Text: Derin Ibrahim

With a £170,000 turnover and business growing at 40 per cent a year, moving into a shop front office has encouraged rapid growth in Andrew Morton's TaxAssist Accountants franchise. "Even though I'm based in the small market town of Craven Arms I'm in a fantastic location," says Andrew. "I'm in a corner unit so it means that my signage is displayed around my shop - traffic can't help but see me!"

Andrew (pictured right) opened an office in Ludlow in January 2003 and expanded his business with a shop front office in November 2006. His TaxAssist Accountants franchise specialises in the supply of accounting, taxation and associated services to small businesses with a turnover of under £1 million. The company has been established for 11 years and has over 160 franchisees, 60 of which operate from a shop front premise.

Having always been employed as an accountant, Andrew previously worked for various television companies, including Channel 4, and then became a finance director for a television production company. "I decided to look into franchising as I had always wanted to run my own business," explains Andrew. "I was fed up with office politics and with commuting everyday, also I was living with my wife in London at the time and we didn't want to raise a family there. Driving through Ludlow on our way back from a holiday my wife and I thought we would like to live in the area. With this in mind I looked at several different types of franchises but I decided that TaxAssist Accountants would suit the Ludlow area as there are a lot of businesses here.

"The TaxAssist Accountants franchise also appealed to me as it was something I was familiar with. I visited the Support Centre in Norwich and I was impressed with what they had to say. Speaking to other franchisees it seemed like a very reputable franchise." With the running of both premises, Andrew has received a great deal of backup, help and support from the Support Centre. He comments: "There is always a technical team in place to support you, which I've used ever since launching my franchise. I've also had support with website maintenance and telemarketing."

He advises those looking at the TaxAssist Accountants franchise: "You must be prepared to work very hard and to sometimes put in very long hours. I would also advise franchisees to get a shop front as soon as you can and to get quality staff working for you."