It is always interesting to find out why a company founder originally wanted to set up their business. We took the opportunity to interview Darren Trice who set up Kaizen in 2009 and ask him what motivated him to start up on his own and why he took the direction and path that he did.

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So Darren, when you had that first urge to set up on your own what were your primary reasons?

Darren: “It was really down to frustration. I realised that many of the traditional accountants weren’t covering or providing useable information in the areas of finance that I thought businesses needed. Existing practices were focusing on compliance – ticking boxes and meeting deadlines – without really engaging with the day to day and longer-term management and planning issues that client businesses faced and were not being helped by the financial information available to them. The accounting profession, in my view, was lacking a bespoke and modern approach to client needs and the service they needed.”

Darren was also frustrated with the lack of personalised support coming from competitor accountancy practices. He told us, “I knew we could offer so much more to existing and potential clients. I realised the traditional practice approach didn’t build the in-depth, longer-term relationships I knew would work for clients. Becoming a trusted partner for our client’s was much more valuable to us than producing statutory accounts important though these are. Kaizen was initially built around the idea that success comes from building ongoing relationships. We’re not just reactive but proactive with our clients.”

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What did you think was needed by businesses?

Darren: “I felt business owners, particularly in the smaller and medium sized sector, weren’t being given the information, advice and guidance they needed to make short term and more important longer term strategic decisions. I felt that accounting practices could and should provide more than just standard financial services like bookkeeping. I realised there was an opportunity for genuine partnerships to be made based on interpreting the financial data available but not always presented. By bringing a blend of experience and expertise to client relationships, delivered in a way that was approachable and down-to-earth, we could offer client-based solutions. After all its not just about the numbers, it’s about how we can assist clients to use those numbers to help their businesses survive, grow and thrive.”

“At Kaizen, we’ve built a practice that gives demonstrable results. We work with our clients to help them achieve their business and personal goals. As we grow, our focus remains on keeping communication open and accessible, ensuring we make a difference to our clients’ businesses.”

So how did you set about delivering this different approach?

Darren: “It started with a client-first mindset, which has become the foundation for everything we do at Kaizen. We aren’t slaves to the production of a set of financial accounts. So our first step is always very simple one. We put ourselves in the position of our clients. What is it that they need and what frustrates them at present and could cause problems in the future? Most importantly how can we make their lives easier? By modernising how we communicated, and adopting things like cloud-based solutions such as Xero, we set out to make accounting more accessible and valuable to our clients and their staff. We were not just providing numbers but offering advice and insights that our clients could use in their business decision making.”

Building relationships and not just services was a key focus when Kaizen was created.

Darren said “We invested in the latest IT to streamline our workflow, allowing us to spend more time helping our clients grow their businesses. The technology and software allowed us to free up our time to offer more personalised support. We engage with clients regularly keeping them updated on key business topics covering all areas not just finance. Because of this clients feel connected to Kaizen, aware we are always thinking about their needs and keeping them informed. We are an accountancy practice where clients work closely with a dedicated member of our team, someone who truly understands their business and its needs”.

As part of building lasting relationships with their clients, Kaizen supports the local business community that their employees and clients operate in.

“We believe in supporting the business and broader communities we serve, as much as possible, we use local when we source new suppliers. This not only strengthens our local network but matches our core values of community involvement and partnership,”

What obstacles did you hit with this fresh approach?

Darren: “Trying to convince clients that accountants could be their general business partner wasn’t easy.  I have to admit I did have my own doubts, especially because at that time we were going against the expectations of what was traditionally the role of external accountancy practices. It took time to convince our clients, but we stuck with our vision. We overcame these issues by always focusing on our clients’ needs and staying flexible enough to adapt.”

What lessons have you and your team learnt?  When we asked Darren if he would do anything differently, he told us the following.

Darren: “With hindsight, to improve our client service levels when it came to our new approach, I should have focused on training my team sooner. Because of this in the early days of the business, I tried to carry too much of the workload myself. While that’s important and it sets the character of the business, it took me time to realise that building a strong, well-trained team could increase our effectiveness. We have now remedied this and have the right, fully trained staff in place with the appropriate skillsets.

Darren shared some key advice that he had learnt from the Kaizen journey so far. “You need to closely listen to your clients, to your marketplace and to your instincts. In reality, that initial lightbulb moment isn’t some grand eye opener – it’s being able to see why and where things aren’t working and then knowing how to make things better. Don’t be afraid to challenge the existing ways you do things and most importantly, focus on delivering real value, because that’s what sets you apart in any business.”