Making a difference

Sitting in the Carlisle headquarters of Armstrong Watson, the leading independent finance and business advisory company in the north of England and Scotland, it’s clear we’re in that moment.

Paul Dickson, managing partner, is allowing himself a few moments to pause, to think about the success of the first of nine 150th anniversary celebration events held the previous night.

Award-winning artist Helen Perkins had been commissioned to capture 10 different family business leaders in oil paintings over the last 12 months to mark Armstrong Watson’s special year.

The finished portraits were revealed for the first time in front of around 200 business people at the Halston in Carlisle.

Two of the sitters – Mike Lee of Palace Cycles in Carlisle, and Diana Matthews of Rayrigg Estates, Windermere – took to the stage to talk about the project with respective Armstrong Watson partners Grant Smith and Richard Rankin.

Mike and Diana were both full of praise for the project, for Helen, and for the way Armstrong Watson has helped their business.

Their words were still resonating with Paul the next day.

“To hear our clients say how we as a business have helped them, how we have changed their lives, it feels quite surreal.

“If it hadn’t been for the advice we have given, the support we have given, how we have worked with them, they wouldn’t be where they are today

“The one thing you reflect on is that actually we do make a difference, and for the better.

“I think that gets lost sometimes in people thinking ‘you’re the guys who look after the numbers’.

“Yes we do look after the numbers. But what do those numbers mean in terms of whether it’s helping you retire, have the lifestyle you want, being able to spend time together, comfortably, secure, not worrying about anything, enjoying each other’s company?

“Or you might be helping them run a successful business. Mike spoke about his grandfather, father and the business that was passed down to him. We have helped to provide that family prosperity, that security, that peace of mind, helping them achieve.

“Without our help Mike would not be employing the people he does, investing in the local community. Diana would not be having a property portfolio, investing in the local community that gives people homes. That’s what we have helped them to achieve. It is hugely satisfying.

“That is why we link it back to our question of our leadership team – 'why do we exist?'

“Yes we have targets in terms of growth and profit and revenue. Of course we are in business, we have to make a profit, because we have 400 people that make up Armstrong Watson and not just them but their families too..

“But it’s about the difference we make for our clients. And it is hugely satisfying when you think that’s what all our team are focused on and they are individually making a massive difference to the people they are advising.

“We do a client survey every month. I read all the comments. That’s hugely satisfying, because people tell us the difference we make. And of course where we get things wrong – maybe in service delivery, we try to fix them.

“But we don’t sit back very often and think about the difference we make. Last night’s event allowed us a moment to do that.

“Seeing all the portraits together and the diversity of the clients we have, and the fact that we have worked for lots of them for generations.”

Paul and the team also received powerful money-can’t-buy advocacy from Diana when she was on stage.

Diana told the audience: “Armstrong Watson say ‘we’re with you’ and they really are. And they say ‘we are a firm in which friendship and trust are equal to profit and growth’ and that is so true.”

As we reflected on those remarks the next day, Paul said: “Diana’s comment was fantastic. It shows that it is not just branding and marketing. It is something that is living and breathing.

“We have on our walls the values we have in our business. They are not just something we say. It’s how we live.

“We talk about passion, trust, honesty, and humanity. Whenever anyone joins Armstrong Watson we talk about the culture and how we behave.

“It’s fine to have all this stuff on the walls in the office – but if a different set of behaviours are accepted that would become the culture.

“I give permission for anyone in the business to hold each other to account if they see something contrary to our culture.

“To see someone like Diana Matthews quote it back at us, because that’s the experience she has had, that is fantastic because it shows it is working and that we are doing exactly what we said we wanted to do.

“I don’t think 10 or 15 years ago that is what would have been said about us – but it is now, and that is fantastic.”

As for the paintings themselves, Paul says they have delivered the exact message he was hoping for when he and now former marketing director Dave Clarkson sat down two years ago and discussed what they should do to celebrate the business’ 150th anniversary.

“The success that we have had is by working with generations of clients with successful businesses. We have helped those clients become successful, so we thought let’s tell their story, which tells a story about ‘why Armstrong Watson?’ All credit to Dave for having that vision.

“It’s not just about the past. It’s about moving forward. That the firm you should be dealing with is Armstrong Watson because for the last 150 years this is what we have done

“We are proud of our heritage but we are focused on the future now. It is about how do we move forward helping businesses to continue to be successful into the future.

“We are well positioned to do that because we have got a track record of doing that. It’s been fantastic to pull that story together.

“We are thinking about where we want to be in the next three years. We have got our three-year business plan.

“Family business will remain core to what we do. It’s reflective of the marketplace where we operate in the north of England and Scotland.”

And that means doing things differently, like with the portrait project.

“We want to be the go-to firm of Accountants and Financial Advisers for family businesses. So we are always thinking about whether we should be doing something different to support family businesses.

“The portraits reflect who we are as a business. We have a very diverse client base. From agriculture to small start-ups to some really big successful businesses turning over £100m.

“One of our challenges is to try to get the messages out that work for all the range of those businesses and to reflect the depth and breadth of our own skill sets – people such as Grant (Smith) working with small independents like Mike Lee, and Kevin (Engel) looking after some of the larger businesses.

“The portraits reflect that diversity. They also show that we have a personal one-to-one relationship with our clients and try to spend time getting to know them and understand what is important to them.

“We have said for a while if we are not helping our clients run more successful businesses, be more profitable, help them sell more, then why should they deal with us? There’s got to be reason ‘why?’.

“And the only way we can do that is spend the right amount of time with them and get to know them. It is about getting closer to the clients.

Looking ahead, you can expect to see Paul and the Armstrong Watson team looking to gain an even deeper understanding of their clients’ needs.

Paul said: “Professional services is changing, technology and compliance is changing, and where businesses need support is more on the strategy and the implementation.

“That’s where we see our focus - not being the traditional accountant where we come in and have that transactional relationship once a year. It’s about how do we help you run a more successful, profitable businesses. That’s what Diana and Mike were talking about, that’s what changes people’s lives, that’s what makes the most difference. By helping them have those successful businesses.

“A lot of entrepeneurs question what value the traditional accountant brings. They see it as a necessary evil.

“We want to bring more to that relationship. And that’s how we see ourselves being different.

“Longer term, I don’t think firms who focus on just doing the transactional compliance will survive.

“The more time we spend with our clients, we tend to find there’s more work for us to do, because we are helping them more.

“Sometimes it might not be something we can do, but because they talk it through with us, we can refer them to someone who can help them. Just having those conversations we can help people see things differently.”

After a hugely successful start in Carlisle, Armstrong Watson’s 150th anniversary portrait roadshow continues across the north of England and Scotland.

Last week the second event was held in Kendal, and there are further events to come in Workington, Leeds, Skipton, Penrith, Northallerton, Dumfries and Hexham before the end of November.

Paul said: “I am looking forward to hearing what more of our clients say and feel about us. It’s a massive opportunity to talk about how different we are and the difference we make to our clients.

“A couple of prospects who were at the Carlisle event said they were going to come to us because they heard what Diana had to say which is really good.

“And from the clients’ perspectives, when we finish this tour, we will be able to give them their portrait, and every time they look at it they will remember the whole experience.

“How many people get that opportunity? Very few. It’s something different for our clients as well as different for us. They have all really enjoyed it. And we have enjoyed telling their story.”

<center><b>Click on the pictures below to see the completed portraits:</b></center>