When It Matters

Joanne didn't set out to build a business. At 23, with a flat in negative equity and a bag of receipts from local taxi drivers and gardeners, she just needed to make ends meet. Seventeen years later, she's running award-winning Bell's Accountants with 30 staff and three offices 🌟
In this episode, Joanne joins Elle and Mark to talk about the journey from accidental freelancer to established firm owner, why her very first hire was someone more qualified than her, and the moment she knew the business could truly scale without her.
She also gets into what it really means to add value as an accountant — including how spotting a problem in a food distribution client's numbers added a quarter of a million pounds to their bottom line — and why she thinks too many accountants let the tax tail wag the business dog 🐶

John Toon has spent over 20 years watching the accounting profession transform — from carrying backups home on a Friday night, to leading digital transformation at a 300-person firm, to now serving as Head of Technology at HLB International, a network of 350 firms across 155 countries.
In this episode of When It Matters, John joins Mark to talk about the seismic shifts reshaping accounting: the cloud revolution that lowered the barriers to entry and squeezed mid-size firms from both ends, the Making Tax Digital rollout the government has — in John's words — made "a complete utter shambles of," and the cyber security crisis that almost nobody in the profession is taking seriously enough.

Kirsty Mitchell (FreeAgent) and Alan Broome (Acumenica) join Derek Granger to talk about marketing that doesn't feel like marketing 🌟
Kirsty explains how FreeAgent turned "we're ready for MTD" into a campaign that involved filing a tax return from space — and why it became a whole series rather than a one-off stunt. Alan talks through his Three Things Thursday email, why he'd never hire a full-time business development person again, and the difference between being authentic and being a clown on LinkedIn.
Together they get into why "best fit beats best," the risk of taking on every client just to win the business, and why an old-fashioned bus advert is still paying off two months later 🔎

Now this is one we couldn't wait to release...
We had the one and only Jeri Williams of Smooth Accounting, Smooth Dubai, and the Digital Accountants Club joins us to discuss business growth, leadership, personal branding, AI, and the future of accounting.
From being fired early in her career to building a thriving international business, Jerry shares the lessons she's learned about creating a high-performance culture, staying ahead of industry change and navigating identity as she built one of the biggest personal brands in accounting 🚀

Sherelyn from Goodings Accounts joins Mark and Elle for a conversation about the human side of accountancy, the part the software can't replace ❌
We talk Making Tax Digital and the looming gap for clients who've always gone it alone, the shift from compliance to genuine advisory, and why Goodings structures its teams into "pods" built around relationships.
Sherelyn opens up about building a culture good enough to be shortlisted for Employer of the Year, growing into a business development role she once thought she'd hate, and earning a spot in the Top 50 Women in Accounting. A reminder that as AI takes over the grunt work, the firms that thrive will be the ones that pick up the phone📱 🚀

What does it take for international businesses to expand into the UK? 🚀
In this episode of When It Matters, we sit down with Louise Morriss and Ed Wallis from Zedra to talk helping multinational companies navigate UK audit requirements, international expansion, leadership, culture, and the future of AI in professional services.
From supporting US companies entering the UK market to building careers in audit and managing hybrid teams, this conversation explores the realities behind modern business growth.
🎙 Featuring:
Louise Morriss — Managing Director, Zedra
Ed Wallis — Director & Responsible Individual, Zedra

In this episode, Keeley Walker from Brisan joins Mark Costello to discuss how accounting is evolving beyond compliance — and why clients now expect far more.
They cover culture, pricing, advisory services, and the growing gap between traditional firms and modern practices.
A must-listen for accountants and business owners looking to understand where the industry is heading.

In this episode of When It Matters, Grace Hardy and Yvette Fitzhenry sit down with Mark Costello and Derek Granger to talk about what really happens when you go out on your own.
No clients. No audience. No roadmap. Just a decision to start 🚀
They break down: 
What it feels like on day one of self-employment
How to get your first clients from zero
Why social media is changing the game for accountants
The reality of pressure when you lose your salary
Building a business that actually supports your life — not the other way around
This is a raw, honest look at modern firm building — and why the next generation of accountants are doing things very differently 🙌

What if everything you think is a “big problem”… isn’t?
In this episode, Emma Crawford shares the brutal leadership lessons she learned serving in Afghanistan — and how they shaped her journey to becoming Chief Revenue Officer at one of the UK’s most successful female-founded accountancy firms, Mazuma 💜
From leading under fire to making tough decisions in the boardroom, this is a masterclass in resilience, accountability, and what it really takes to scale a business.
🚀 You’ll learn:
🧠 Why leadership is NOT about control or authority
🔥 The mindset shift that changes how you handle pressure
⚖️ How to make hard decisions (especially with people)
📈 What scaling actually feels like behind the scenes
⚡ Why “perfect” doesn’t exist in tech or business
This episode is raw, honest, and packed with insights most leaders never talk about.
If you’re building, leading, or scaling — this will change how you think.

In this special International Women’s Day episode, we’re joined by Ami Copeland, CEO of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB). 🎙️
Ami shares her journey from growing up inside a family-founded organisation to leading a global professional body supporting over 150,000 members worldwide — many of them women building flexible, powerful businesses of their own.
We talk about:
– Why bookkeepers are more than intermediaries — they’re integrators
– The power of community in an industry that can feel isolating 🤝
– Tech, AI and why the future of bookkeeping has never looked brighter
– Psychological safety, leadership and returning to work with confidence
This is an honest, optimistic and forward-looking conversation about respect, credibility and the evolution of the profession. If you’ve ever wondered whether now is the time to step into bookkeeping — this episode might just answer that. 🚀