Before working with WBS
As MD and Co-Founder of Evolved Search, a specialist search marketing agency, I know my stuff when it comes to SEO, Paid Search, and Conversion Rate Optimisation. When it comes to finances, however, we definitely needed some specialist support.
Things in the business were ticking along and we managed for a while, but as we grew it was becoming more and more obvious that we are not finance heads. We needed someone to streamline our processes (I’d used Xero in the past with another business so was keen to get somebody involved who had Xero knowledge and getting this set up properly) and we wanted someone who really knew their stuff and who could guide us.
We found WBS online while looking for Xero Accountants in Newcastle, but what really drew us to them was that they were a smaller team. For us, that meant we would be able to build a longer-term relationship with them, rather than being a tiny client at a larger company (and being constantly passed around). We had worked with accountants in the past and it was always a low-touch, distant relationship, so this was incredibly important to us. We wanted our financial partner to know us (as people) and our business, inside out.
Our business has grown x5
After 6 years of working with WBS, our business has grown significantly from approximately 1m turnover to over 5m. Not only that, but we have a really solid finance set up that is able to scale up with relative ease. Whilst it’s constantly adapting (evolving some might say), the bulk of the hard work has been done and everybody is getting what they require out of it.
As you can imagine, the level of support we have required has increased over time too. But this hasn’t phased Dona and Andrew, they’ve grown with us. They are reliable and consistent, and I know what will be delivered and when. What’s more, is that I know that everything will be done properly and I don’t need to spend any time casting my eye over everything again or double checking things.
What I love about WBS is their willingness to really understand the business and people involved. They always ask the right questions and listen to the answers, and they have a really strong, quality relationship with our internal finance/office manager.
WBS knows our business inside out
A business should want their finance function to understand the business inside out, from the people, clients, business model, challenges, growth plan – everything! Without this complete knowledge, they’re unlikely to be getting the best out of them. With WBS, you get this. We catch up regularly and Dona knows pretty much everything there is to know about this business, and she knows what support is required and when.
The best thing about working with Dona and WBS is the personal approach. She often listens to me rant on about whatever business issue we’re facing at the time – I’d say it’s been 50% accountancy support, 50% therapy! But she always follows this up with support too. Most of the issues we’ve faced, she’s seen before and has a valuable take on it and this external viewpoint can be really helpful.
Lastly, WBS has many valuable connections to other businesses or individuals. They’ve passed us onto financial advisors, larger accountancy and legal firms, whatever we’ve needed, and they’ve all been great. Having this trusted source to refer us to these companies has been invaluable!