Andy Mildner Interview

 

Interview with Catherine Escott, Managing Director of CD Marketing & Finance, a leading marketing and financial consultancy.  

(email: catherine@cdmarketingandfinance.com. Web: www.cdmarketingandfinance.com)

 

Why accountancy? 

Maths was always a strong subject for me and I was attracted to the symmetry of numbers.  Accountancy is a natural extension of that passion.  I like things to be nice and tidy with no loose ends and the rules of accountancy make this a necessity.

 

Why did you set up AZURE?

I spent a number of years thinking about working for myself and when you spend more time thinking about something than not thinking about it, you know it is time to make the move – if you don’t, eventually it could drive you insane.  I have several close friends who have their own businesses and I learnt many things from them and the more I learnt, the more I knew I needed to work for myself. 

Once the decision had been made, it was an easy choice to make as far as industry went.  I had spend five years working in private equity fund administration which is basically providing accounting and financial services to the most demanding clients in the business world and had found my niche.  I enjoyed the work hugely and the interaction with such entrepreneurial and bright people was massively rewarding. I wanted to translate those concepts to the small business arena and knew that there was a shortage of outfits providing a truly full service to small and medium sized local businesses.

 

Talk us through the service you provide

At AZURE, we aim to provide a complete service.  For most people running businesses, accounting, taxation and dealing with those related issues is a non-core & time consuming task. In the same way that I would rely on a plumber or an electrician to deal with leaking radiators and fitting lights, businesses need an accountant who they can rely on to take care of all those tasks which they do not have the skills and knowledge to complete properly.

Instead of the traditional end of year accounting service, where the accountant would take away a box of invoices and receipts, we aim to assist businesses along the way. We integrate ourselves with the businesses, do the books on an ongoing basis, provide regular reporting and flag up potential issues and planning points ahead of time.  This means that the business can identify problems before they occur and plan for future liabilities such as VAT and income/corporation tax. Without this ongoing service, businesses are effectively running blind with just a gut feeling to tell them how they are doing.  In the current environment, this is causing many businesses to go bust as cash runs out or a large unexpected bill drop s on the letterbox.

 

What do you do that separates you from the rest?

I think the most important thing that I have learnt in my career to date is that you cannot provide the exceptional level of service required without forming an emotional attachment to your clients and their businesses. You have to live and breathe it with them.  When you do this, you can deliver the service they need and in turn, get the satisfaction of knowing that you contributed in some way to the success of that business.  Without this emotional partnership I don’t think you can raise your level to the heights required to make the crucial differences. It might sound cheesy, but I truly care about my clients businesses and this, I believe, makes the difference.

 

What do your clients think of you?

I hope my clients see me as a key part of their business.  Someone they can rely on to take care of the financial and accounting side of their business in order that they can focus on their core strengths.  I hope they know me as someone they can trust implicitly and know that they can find me at any time of the day to set their mind at ease when they come up against something they are unsure of.

 

Are you committed to local businesses?

I think that the success of local businesses is key to the overall success of the economy and society as a whole.  The domination of businesses like the supermarkets de-personalise the world and I am really pleased to see a shift back toward supporting local retailers and businesses.  When I was growing up in Ashtead, as kids we knew all of the shop owners and most of them knew us.  Since moving back to Ashtead, my family and I have built relationships with local businesses such as the butcher and bakers and the personal element makes the whole thing so much more rewarding.

What I am trying to do with AZURE is an extension of that.  By helping local businesses grow and succeed, we can help the local community grow.

 

Spend or not spend in a recession? 

Following on from the previous question, getting out of a recession is all about restoring confidence.  Sitting back as individuals and collectively, waiting for governments to fix things is only going to prolong the misery.  I don’t think either spending or not spending is necessarily the answer, more that we all need incentives to get out there and try to change things.  Unfortunately in order to achieve this, the country needs a figurehead with charisma and energy and I don’t think there is anyone in Westminster with the right qualities!

 

How ‘green’ are you?

We try to be pretty good at home.  We recycle as much as possible and have a compost box for everything that can go in there!  We also grow our own fruit and vegetables in the garden – i would recommend that to anyone – it is hugely rewarding. I think most people accept the collective responsibility to help the environment recover and there is definitely a cultural shift towards this going on now.

 

Tell me about your family

I live back in the road I grew up in now in a beautiful village surrounding buy woods, commons and parks.  My wife, Ieva and I have two amazing boys; Kristofers and Samuel.  They both keep us very busy but very happy and entertained!  My family really are my driving force – they are the people who get me up in the morning (literally!) and give me the motivation to make AZURE a success.

 

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