Join Our Network
The thought of being your own boss and running your own business is a very tempting one. Having the back up of a nationwide network and a dedicated support function can make the temptation irresistible.
The benefits of franchising are well documented and the TaxAssist Accountants business model has been established since 1995.
We are a Full member of the British and Irish Franchise Associations and are proud of our status both in the franchise arena and in the accountancy sector.
We are actively recruiting franchisees in the following areas; Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Sligo, Galway, Longford and Westmeath. If you have the ambition to build a substantial practice over the franchise term, then we need to hear from you. You will need drive and determination to develop a broad client base, generating a turnover of €200,000 - €300,000 and employing staff to service the clients. To do this you will also need to recognise the importance of either operating from a shopfront from day one, or moving to a shopfront within three years of joining us.
Please look at our website at www.taxassist.net for more information or call 1890 87 68 87.
What some of our ROI Franchisees say
Michael Sandys
I qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst and Young over 30 years ago. After qualification I worked in London for a number of years in banking and in industry. I returned to Ireland in the late 70’s and started my own refrigeration business, which I sold in 1992. I have since worked as finance director for a large hotel company and in the financial services industry.
I read about the TaxAssist Franchise opportunity and contacted Greg Murphy to find out more in June 2009. When Greg explained the business concept to me I immediately appreciated that it would work in Ireland. I liked the idea of only dealing with small businesses and I also thought the shop front premises would really suit the Irish mentality. I went over to Norwich on a discovery day and signed up within a week.
I moved in to an office space by September 2009 in order to take advantage of the October pay and file deadline. It took me a while to find the right shop front premises but I opened the doors to my shop in the middle of June 2010. Everyone told me that the shop would make a big difference to my business but I have been truly amazed at the impact it has had. Although the first few weeks were slow, since July we have been consistently busy with people dropping in and phoning.
I hired my first employee as soon as I started as I wanted to be able to devote a lot of time to marketing. Since then I have taken on a further two fully qualified accountants and I plan to hire one more by the end of the year.
Starting out, I prepared a fairly ambitious 5 year business plan and I am so far on track to exceed my year one target of acquiring 100 clients. Having been out of the profession for a time, a big attraction in TaxAssist was the knowledge that I would have a support team to call on. My initial training was really comprehensive and hands on. The support I have received since from Greg and his team in Fairview has been exceptional both in terms of technical content and willingness to assist. The attitude from the support staff is first class and from day one I had a great sense of confidence that I could deal with any query that came in.
Although I had prior experience, the sales and marketing element of the training was invaluable in refocusing my skills. For Accountants who are not used to having to do marketing, this is a really valid contribution. As well as my own local marketing, leads are qualified and delivered by head office regularly which means I am always adding to my client base. One of the other major advantages marketing wise, as I see it, is the personalised website I received from head office straight away. It is updated regularly and compared to other accountants’ websites it is streets ahead.
Over the past year I have put in a lot of hard work and long hours however the amount of clients I have acquired would not have been possible had I not been part of the franchise. I’m happy to report that I plan on opening a second shop front in 2011.
Anne Cunningham
After qualifying as a Certified Public Accountant in 1991 I worked in small to medium practices for 19 years. I was partner in a 2 partner practice with 20 staff in Dublin for 6 years specialising in audit and compliance services for the SME Sector. I recently moved back to Kildare and worked alongside a couple of local practices servicing the needs of small to
medium sized clients. I decided to go back to my studies to specialise in Taxation and embarked on the Irish Taxation Institute professional exams in April 2009. I am currently at the final stages.
I read about the TaxAssist Franchise opportunity in a Sunday newspaper, and contacted Greg in summer 2009 to find out more. We discussed the franchise opportunity and Greg suggested I go to the UK to explore a bit more. After the discovery day I was completely sold on the idea and decided to go for it.
For me, the chance to be part of a network was an attraction. We are all going through or have gone through the same process so being able to talk and share ideas has been really helpful. I took on my first employee in January 2010, Louise Foster, a qualified certified accountant who works extremely well with clients. I set my heart on a premises late in 2009 but various delays meant it took a while to get it secured. I am glad I waited though, I really think the right premises makes all the difference. The shop opened in July, and since then there has been a steady flow of walk in clients and phone calls. Over the two days after the August bank holiday we had 12 walk-ins! The premises are bright and attractive to passers-by, the visibility and the openness makes it so much easier for clients to “pop-in”.
As an accountant, I was slightly uncomfortable with marketing, but the training took away any inhibitions and really made me believe I had to go for it! The marketing certainly works. As well as marketing efforts like running adverts in newspapers I became involved in setting up a new BNI chapter in Kildare. Both have paid off and delivered quality leads. Having someone to turn to in the form of the technical team at head office has been fantastic and having support on technical issues is very beneficial, especially in the first few months. I have worked hard over the past months setting up the business, but it is the most rewarding and enjoyable work that I have done in some time. I am already thinking about a plan for shop number 2! Although things will be hectic for the foreseeable future I am confident I have made the right decision and I will enjoy a healthier work life balance in the years to come.
Clive Aherne
I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and prior to joining TaxAssist Accountants I was a senior manager with PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Before that I trained with a small practice based in Cork.
I joined TaxAssist Accountants in December 2009 and opened my first shop in April 2010. The growth of my business over the last 4 months has been faster than I expected. Part of this I put down to the shop front as it provides a highly visible office in a prominent location.
Active sales and marketing has been the key to my sales growth and not just in one specific area. I have tried a number of different approaches including off the page cold calling, google, facebook, networking, buy local campaigns amongst others. I currently employ one person and aim to recruit another qualified person in the New Year. One of the biggest challenges at the moment is getting the right mix of time spent doing work verses generating work.
I have had great support from head office who are always on hand to answer any queries I have or to bounce ideas off of whether these are technical or general practice management queries. The biggest help has been in the sales and marketing area as like most other accountants, marketing would not be my strong point. Being part of TaxAssist Accountants has given me access to excellent sales and marketing training, tried and tested campaigns and adverts and sales approaches that do work.
My advice to anyone considering the franchise option would be to talk to as many people as possible before you make your decision as the more information you have the better. Prepare a detailed business plan and review it regularly.
