If you were there, thank you for joining us for our first Informi Talking Small Business lunchtime webinar and here’s what you missed if you couldn’t make it this time as Sophie Cross interviewed Will Blower…
One of the UK’s youngest accounting practice founders
Will Blower is one of the UK’s youngest accounting practice founders. Will established Realise Finance at just 22 years old and, in less than five years, has grown it to serve over 250 clients nationwide.
Through dedication to building relationships and maintaining a professional yet personal approach, Will has built a thriving practice based in Peterborough, where 48% of clients come through referrals.
In the webinar, we learnt from Will’s journey of building this successful practice from scratch and gained insights into scaling a service-based business while not compromising on quality and reputation.
Webinar overview
In the webinar, Will discusses the challenges he faced in the early days, the importance of building strong client relationships, and the core values that drive his business. He emphasises the significance of quality service, networking, and maintaining a personal touch in a professional environment.
The talk covers strategies for acquiring clients, scaling the business, and effective marketing channels, including the role of social media and newsletters in client communication. Also chatted about is the importance of networking, building relationships, and long-term strategies for business growth.
We explore the challenges of transitioning from doing the work to managing a business, the significance of setting goals, and the need for a balanced approach to work and life. Will shares insights on pricing strategies, the importance of adding value, and the necessity of preparing for future changes in the business landscape before concluding with practical tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasising the value of hands-on experience over theoretical knowledge.
17 key takeaways from Will Blower…
- Quality is a core value of Realise Finance, which begins with tiny details like paper thickness.
- Building personal relationships with clients is key.
- Make the most of the time you have at the beginning to build systems and processes when you’re time-rich and cash-poor.
- Tracking client sources helps in understanding marketing effectiveness.
- Realise Finance try to be everywhere on social media and prioritise posting weekly on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
- They don’t have a content calendar but get the whole team involved in social media content.
- Will emphasises the importance of being authentic in business interactions.
- His first client was acquired by asking all businesses he could think of locally if they needed an accountant.
- Scaling the team was a natural progression for the business.
- Consistency in networking leads to long-term clients.
- It’s important to ask questions and listen during networking, not just talk about yourself.
- Sales come from relationships, not just transactions.
- Quality of content and marketing naturally improve over time if you keep doing it.
- Setting slightly unrealistic goals each year helps keep the team motivated and pushing themselves.
- Enjoying the process is crucial for long-term success.
- Balancing work and personal life is key to sustainability.
- Learning by doing is more effective than reading business books.
Watch the whole webinar back…
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Don’t miss the next Talking Small Business webinar…
We’re delighted that Will Blower has agreed to be our cohost and will continue to bring his wealth of finance and business knowledge to these webinars going forward.
Don’t miss our next Talking Small Business webinar on Thursday 6th March, 1-2pm, where Sophie and Will are chatting with Steve Folland, founder of the Being Freelance community and podcast and a freelance video and podcast producer, about everything about starting and running a freelance business.
