Neel Shah of Ashford & Partners was over-stressed and over-worked. He shares what happened once he joined AVN.
I had a deep passion for accountancy, because I knew I could make a difference to clients and really help them with their problems. I wanted to start my own practice and be independent so I could shape it exactly how I wanted. And for the financial success that would help me build the future I dreamed of.
When the dream stopped delivering
I set myself a very high standard right from the start, and I was saying yes to every type of client and every piece of work that came in. That left me overwhelmed. Clients were dictating what I did, and I lost control of the work and the workflow. It led to a lot of scope creep. I was doing far more work than I was charging for, often providing quite complex solutions more or less for free. I felt I had to have an answer for everyone and everything.
Personally, it took a real toll. I had no healthy work-life balance, so I wasn’t spending time with my family. I was constantly pulled back into the practice, and it started to create health issues. Because of the scope creep, I was working harder and harder for relatively low profit, and I got to a point where I started losing confidence — self-doubt, imposter syndrome, the lot.
Why I joined AVN
Honestly, I was sceptical that anyone could help me; I thought these were my problems, not the kind anyone else had. And by nature I’m a private person, so sharing what I was going through didn’t come easily.
I first spoke to Emma at AVN early in 2020. The conversation was so warm that I felt at ease straight away. I felt this was an organisation, and a person, that understood me, and I found myself naturally opening up about my issues, something I’d always found very uncomfortable to do. That told me I was in the right place.
The changes we made
First, we worked hard on me, to get clarity on what I really wanted. That took a long time, because what I thought I wanted and what I actually wanted turned out to be two very different things. Once I had that clarity, Emma helped me break everything down into small steps, working through them one at a time and holding me accountable at the end of each. We reviewed what worked, what didn’t, and just kept going, step by step, rather than being overwhelmed.
That included the difficult job of reviewing my clients. I graded every one, then went back to them, had the conversation, and got them onto the right fee structure. This allowed me to work far more profitably. We also worked on my positioning, which was really important, because I’d lost so much confidence. It helped me realise that I genuinely was helping people and that they valued what I did; I’d just been too overwhelmed to see it. And throughout, we built systems and procedures that gave me control back, so I was running the practice instead of the practice running me.
What made the biggest difference
Getting this control back made the biggest difference. I freed up my time so I could concentrate on the work I actually wanted to do — helping clients and getting paid the right fee for it. And it gave me back the work-life balance I’d been missing, so I could spend real time with my family.
The main route to that was resourcing and outsourcing. I’d had a team before and, for various reasons, it hadn’t worked for me. So I looked at outsourcing instead, and found there are credible organisations and individuals out there. Everything from answering the telephone to compliance work now gets outsourced, and that’s freed up a huge amount of my time.
How my client relationships changed
It’s given me back a lot of confidence. I used to hide behind emails and avoid face-to-face contact because I didn’t feel comfortable. That’s completely changed. I’m in control, I know I’m adding value, and I work with clients on my own terms.
With prospects, I have a discovery conversation first, to make sure that if I do bring someone on, they’re the right client and it’ll be a positive outcome. I talk to clients regularly, I plan meetings with a set agenda, and in the meeting I listen more. I understand the problem, then offer a solution and explain how I can help. Combined with the right fee structure, profitability is back up.
I get really good feedback. Clients have walked out of meetings saying, “I’ve never had this kind of conversation with an accountant before.” And even when a meeting doesn’t win a fee, that’s no longer demotivating. It used to feel like wasted time; now, if a client leaves knowing their accountant took the time to listen and help, that’s a big win. It creates a lot of goodwill and it’s brought me a lot more referral work.
How I manage my time now
I categorise my tasks in advance — monthly, weekly and daily — including the workflow. That helps me see what’s genuinely important and spot bottlenecks early. I now plan for the January deadlines in advance, so they’re no longer a problem. I also tackle the harder, important tasks first instead of putting them off, which was a real game changer. I allocate specific time slots for AVN training, for client work, for meetings, and — crucially — for my family and myself. And I’ve cut out distractions like constant emails and calls by channelling them so they don’t pull me away from what I’ve set aside time to do.
One small thing that helps my confidence before a meeting: I always wear a suit. It sounds silly, but it’s like changing from Clark Kent to Superman. Mentally it puts me in the right place, and the meeting just flows.
What it’s meant for me
I’ve got a lot more time, and my profitability has increased. The combination lets me do the things I used to feel guilty about not doing. I spend real, quality time with my family now, actually present rather than sitting on the beach typing out emails. We’ve been lucky enough to take some wonderful trips — three weeks in Costa Rica, a month in Nepal and Kashmir, various trips around Europe. And the health issues the stress was creating have gone; I’m healthier and my wellbeing has improved.
A big part of the mindset shift was around money. I used to think a high turnover was the goal but Emma challenged me. She asked where I wanted to travel, how much it would cost, and when it needed to be paid. She didn’t flinch. We charted a strategy for me to earn that money, after tax, to pay for the holiday. It worked, and I haven’t looked back since. What I really want isn’t a bigger and bigger practice — it’s choice: to choose what I do, take my holidays, and enjoy the work.
Would I recommend AVN?
Absolutely. To anyone who lacks clarity or feels overwhelmed, working with a coach to identify what you really need, break it into achievable steps, and hold you accountable makes all the difference. It becomes a snowball effect: you see the benefits of taking action, you think “wow, that’s really working now,” and you want to keep going because it’s benefiting you.