Last week I spent a very enjoyable evening in the company of dozens of ex colleagues from WJB Chiltern. I left Chiltern over 6 years ago. Most of my ex-colleagues have also moved on – indeed what’s left of Chiltern is now owned by BDO.
It was great seeing so many old friends. What has prompted this post though is a realisation I had part way through the evening.
Almost without exception everyone of my Chiltern Alumni is now working in one of two types of firm. A minority are employed by a big accountancy or law firm. The majority however are key members of niche accountancy or niche tax practices. In each case they have a clear focus and specialisation. These range from Tax Investigations to VAT on yachts to high net worth private clients to trusts and estates work. I also met a number of ex colleagues who will shortly leave their current firm to establish a new niche practice. And good luck to them.
Every single one of the people I spoke to last night could articulate their area of specislism. None talked in generic terms of being a tax adviser or an accountant. They are all successful and will remain so. They have a clear focus and a niche. Do you?
(Yes, some of those I spoke with last week will become members of the Tax Advice Network. After all, it’s a marketing portal for tax specialists and will increase the level of referrals they receive. Like my ex-colleagues, every one of the tax adviser members, who operate as independent specialists, has clear areas of expertise)
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