses.
“So, Chloe didn’t have to do this, but she managed to put us in touch with contacts that have helped us get our new property business up and running, including offering useful advice herself,” says Marina. “She really has gone the extra mile for us and I am grateful to both her and Rotherham Taylor.”
The future for Marina and Fairview Poultry Services looks bright, and she has no intention of changing the setup with Rotherham Taylor:
“Rotherham Taylor knows our business so well,” she says. “They manage to navigate our financial processes which aren’t the easiest, for example, our payroll is on a weekly basis and can change from week to week, but they handle it all so well and with efficiency.”
Marina continued: “They’ve been great to us, and I’m hoping we’re having the same conversation again in 30 years’ time where I’m saying the same things!”
The Foxton Centre is a Preston-based charity who were founded back in 1969. Their tireless work helps both adults and young people in the community, providing shelter for the homeless and support for street sex workers.
Paul Greenwood was asked to help at the Foxton Centre on a ‘short-term’ basis. Some 25 years on, and Paul is still there, overseeing work with budgeting and accounts, and offering helpful advice wherever he can.
Paul’s long association with the Foxton Centre has seen him witness the charity’s growth from a small organisation focusing on youth and community work to branching out to homelessness work and the creation of the Women’s Centre to aid street sex workers. The Centre, which is located in the heart of Preston, is due to be demolished and rebuilt thanks to a £2.3 million injection from the Youth Improvement Fund.
The Foxton Centre began its involvement with Rotherham Taylor in 2020, after something of a pitch to offer their services. “We’d been with another accountancy firm for years,” recalls Paul. “But they were starting to get over ambitious in terms of what sorts of accounting they were doing. We’re running budgets and we’ve also got to keep track of funding the likes of the Lottery and Children in Need, so our accounting systems need to be as clear and as simple as possible. Our accountants were making things far too complicated, so we decided it was time for a change. We invited various people to make a pitch, as it were, and to see if they had experience working with charities, and Rotherham Taylor fit the bill.”
So why did Rotherham Taylor fit the bill, and how did they win the custom of the Foxton Centre over their competitors? For Paul, it was all about Rotherham Taylor’s interest in the charity for their work, and not as just another client.
“They’d had experience of working with other charities, which was a plus,” said Paul. “But they were really interested in what the business is about, and what we’re doing. Even now, they are interested. A few weeks ago, they even came along to the opening of the refurbished Women’s Centre. They see how everything actually works from the ground up.”
Rotherham Taylor is there for Paul and the Foxton Centre on a day-to-day basis, a trainee accountant is tasked with keeping them on the straight and narrow and helps them with their use of Xero. “It’s about that routine, day-to-day stuff,” says Paul. “To make sure we don’t make a right dog’s dinner of it!”
As things with their old accountants got out of hand, Paul feels that Rotherham Taylor has steered the Foxton Centre back to calmer waters. “They’ve made the whole process of producing the annual accounts on the audit much, much easier,” he says. “Now, we’re back to a more realistic way of doing things.”
For Paul, having Rotherham Taylor on hand has made things a lot easier to manage the finances at the Foxton Centre. “Neither myself nor my colleague Jackie have any sort of accountancy qualifications,” says Paul. “So it’s nice to have somebody on tap who can point you in the right direction. They even help us with things like Xero which aren’t as easy as they might be.”
For three years, Paul has seen first-hand the work that Rotherham Taylor has put into helping the Foxton Centre, and he has no hesitations about recommending them to other charities.
“They’re realistic about the expectations of what you have, and of what you can do,” says Paul. “They’re very helpful in advising and supporting you along the way, I’d heartily recommend them.”
Paul and the Foxton Centre are currently looking at renewing their contract with Rotherham Taylor and Paul seems positive about the future as a partnership.
“In my experience,” says Paul, “you need to build up a rapport with your accountants, Rotherham Taylor is good at that because they are genuinely interested in what it is you’re doing and why you’re doing things in a particular way.”
Parcel Tracker was created in 2016 by founder Arthur Zargaryan and uses the Software as a Service (SaaS) model to sell mailroom and internal parcel tracking software to clients all over the world. Clients vary from sectors such as residential and manufacturing to healthcare and Government, and their international footprint has seen Arthur employ staff who work in locations around the globe.
Arthur’s journey with Rotherham Taylor began in 2019, when he decided to change accountancy firms after being recommended to Rotherham Taylor by a friend. Previously with a large firm, Arthur had become frustrated with the lack of staff continuity and with a very impersonal approach to his needs. “Working with Rotherham Taylor was ultimately a better option for a business of our size, says Arthur, we invariably have a lot of questions to ask, and we knew that the team at Rotherham Taylor would give us the time to answer them. They also got to know our business, unlike our previous accountants who had too many clients to give us this personal touch. It makes us feel important, and they do good work.”
With Rotherham Taylor providing a friendly, approachable service, it was of course also vital that they could meet the needs of a growing company like Parcel Tracker. Annual accounts and payroll are covered by Rotherham Taylor, whilst also assisting with R&D tax credits. Advice is another key factor in the relationship between Rotherham Taylor and Parcel Tracker, and it is something Arthur is very grateful for. “They answer my annoying questions! he says, I ask them to explain what different things mean and they’ll have a chat with me to explain. I do appreciate their patience.”
Rotherham Taylor also helped Parcel Tracker to set up software for their accounting systems and over time will assist Arthur with cashflow and budgeting solutions.
For Arthur, the goal for Parcel Tracker is growth, and he feels that with Rotherham Taylor, he has the perfect accountancy partner to help him achieve his aims. “As we grow as a company, we grow with Rotherham Taylor, he says. They’re on a journey with us and I’m happy they’ll be able to advise us if we’re doing things wrong.”
Arthur went on to emphasise the importance of the personal touch that Rotherham Taylor provides, the opposite of being remote and faceless. “I felt like I was a drag on our previous accountants, Arthur says, but with Chloe, Sarah, and the team I correspond with them multiple times a month, so it’s almost like I have my own finance department.”
Arthur’s glowing praise of Rotherham Taylor has led him to recommend them to a friend, and he would encourage other business owners to use Rotherham Taylor also. Arthur says “They are a very effective extension of your team, they take a lot of pain away from us which lets us focus on our jobs, and at a very cost-effective rate. They’re great and they get the job done.”
When high voltage commissioning specialist, Gavin Wight, required expert accounting and tax support for both his electrical contracting business, Nostros Technology, and his rental property business, QW Property, he turned to Rotherham Taylor.
Gavin explains: “I needed a change of accountants as a result of a pressing tax enquiry which needed sorting out urgently.
“A friend referred me to RT and from the outset I was very impressed. They were very professional right from the introduction and discussed an action plan going forward which my old accountants had never taken the time to do.
“The most urgent issue was the HMRC enquiry into my tax position. My old accountant had been very unprofessional and had wasted time. Rotherham Taylor took over the case and did more in the first day than my previous accountant had done in three months.”
The team at RT are now dealing with the HMRC enquiry and have also ensured that all aspects of Gavin’s business and personal taxes are in good shape going forwards.
Gavin continued: “The entire team at RT are highly professional and knowledgeable, which is reflected in the fact that they have chartered status. Simone, in particular, has dealt with all my business affairs and I have recommended her to others who have since become clients of RT.
“The firm’s customer service is also very good indeed and I always receive a rapid response to any emails or phone calls.
“I have been particularly impressed by their advice on how to maximise company efficiency. I have implemented their advice and this has helped my business to grow.”
Gavin added: “As a result of their excellent work in dealing with my initial HMRC enquiry and subsequently sorting out both my business and personal tax matters, I am planning to enlist their help with a new start-up venture which is in the planning stage.
“I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending RT’s services to others – in a nutshell they are professional, friendly, knowledgeable and a great team to have on your side.”
Our client is a widower. He and his wife had spent the greater part of their married lives working outside the UK in various European & Far East countries. As part of their retirement plans, they had assembled a small portfolio of investment properties in London as well as a holiday home in Spain and their own house in London. Their family has grown up and left home to build their own lives.
We were assisting the couple with their various pensions and investment incomes from around the world, which together with their rental income meant their tax affairs are complex. Neither have a business background so needed assistance in understanding the tax rules in the UK.
Sadly, the wife died suddenly and her widower needed to deal with both his own and his wife’s affairs, as well as her estate.
As we had been working with them on their pensions, investment and rental income, we ideally placed to advise on how to deal with the estate quickly and effectively.
Whilst some jointly held assets would pass to a surviving spouse without the need for a formal grant of probate being obtained, in this case, overseas investments and property required a formal grant to be obtained.
Further complications arose because the original copy of her will had been lost in the post and the probate registry required witness statements as to those facts. As the deceased had died unexpectedly, her tax affairs, having just returned to the UK, needed to be concluded before we could apply for probate.
The grant of probate did not require the payment of any Inheritance Tax and the husband has been able to sell the family home, realise certain pension assets and now start building his new life. The family home had previously been a rental property and the sale has required our input in maximising the reliefs available from Capital Gains Tax.
Our details knowledge of the couple’s tax affairs meant that the estate administration process was much more efficient and much better value for money than it would have been if a firm of solicitors unfamiliar with the client’s affairs had worked on the probate. Rotherham Taylor would still have been required to resolve the couple’s complex tax affairs in any event.
Digi-tech website design company, Emersoft was established in 2017 and is based in both London and Las Vegas.
Emersoft empowers businesses to build effective web interfaces to improve end-user experience and drive more revenue.
Founder and front-end developer, Marcin Ruman, transferred to accountants Rotherham Taylor for support during the next phase of their business growth.
He explained: “Our first accountancy firm helped with the start-up of our business but we recognised that we needed to work with someone to help us put more robust systems in place to aid our future growth.
“Rotherham Taylor really understands the tech sector well which means they are able to provide, not only an excellent general accountancy service, but also act as expert business advisors with real world management expertise.
“I have been particularly impressed by their flexibility during our business expansion. The team are very accommodating and responsive to our needs.
“Their professional yet approachable style means we are never afraid to pick up the phone and ask their advice.
“It is hugely reassuring to have such a great team of accountants and business advisors on our side.”
Autism Forward is a small national charity which aims to help autistic adults gain employment opportunities.
It does this by providing grants, so that autistic adults can receive mentoring support and advice to make the transition from education to work. The charity also provides resources to help employers understand how they can make the workplace more autism-friendly.
Jane Pierce, is the Secretary and a trustee of Autism Forward. Explaining how the charity’s business relationship with Rotherham Taylor began, she said: “As a newly established charity, we chose an accountancy firm who had good reputation and expertise in the charity sector. A friend of ours, who runs a bowel cancer charity, recommended Rotherham Taylor to us.
“As our charity is based in London, we had already had a number of quotes from London accountancy firms which, frankly, were astronomical.
“So, when we spoke to Rotherham Taylor we were delighted to discover that they not only had the specialist charity expertise that we needed, but their fees were far more sensible.
“With Rotherham Taylor we’re getting the best of both worlds: an expert service without the London price tag!”
Jane continued: “Chloe and the team at RT have been professional and helpful from the outset. They have suggested a few changes, involving bank reconciliation and Gift Aid reporting which have been really helpful. They were also able to reassure us that the majority of our financial reporting was on the right track which was good to hear.
“I find Chloe’s input very helpful. For example, she reminds me to record all my expenses – a habit I had not got into as, working for a charity, it’s all too easy to think ‘I won’t bother recharging for mileage, or for the cost of a few stamps – I’ll just absorb the cost myself’. Now, thanks to Chloe, I understand the importance of keeping a full record so that the charity has a complete oversight of its running expenses.
“If I had to sum up my experience of Rotherham Taylor in just a few words I would say they are: professional, efficient, very accessible and clear in their dealings with our charity.
“I would certainly be happy to recommend them to other charities and not for profit organisations.”
Mindapples is a social enterprise organisation which was founded by Andy Gibson in 2008 to help people take care of their minds, in the same way that they take care of their bodies.
As CEO and self-styled ‘Head Gardener,’ Andy has written two best-selling books on the subject and his organisation offers workplace and e-training courses.
Explaining how the business relationship with Rotherham Taylor has grown and flourished, Andy said: “I was recommended by a friend who was impressed with RT’s way of working.
“In addition to providing all the usual services that you would expect any accountancy firm to provide, such as year-end accounts, the team have been very proactive in providing sound financial advice which has helped keep our organisation ‘on track’.
“From a practical point of view, we share systems which allows us to work remotely but equally they are always at the end of the phone and ready to answer questions or give advice when I need it.
“Two years ago, we needed to restructure our organisation and the advice we received from RT was invaluable in helping us to separate the charitable and commercial assets of our business.
“Michael, Chloe and the team are always extremely responsive and my dealings with them are always a stress-free experience and as a result, I have already recommended the firm to a number of other charities.”
Successful entrepreneur, David CM Carter, has enjoyed a close working relationship with Rotherham Taylor for more than 30 years. Having built up two leisure businesses, subsequently selling one and floating the other on AIM, David went on to found one of the world’s leading CEO mentoring firms before exiting to a management buy-out.
David continues to run two businesses; a personal mentoring service and MyMentor – launched in 2017 – the world’s first ever digital mentoring service.
Recalling how the business relationship with Rotherham Taylor began, David said: “Michael Barton and I were both guests of a law firm at a networking event held at the Grand National and we immediately hit it off.”
“Since then Michael has been my trusted advisor and the team at Rotherham Taylor have provided me with a seamless service, looking after both my personal and business tax and accountancy needs, along with provision of a first class company secretarial service.”
“All my tax returns are completed by the team in plenty of time to make payments or file them with HMRC, as you would expect from a good firm of accountants, but Rotherham Taylor provide far more than a standard tax returns service.”
“As someone who has provided mentoring services to CEOs for many years, I recognise the value of receiving financial mentoring advice myself. Michael is extremely proactive. He’s always there to cover my back and constantly challenges me with ‘Have you thought about …?’ ideas to help me plan for the future.”
“Although Michael has been a constant presence throughout my 30 year relationship with the firm, I’m pleased to say that my dealings with the rest of the team are equally harmonious – Nick is my trusted aide for company secretarial matters and the auto-enrolment and VAT teams both provide a reliable and problem-free service.”
“This joined-up approach to client care is what makes our business dealings so successful. Over the years I have probably referred around 50 per cent of my clients to Rotherham Taylor.”
“As a mentor I share the stories of business people who have remarkable personal or professional journeys. It could certainly be said that a 30-year business relationship with the same firm of accountants – which has stood the test of time and is still going strong to this day – qualifies as one such remarkable professional journey.”
Russell and Sons Ltd is a Preston based, family-run business, which for more than 25 years has provided plastering and damp proofing services to domestic, commercial and industrial clients.
Director, John Russell, is the first to admit that he is ‘old school’ in his business approach. “I like everything done properly,” he said. “Nowadays, the construction sector is governed by a lot of rules and regulations so I like to be out on site, making sure that every job we do is carried out to the high standards I expect”.
“That means that you’ll rarely find me in the office as my time is limited and, like many self-employed business people, I don’t have the inclination to spend my evenings immersed in admin and paperwork.”
For the past ten years, John has entrusted his accounting and year-end tax returns to Rebecca Bradshaw and the team at Rotherham Taylor.
“They are absolutely fantastic,” said John. “The whole process goes so smoothly. They take all our VAT receipts and just get on with it. If they have any questions, they call me, but by and large they leave me to get on with running and growing our business, while working away in the background ensuring everything is returned on time and that we are paying the right amount of tax”.
“I particularly appreciate the fact that they are so efficient and that I don’t need to chase or remind them. If I do need to call them and Rebecca isn’t around, she always gets back to me promptly”.
“I really can’t speak highly enough of the team at RT. Since they have been on board our VAT returns and year-ends including payroll are always submitted in plenty of time which means I am free to concentrate on expanding the business and looking after our clients.”
CGS Removals Limited is a family-run house removals business, established by Craig Sharp more than ten years ago.
Initially, Craig operated as a sole trader but in 2017 he set up a limited company, providing a removals service primarily on behalf of the British Heart Foundation. In the past three years, his business has expanded further and he now has vans based in Manchester, Blackburn, Preston and Blackpool.
Craig has been a client of Rotherham Taylor’s since he first started out in business. He explained: “They were local to where I lived at the time but more importantly I was impressed by how approachable they were.
“This friendly service has been a constant throughout our business relationship. They are always at the end of the phone and available to explain things in simple terms if I have a problem.
“Although Lucy at Rotherham Taylor is my main contact I have got to know all of the team in the office and everyone is extremely friendly and helpful.
“Making the decision to go limited in 2017 and expand the company was a really big step for me but Lucy explained the filing requirements, tax implications, profit and loss workings in the early months, together with the VAT thresholds, which I found very reassuring.
“I recently moved out of the Preston area but the service I continue to receive from Rotherham Taylor is seamless as most things can be completed electronically, using the Virtual Cabinet portal and cloud bookkeeping software, which are both really easy to use.”
CGS Removals utilise a number of Rotherham Taylor’s business services including bookkeeping, preparation of VAT returns, annual accounts, corporation tax returns and payroll, including furlough calculations and submissions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Craig said: “I particularly like the fact that the RT Clarity package allows me to pay monthly for their annual services which really helps me to budget and manage my business cash flow.”
He added: “I would certainly recommend RT to other sole traders and small businesses. They are always my first port of call for advice before I make any business decision and they have given me the confidence to expand.”
