About us

Who are we, where did we come from, and what does that mean for you?

Who are we?

When we say ‘we’ – we are Andrew and Dona Skaife. Yes - we are husband and wife, no we do not talk accountancy in the evening (much) and yes, we do discuss who’s making what for dinner that night!

We’ll be honest, the first reaction from most people when we tell them that we work together is that they would hate to work with their spouse, but it just seems to work for us – we’ve really not had that many years when we haven’t worked together!

Our business journey

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Like a lot of professional individuals, we had a desire to do things differently and on our terms. Above everything, we wanted to have the work-life balance that we value highly.

In 2008, we took the plunge and committed to building WBS Accountants (after many toes were dipped in the water). Unlike a lot of other new businesses, however, it wasn’t a ‘throw everything we have at this and grow as fast as we can’ situation. Our family was just as important to us, so the different phases of our family life always had a huge influence on the different phases of our business. This obviously had an impact on what we could do and when.

Slowly but surely, our business grew and don’t get us wrong, it was an incredibly hard few years juggling a new business with only 3 days/week childcare. Like every entrepreneur, there were moments of doubt but determination carried us through until our youngest started school and we had more time. Time to build the business and really nurture the strong relationships that we had started to build with our clients.

Since the beginning, we have always built our business in phases. We really focused on providing excellent client service and building our reputation, and over time, we have really refined what it is that we do, who it is that we work with, and what our clients get from us.

As a result, we’ve built a sustainable business where we see our clients as family, and we are passionate about providing them with personalised support for them and their businesses.

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What this means for you and your business journey

We keep our client’s interest at the heart of everything we do

Whether it’s day to day stuff or plans for the future, we’ll have your back. We are always offering suggestions and relevant advice, providing reassurance and peace of mind along the way.

We’ll always be straight with you

‘Making accounting clear’ is our mantra, so we aim not to use any financial jargon and explain what is happening in plain terms.

We’ll help you work smarter, not harder

We can help you make the best software choices for you and your business, meaning that you work more efficiently, get paid quicker and have numbers to hand to make sound business decisions.

We’ll always be human first, accountant second

It’s important for us to understand what your personal needs and drivers are before we can advise on the best course of action for your business. Relationships mean everything to us which is why we like to give such a personalised service.

We think of ourselves as part of your team

We think of ourselves as part of your team. For some clients, we are part of their team communications channels and for most of our clients, we are the first port of call for day-to-day advice. We are here all year round when you need us - even when you don’t know you need us!

Fixed-fee Focus Session

Grab one-hour of our expertise to answer that pressing business accounts question

It’s more than possible that you need some practical accountancy or tax advice but you don’t necessarily need an ongoing working relationship with us yet. If that sounds like you and you like how we work, then our Fixed Fee Focus Session would be perfect for you.

Click to find out more and book when you are ready.

book your focus session
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