Episode 166: Amy Hancock Resources

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-166-amy-hancock-of-hancock-and-hastings/

https://vimeo.com/1196320113?fl=ip&fe=ec

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares her thoughts about the future of the profession alongside the growth of AI.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy discusses her reasons for setting up her own business and how she has developed her business to work for herself and her family.

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares her love for audit and accounts and explains why she will always do both, and how, aged nine, she knew she wanted to be an accountant.

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-166-amy-hancock-of-hancock-and-hastings/

1. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares her thoughts on why many people are genuinely nervous about numbers. After more than 20 years in the profession, she has seen firsthand how fear can stop people from engaging with their finances and understanding what the numbers are really telling them.

She explains that audits can feel particularly intimidating because someone is effectively coming in and scrutinising every part of a business. For many clients, that experience can feel overwhelming before it has even started.

What stands out is Amy's focus on helping people feel comfortable. Rather than leading with technical language, she talks clients through the process so that they understand what is happening and why.

2. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares how she knew she wanted to become an accountant when she was just nine years old. While most children were still figuring out what they enjoyed, she had already put accountancy on her list of future careers.

Her love of maths and business naturally pointed her in that direction. When the time came to choose between university and an apprenticeship, she made the bold decision to go straight into practice.

That decision gave her exposure to both audit and accounts from day one. Instead of specialising early, she built experience across multiple areas of the profession and never looked back.

3. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy discusses the reality of AI in accountancy and why she believes it is changing jobs rather than replacing them. Her view is refreshingly practical and grounded in real client experience.

She compares today's AI conversations to the fears that surrounded cloud bookkeeping years ago. Technology did not eliminate roles. It simply shifted people from processing information to analysing it.

Amy is already introducing clients to tools such as AI note takers, helping them see how technology can reduce admin and make meetings more productive.

What she keeps coming back to is the human element. Technology can support us, but people still want expertise, judgement, and someone they can trust at the end of the phone.

4. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy share her thoughts on the technology divide that still exists within the profession. While some firms are embracing every new tool available, others are only just beginning their digital transformation.

She believes there is no need to panic or rush into every new trend. Instead, she encourages accountants to stay curious, learn from others and adopt technology when it genuinely adds value.

One of her favourite observations is how willing accountants are to share knowledge. From podcasts to LinkedIn posts, there is more collaboration happening than ever before.

5. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares how LinkedIn helped change her journey from employee to business owner. What started as a platform she barely used became one of the most important resources in building her confidence.

When she began considering starting her own practice, she found a community of accountants openly sharing their experiences, mistakes, and successes. Seeing others do it helped her believe that she could too.

6. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy discusses how she became known as "#Audit Amy" and why embracing a niche can happen without you even realising it.

For years she resisted the idea of specialising because she enjoyed working with different businesses and sectors. What she did not appreciate was that her audit expertise was already making her stand out.

Other accountants started recognising her for audit work, and before long the nickname had stuck. Today it has become part of her professional identity.

7. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares the story behind leaving employment and building her own practice. It was not a reckless leap. It was a carefully managed transition supported by planning and patience.

She had been running a small side hustle, as she calls it, for years while building her career. That experience gave her confidence, practical knowledge, and a foundation from which she could grow.

What is particularly inspiring is the relationship she maintained with her former firm. There was no fallout or conflict, just mutual respect and support as she moved into the next chapter.

8. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy discusses building a business around lifestyle as well as growth. In a world that often celebrates bigger, faster, and more, her approach feels refreshing.

She openly talks about recognising her limits and creating a practice that works for her family. Success, for her, is not measured purely by turnover or team size.

The business is located in the same town as her children's school, allowing family life and work life to blend in a way that suits her priorities.

9. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy shares her honest reflections on pricing, as well as one of the biggest lessons she learned as a new business owner.

When she first started, she significantly undercharged because she worried clients would not choose a small independent practice over a larger firm. Looking back, she recognises how much she undervalued her own expertise.

Over time, she learned that the skills, experience, and knowledge she had built over many years did not become less valuable simply because she was working for herself.

10. Listen to this Humanise The Numbers podcast with Amy Hancock of Hancock and Hastings. Amy discusses the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone when it comes to marketing and visibility.

She freely admits that creating content, appearing on video, and putting herself out there has never come naturally. Like many accountants, she is much more comfortable working behind the scenes.

Yet she also recognises that people increasingly discover businesses through social media, LinkedIn, and personal content rather than through traditional searches.

https://humanisethenumbers.online/episode-166-amy-hancock-of-hancock-and-hastings/

<<div id="buzzsprout-player-19498410"></div><script src="https://www.buzzsprout.com/1164563/episodes/19498410-amy-hancock-of-hancock-and-hastings.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-19498410&player=small" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script>

Here is a soundbite of the interview with Amy: