“We started with about 35 clients which I brought in from my freelance work. We inherited about 40 (from an accountancy contact who sadly died). We took on our first member of staff in 2018.
“We moved in here in Alcester in October. We have bought this office. The previous one (in Redditch) we rented but that was dead money.”
He predicts that technology – with an increasing reliance on software – will transform the accountancy sector over the next decade. “This is a paper-free office. We do not have filing cabinets.
“There is still a lot of human input but I think that in five to 10 years there are going to be massive changes.
“I think the main reason for our success is embracing accounting software developments and providing the personal touch. We are up to just over 400 clients and we have doubled our revenue year on year. It is ridiculously busy but in a good way. We just keep growing and growing.
“We do not really advertise, all the new clients we get are from referrals – those are the best ones as they have come from another client who can actually vouch for our services. We push and drive customers, but we do not harass them. We don’t like clients to receive penalties. We are not old school accountants, it’s a different, quirky stance.
We are always actively trying to get our clients business
When a client asks us if we know anybody that needs help with something, we’ll always try to introduce them to another client of ours who can benefit.”
The Zoo Accounting team has grown to six with two more recruits in the pipeline as part of continuing expansion. “It is a 10-year plan, it’s not going to happen overnight.”
With wife Sharon, two sons and two stepdaughters, Wayne clearly has something of a juggling act on his plate to combine his punishing work schedule with family life.
“I work 80-hour weeks. I leave the house at 6.30 am and do not get back until 8.30pm. I love work and my wife is supportive of the extra commitment needed when running your own business.”
Ever the perfectionist, Wayne says there is room for improvement. “We are really bad at shouting about ourselves. That is a good thing because you don’t want to come across as cocky but it’s all about letting clients know the good news.”
He’s also keen to shower praise on his own staff. “Any good business is all about the staff and our staff are absolutely brilliant. Our clients know they can call us at any time and we’ll do everything we can to help.”
If team spirit is the secret to success Zoo Accounting appear to have hit on a winning formula. It’s even evident on the signs on the walls, where the office boardroom is the Lion’s Den, the main nerve centre housing the team is the Monkey Sanctuary and the toilets are the Zoo Loos. They have even built a bar on site which they’ve named the Zebra Cross Inn…..
Jon Griffin | Business Works
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Zoo Accounting