01Move
DNA dimensions
Fee per client, recovery rate, WIP days, automation coverage, NPS, MTD compliance and review velocity.
All playbooksServices
Accountant playbook.
Independent London accountancy practices serving SMBs, contractors and start-ups. The win is productising fixed-fee packages and pulling 10+ admin hours per week out of the partners' week with automation.
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Overview
An independent London accountancy practice with 2–6 staff typically serves 80–250 clients at a blended fee of £1,400–£3,600 per client per year. The economics shift dramatically when fixed-fee packages replace hourly billing and tooling collects records automatically. This playbook covers launching or restructuring a small London practice — registrations, tech stack, fee productisation and a credible 12-month ramp.
12h / week
Admin hours saved
+22%
Fee per client lift
−65%
Onboarding time
What you'll need
Equipment list with real 2026 UK prices.
Sized for a 2–4 chair shop. Buy mid-range on chairs and clippers; cheap kit fails inside 12 months and walks away with your barbers.
01
Office
Workstation per fee-earner (sit-stand desk, dual monitor)
£550–£1,400 each
Ergonomic chair
£280–£900
Meeting room (4–6 seats) furniture
£1,800–£6,500
Secure filing + shredder
£300–£900
02
Tech stack
Practice management (Karbon / Senta / Pixie)
£35–£75 per user / month
Bookkeeping software (Xero Partner / QBO ProAdvisor)
£0–£25 / client / month (passed through)
Receipt capture (Dext / AutoEntry)
£12–£35 / client / month
Tax software (TaxCalc / IRIS / Capium)
£40–£140 per user / month
AML verification (SmartSearch / Veriphy)
£3–£8 per check
E-signature (DocuSign / SignNow)
£20–£60 / user / month
Cloud + cybersecurity (Microsoft 365 + MFA + backup)
£18–£35 / user / month
Where to set up
Location is half the business.
Format
Serviced office, co-working or small Class E unit
Most clients meet you on Zoom; physical space is signalling, not throughput.
Tube proximity
≤ 8 min walk to Zone 1–3 station
Required for face-to-face meetings with City / Canary Wharf clients.
Floor area
30–90 m² for 3–6 staff + 1 meeting room
Allow 6–8 m² per fee-earner + meeting room.
AML-compliant document handling
Lockable cabinets + secure shredding
Required under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017.
Privacy
Soundproofed meeting room
Tax and divorce-affected client conversations cannot be overheard in open-plan.
Area tier
Rent / month
Notes
City / Canary Wharf serviced office
£900–£3,200 / desk
Premium positioning for finance/PE clients. Average fee £3,200/client.
Zone 2 (Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, London Bridge)
£600–£1,800 / desk
Sweet spot for start-up / creative client base.
Zone 3 (Wimbledon, Ealing, Chiswick)
£35–£60 / m² annual
Family / professional-services client mix.
Outer London (Bromley, Romford, Watford, Croydon)
£18–£35 / m² annual
Trades + SMB owner-manager clients; very strong recurring base.
Licences & registrations
Get the paperwork done before you sign a lease.
UK figures for 2026. Lead times assume you submit complete applications — councils will pause the clock if you miss documents.
Requirement
Who issues
Cost
Lead time
ReqRegister company + HMRC accounts
Companies House / HMRC
£100
1–3 days
ReqPractising certificate (ICAEW / ACCA / AAT licensed)
Professional body
£280–£560 / yr
Existing for qualified
ReqProfessional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
Lockton / PolicyBee / specialist broker
£800–£3,500 / yr by turnover
1 week
ReqAML supervision (ICAEW / ACCA / HMRC for unregulated)
Body or HMRC
£250–£475 / yr
Annual
ReqContinuity of Practice (CoP) arrangement
Fellow practitioner
Reciprocal, free
Pre-trading
ReqICO data protection registration
ICO
£40–£60 / yr
Same day
OptCyber Essentials certification
IASME-accredited certifier
£300–£500 / yr
2–4 weeks
ReqHMRC Agent Services Account
HMRC
Free
2–4 weeks
ReqPublic + employer liability insurance
Specialist broker
£280–£800 / yr
1 week
Build-out timeline
From decision to open in 12 weeks.
01
Phase 1 · Plan + register
Week −10 to −6- Define ideal client + 3 fixed-fee tiers (Bronze/Silver/Gold).
- Run NAVIZIX Demand Radar on target sector pockets.
- Register practice, apply for AML supervision, bind PII.
02
Phase 2 · Tech + brand
Week −6 to −3- Choose practice management + tax + bookkeeping stack.
- Set up Stripe / GoCardless mandate flow.
- Build website with package calculator + Cal.com discovery booking.
03
Phase 3 · Office + soft launch
Week −3 to 0- Sign serviced office / lease.
- Onboard first 5–10 founder clients on fixed fees.
- Set up automation flows (records chaser, deadline nudge).
04
Phase 4 · Compound
Month 1–12- Month 1: First DNA scan + automation switch-on.
- Month 3: First peer benchmark on fee per client + recovery.
- Month 6: Launch advisory tier (cashflow + tax planning).
- Month 12: Sub-contract first associate or hire.
Budget
Realistic startup and monthly cost ranges.
One-off · Startup
Setting up the shop
Office deposit + first month
£1,800 → £14,000
Furniture + IT hardware (3–4 staff)
£4,500 → £18,000
Software licences (year 1)
£3,500 → £12,000
PII + AML + ICO + Cyber Essentials
£1,400 → £4,500
Branding + website + photography
£3,500 → £14,000
Working capital (3 months)
£18,000 → £60,000
Typical total
£35k → £85k
Recurring · Monthly
Keeping the lights on
Rent + service charge
£900 → £6,500
Salaries (partner + 2–4 staff)
£14,000 → £48,000
Software stack
£280 → £1,200
PII + supervision (monthly equiv.)
£140 → £420
Marketing (Google + LinkedIn + content)
£400 → £2,400
CPD + training
£120 → £500
Card fees + bank charges
£90 → £480
Typical total
£5.8k → £23k
Numbers that compound
How a accountant actually looks on a chart.
Illustrative planning ranges, not measured customer data. Toggle the views to see ramp, mix and weekly load.
12-month revenue ramp
Low vs high scenario (£ monthly)
High Low
Illustrative example for planning, not measured customer data.
First 90 days
Dates that actually matter after opening.
01Day 0
Practice live. Stripe + GoCardless + AML pipeline operational.
02Day 14
First DNA scan; records-collection automation switched on across pilot clients.
03Day 30
First fee-package conversion measurement.
04Day 60
First peer benchmark — fee per client + admin-hours-saved.
05Day 90
Advisory tier launched; partner reclaims 10+ hours/week.
What's inside
DNA, route, automations, integrations, benchmarks, advisors — tuned for a accountant.
02Move
Suggested route
Productise fee structure (Bronze / Silver / Gold), automate onboarding + records collection, then build a referral loop with verified reviews.
03Move
Automations
Onboarding pack + AML check, monthly records chaser, year-end deadline nudge, fee-renewal review and quarterly client digest.
04Move
Integrations
Xero / QuickBooks / Sage, Dext / AutoEntry, Companies House, HMRC MTD, Stripe / GoCardless, Karbon / Senta.
05Move
Benchmarks
Fee per client, recovery rate and partner utilisation vs London practices of similar size and sector mix.
06Move
Advisors
Encore advisors from top-50 London firms paired with NAVIZIX AI for daily partner KPIs and capacity planning.
Stack
Modules used in this playbook.
01DNA Engine02Route Map03Launch Twin04Automation05Verified06Encore
Related playbooks
Owners of a accountant often run — or cross-sell with — these adjacent operations.
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