Case Study
Allan Wilson
Company: Wilson Partners
Role: Managing Director
Having always had the ambition to have his own business. In February 2008, Allan left the City where he worked for UBS Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse to start s a chartered accountancy and business advisory firm with his brother Chris in the Thames Valley.
Two years later with a small team, Allan joined MD2MD and over ten years later leads a successful business which consistently delivers double digit growth year on year. Wilson partners are not a typical small firm of accountants. Whilst they have the credentials and breadth of service to match the large firms, they are themselves an ambitious owner-managed business and so aim to work with like-minded clients to solve the headaches of businesses ‘on a mission’.
Wilson Partners is an award winning and ambitious firm of chartered accountants and business professionals. Their sole purpose is to provide first-class information, analysis and advice that deliver exceptional value for their clients, ensuring greater financial freedom and reduced risk and stress.
They offer the full spectrum of business and financial accounting services, delivering individual components or seamless packaged solutions to a wide range of clients in London, the Thames Valley and beyond. They help business owners to understand their financial information to inform great decisions, to think strategically about their businesses, to structure their tax affairs efficiently and exit successfully. In short, they empower business owners to build more successful businesses and achieve their individual goals.
Thank you to MD2MD for support, inspiration and ideas that we’ve picked up along the way and have helped contribute to the fantastic environment we have tried to build (and will always strive to improve!)
In May 2010 Allan joined one of the London MD2MD groups. He had been invited as a guest and like many others very quickly saw the value of being involved with other business leaders. This was especially as they were drawn from a wide variety of sectors. Wilson Partners’ target market is wide in its scope but contains many technology, professional services and manufacturing companies. Thus being part of a group which included business leaders from these very sectors was additionally valuable.
It is also true that like many MDs and business leaders, Allan found being in such a role can not only be very stimulating but at times quite lonely. There are also just some issues which are difficult to be shared in the company. Allan, like every single member of MD2MD was to find that the confidentially peer session gave him access to many years of experience and knowledge.
Wilson Partners have as part of their core philosophy the objective of reducing risk and stress for their clients. It is therefore not surprising that Allan feels very comfortable in the MD2MD environment where very similar objectives are shared.
Membership for Allan has widened horizons and given him the knowledge and tools to help drive his company forward. For example the implementation of a new staff engagement tool followed directly from a MD2MD workshop. This has created a more open atmosphere and increased motivation and retention of staff. Wilson Partners also revised their key account strategy following a workshop. The results have been clear to see – client retention and repeat business both increased.
One might argue that such workshops are widely available, but where would one also have access to highly experienced peers eager to discuss issues which might be constraining your business? This valuable resource extends beyond the scheduled meetings with personal contact with those peers being freely available.