Business Development Series Archives - humanisethenumbers.online

Episode 154: Luke Farren of The Modern Firm

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:25:37 +0000

When we discuss technology in relation to accounting, it seems that there has been a rapid pace of change with technology for years now, and it's only accelerating. And with the advancements in artificial intelligence, perhaps the speed of change will accelerate even more.
When I interviewed Luke Farren of The Modern Firm recently on the podcast, I felt that Luke's comments about why accounting needs shaking up are certainly worth a listen.
To hear more, join me and Luke and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Luke and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 153: Gareth Burton, Chief Impact Officer at Progress Accountants and Auditor at Assure UK

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:31:00 +0000

When someone with an engineering background moves into accountancy, what skills do they bring along with them?
What struck me in this podcast with Gareth Burton of Assure UK was Gareth's curiosity about the way that accountancy is carried out and the potential improvements to processes that can happen across virtually every part of our business. Gareth has got that down to a tee.
To listen to more of that and to further useful insights about how and why Gareth set up his firm in the first place, join us and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Gareth and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast

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Episode 152: Phil Hobden of Sage

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:12:33 +0000

How do you ensure that you are continually delivering value to clients, so that they never question the fees that you charge, especially in this volatile, uncertain world in which we're living?
In this podcast with Phil Hobden of Sage, Phil and I cover several topics that are very relevant to the profession today, including: how do we deliver value?
Phil shares some great insights into his nine years working with accountants in a tech space, and also how he's developed a real understanding of accountants and their motivations and capabilities.
And we have a really interesting chat around how accountants explain what they do to clients.
So, please tune in and scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Phil and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 146: Alasdair McGill, MD of Ashton McGill

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:35:57 +0000

When you have a background in the big four accounting firms, a background in design thinking and a background with a deep desire to be curious and ask lots of great questions...
…how does that all come together when you set up a firm later in life with your son?
In this wide-ranging conversation with Alasdair McGill, of Ashton McGill, we cover a lot of ground.
We discuss the education system and how it often seems to stifle our natural curiosity and diminish our ability to ask questions.
We talk about the future of the profession, and we talk about how Alasdair is very intentional about everything that he does within Ashton McGill. It's a great conversation. I really enjoyed it and I’m sure you will too.
You can scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Alasdair and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 144: Graeme Tennick, Chief Impact Officer, Tennick Accountants

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 03:37:00 +0000

How many firms do you know that have a Chief Impact Officer? Yep, me neither. So, you may want to join this podcast with myself and Graeme Tennick, of Tennick Accountants, as Graeme talks about his role and about how and why it came into being.
There are a number of standout moments in this podcast, not least when Graeme describes how to have the team really working with purpose, with real meaning in their work, all the time.
So please join us on the podcast, and please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Graeme and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 143: Laura Taylor, Founder of Bright Flamingo

Paul Shrimpling — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 02:18:00 +0000

What's it like to start an accounting firm with £200, to grow it quickly over a period of five years, and then to decide to exit? And from the start of that exit conversation to completion, for it to take only 25 days?
We'll cover all of that and a lot more in this podcast with Laura Taylor from Bright Flamingo. Laura shares how that journey affected her, and she also reveals some secrets along the way that could help you in your own accounting firm.
If you want to hear more, join Laura and me and if you enjoy it, please hit the subscribe button.
Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Laura and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 141: Noel Guilford, Founder/CEO of Guilford Accounting

Paul Shrimpling — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:35:18 +0000

How do you get your clients to take monthly information from you, and not only to take that monthly information, but to sit down with you and go through it so that they can fully understand their numbers?
In this podcast with Noel Guilford of Guilford Accounting, Noel talks us through how his onboarding process makes sure that only potential clients who value that type of service get through the net, get over the threshold, and become a client of Guilford Accounting.
In this conversation – and it ranged across Noel's 50 years in accounting – we also talked about what the future of the profession holds. Noel has got some really interesting views on that, all of which point towards less compliance, more advisory.

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Episode 139: John Thompson, CEO of Wisdom in Practice

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:49:27 +0000

There is a thing that’s been talked about in the profession for decades, something which has never really got traction in every firm in a leveraged way. It works in some firms in a small way and in a very few firms in a big way. It’s that thing called 'Advisory'.
How you move your firm from compliance services to advisory services is an ongoing, almost endless question.
And yet, it's normal, it's natural, to have conversations – human being to human being, individual to individual – and you're doing it all the time. It's just that you may not necessarily be seeing it as a natural part of who you are as an accountant working with your clients.
But in this podcast discussion with John Thompson, we discuss the simple, elegant, obvious, natural merits of a normal, human skill that everyone can develop – the skill of conversation.
We can all improve our conversational skills, but we have a level of skill now. We just need to use these skills and recognise that we're using them in different settings, in different ways, and make it a natural, systemic, cultural way of doing things in our firm. And we might just achieve what John, in one of his firms, achieved, which was trebling fees within two years. Sounds like an outlandish headline, but the reality is it's feasible.
Average fees can be £10k per annum, £20k per annum, £30k per annum, and more. We know this because we see it in firms that have embraced having human conversations more often with more clients. And that's what this podcast is about.

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Episode 137: Sherelyn Cowles, Chief Business Development Officer at Gooding Accounts

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:36:24 +0000

We know that recruiting great people and keeping them is a huge challenge for your accounting firm, so how do you stand out from the crowd?
In this podcast with Sherelyn Cowles, Chief Business Development Officer at Gooding Accounts, we discuss how to build a great culture by identifying and articulating your core purpose and values, and by being very clear about how everyone is expected to behave.
We also talk about the importance of ensuring your values, vision, and core purpose are available on your website so that, when people come for interview, they've had a chance to review these and are ready to sit down and work for you because they've already made their decision.
They know that a clear purpose will give them meaningful work, and they can get behind the values and the vision. They know where it’s going to take them and how they can fit into that.

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Episode 130: Roger Knecht, President of Universal Accounting, Author and Podcast Host

Paul Shrimpling — Mon, 05 May 2025 12:13:35 +0000

It was exciting to welcome Roger Knecht, the president of Universal Accounting, onto the Humanise the Numbers podcast. And I wasn't expecting to have what essentially turned into a 45-minutes sales training session with Roger.
That ultimately is where the value in this podcast actually lies. Roger is so open, so structured, in running through how to construct a sales meeting, a client meeting, with the paymaster general of your firm, your clients – and with your prospects.
Roger has a way of cutting through to a really simple structure, unpacking the motivators that he's discovered from working with firms all over the USA, as he is from across the pond.
I hope you can join us on this interesting conversation with Roger, because of the practical, valuable and powerful insights on how to run better client meetings. You’ll also gain a more global perspective of the profession, one that is just as relevant to your firm, whether you're in Stoke-on-Trent or Halifax or Canterbury – it matters not.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Please scroll down the podcast’s episode page for the contact information for Roger and for the additional, downloadable resources mentioned in the podcast.

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