15 Years and counting with Barry Carden

In 2021, Barry Carden is celebrating 15 years as the Founder and Managing Partner of Cardens Accountants and Business Advisors. In recognition of this milestone, he refl ects on his career and the takeaways that he can now share with others, from establishing the fi rm to maintaining growth over the years

“I qualified as an accountant at 23, having spent five years working for a small accountancy practice in Hove which I joined straight after college. Due to the size of the fi rm, the role provided great client exposure at a very early stage of my career.

“From there, I took the decision to move to a larger multi-Partner firm in Eastbourne to gain more exposure to larger clients and improve my technical experience.

“Five years later I was approached to join a multi-office accountancy practice closer to home that was undergoing a merger. The merger did not go smoothly, but after working hard to re-establish the firm, I moved to salaried Partner then equity Partner.

“After five years as an Equity Partner, I thought I could create a better future by running that offi ce as its own fi rm. So, 15 years ago, Cardens Accountants was formed with the same team of eight – some of whom are still with us today.

“The decision was my drive to grow the fi rm and allowed extra time to spend on business development. I had been lucky enough to have NLP training with my previous fi rm. Whilst this was not a direct accounting qualifi cation, I would highly recommend it for improving self-awareness, listening skills, and creating empathy with clients. Spending time to understand clients, rather than just focus on what we do as accountants, has been an invaluable lesson in business.”

1 Focus on winning business Growth can cause problems, but sales are the lifeblood of any business and if you don’t have enough, you will invariably get into trouble.

2 Really focus on your team and what you give them and expect from them Find the time to create role expectations to allow your team to fl ourish and support the business which is really important.

3 Time management is the third key skill There was always lots for me to do in those early years but focusing your time on the things that make the biggest difference each day, week, month is key to avoid drift in a business. The alternative could lead to a demotivated team or lost sales due to lack of care and turnaround times for clients.

4 Build a rhythm or routine in your business Regular management meetings are a must to monitor performance with the team and ensure you are heading in the right direction.

5 Evaluate opportunities as they arise but keep close to your core service offering if it is working for you There are often opportunities to diversify into new services or opportunities which seem to offer better rewards and less effort. In my experience, supposed opportunities that rely on you ‘selling’ something to your own clients outside of your core offering rarely works in the way you think it might.

1 Gauge yourself against some of your most diffi cult team members or clients If you can keep them happy, you will invariably keep everyone else happy!

2 Having said that, do have the courage to move the time vampires on Whilst investing in relationships is great, if it’s not reciprocated then it’s probably time to look elsewhere.

3 Whilst a clear vision of what you want is key, listening is one of the most under rated skills Listening to people builds empathy and trust, which in turn builds strong relationships and helps business referrals.

4 Adapt your communication style to your audience One approach does not fit all when it comes to people. To get your point across, you’ll need to fl ex your communication style to get the desired result or understanding.

5 Avoid tech speak Nothing turns people off faster than speaking to them in a way they can’t comprehend!

1 A successful business is a journey not a destination The world is constantly changing and to be successful long-term your business must adapt.

2 Never stop learning To stand the test of time, you must move on to new technologies and business methodologies.

3 As your business grows, keep reviewing how you do things As your team and client list grows, the harder it is to rely on familiar practices. Your systems and processes need to adapt to your size of business.

4 To maintain success, you need to have a social purpose, too It’s important for local businesses to improve and stay in touch with the local communities.

5 Balance in business is key. Work/life, team/individual, growth/ stability; long term success is about evolution and building on what has got your business to where it is today.

Cardens Accountants is an award-winning accountancy firm in Hove. They work hard on your accounts so you don’t have to.