14th April 2021
This week we chat to Pete Edwards ACA, FCCA, Director at Warr & Co Chartered Accountants.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a Chartered Accountant and director of Warr & Co, a firm of chartered accountants based in Stockport with a team of 42. I joined Warr & Co back in 2007 and since then we have more than tripled in size.
What’s the first thing you do at the start of your working day?
My day starts out with a 30 minute exercise routine. At 47 I find it essential to avoid the middle age spread and exercise helps start my day in a vibrant mood.
How do you plan out your day? A good old fashioned to do list, or more go with the flow?
As a director with a large client portfolio, I have to be flexible and willing to react to my clients’ urgent needs. I therefore use Outlook as my to do list and to plan my day.
What’s your desk and workspace like?
My workplaces at home and in the office are exceptionally tidy workspaces bordering on OCD. I hate clutter and I couldn’t function in an untidy work environment!
What is the big issue affecting your sector at the moment?
Making Tax digital is set to come in from April 2022 for all VAT registered businesses under the VAT threshold and then effective April 2023 MTD for self-employed and Landlords with profits over £10,000.
Whilst many firms will see this as a dauntingtask to ensure clients are ready, we are actively promoting this with a series of seminars targeting our clients now to educate on the forthcoming changes.
I’m also excited about the opportunities this will provide, not only in terms of organic growth from a client advisory perspective, but opportunities to acquire local smaller firms who don’t have an appetite for delivering the changes necessary.
Do you have a business niche?
Yes, family investment companies. My other passion aside from accountancy is property. Being a landlord myself with a property portfolio I enjoy advising clients on property issues, structuring new property purchases and providing tax and compliance advice on investment property matters.
What do you do to escape the world of tax and accounts?
I have completed my RYA day skipper qualification so there is nothing more relaxing than a summer holiday unwinding and sailing around the Mediterranean. For those who haven’t tried it, it’s a bit like caravanning on water. A complete escape without Wi-Fi!
Have you always been interested in numbers and can you remember your first calculator?
At school I didn’t appreciate the importance of education and didn’t try hard at all – between you and me, I actually failed my Maths GCSE first time round! That was the wakeup call I needed to get my act together!
At college I particularly enjoyed Business Studies as I’ve always had a passion and flair for business and so accountancy seemed like the logical profession for me.
I’m obviously a great believer in achieving anything you set your mind and heart on.
Tell us something that not many people know about you?
I was once an extra in a movie. Johnnie Vegas starred in a film called Blackball – for a brief moment I’m a TV camera man and interviewer in the film!
How has your practice benefited from being part of the Lifecycle accountancy network?
Lifecycle offers a number of benefits to my firm, the free CPD seminars with high profile speakers are fantastic!
More importantly, the Lifecycle network provides access to the Leonard Curtis My-MVL platform. Leonard Curtis are a trusted provider of solvent liquidation solutions for us and their online offering is a breeze to use – I receive so much positive feedback from my clients who find the process efficient, timely and effective. I’ve done over 100 solvent liquidations via My-MVL and will continue to do so.
Find out more about the Lifecycle network at https://lclifecycle.co.uk or get in touch on 03300 242 333.