An interview with Tamsyn, Director and Founder of Seed Accounting Solutions

Why did you set up your business?

My main reason for considering setting up on my own in the first place was because I was expecting my second child and couldn’t face having two kids in childcare (both the financial and physical/mental burden). I’d also been working for a company that I believed had been really let down by their accountants, and felt there was a gap in the market for accountants to educate and empower small business owners to help them feel in control of their business finances.

How are you different to your competitors?

They don’t have me! Jokes aside, a business owner/accountant relationship is a very personal one and it’s important that we get on. It is important that we have some shared values and can communicate with each other openly and effectively.

At Seed, we focus on a working relationship with our clients – we enjoy being a part of our clients’ businesses.

Who are your ideal clients/target audience? We work with goal-driven business owners. We like our clients to take their business seriously, to take responsibility for their actions, and look to grow themselves as well as their business. Most of our clients are service businesses, but we also have e-commerce businesses in a growing number.

Do you have a team, or do you work alone? What does it look like?

We are a team of 4 – I head up the accountancy and business growth side of things. Most of my time (aside from general ‘running the business’ tasks) is spent reviewing accounts, tax returns and meeting with clients to help them overcome challenges and grow their business. Rosie spends most of her time keeping the team and clients in check, meeting deadlines, ensuring client records are up to date and makes sure everyone knows what they’re doing (both internally and externally!) Kiran is our payroll specialist, helping with payroll queries and processing payroll for our clients who need it, and finally we have Pundalik who is our accountant based in India. He prepares all the accounts and tax returns for me to review – he is super efficient at the preparation and enables me to focus more on the client relationship rather than the number-crunching!

What is your biggest business challenge?

Cashflow has always been a struggle for me. Starting from scratch with no capital, and not building up enough of a buffer in the first 2 years meant that when I took on team members to help with the workload, the reserves weren’t really there and I had to take on debt to finance everything. As a small business I believe cashflow is a constant struggle, regardless of development stage. However I review my figures regularly, have an annual business plan with a quarterly action plan to keep me on track, and regular business mentor sessions to keep me accountable.

If you could wave a magic wand, what one thing would you like to be sorted in your business?

Wouldn’t mind a money tree so that I can focus on serving my clients and my team better rather than constantly analysing my numbers!

Who are your favourite influencers to follow on social media?

I don’t have any individuals that stand out. I like to follow Simple Politics to help keep me updated on key policy changes in a simple format. I’m a huge food lover so I have an entire Instagram account dedicated to food – perfect for when the world can seem a sad place.  My personal Instagram account a lot of running, rugby and personal finance accounts. Oh, and Nancy Birtwhistle, because I love everything she does! From a business perspective, I actually don’t follow many business social media accounts, they are mostly my clients and small business owning acquaintances!

How do you make time for yourself?

I love to run. Every Friday morning is blocked out until 12pm to allow me to go for a long run with my friend. I try to run 3 times a week. I also make sure I meet up with friends either for coffee or a G&T – running a business with a remote team can make work lonely sometimes, so it’s nice to have a catch up and a chat with a human being! I rekindled my love of literature back in 2022 and have set myself a target of reading a book every month.