Explore every episode of the podcast Off Ledger

Laura Kenyon left a corporate career at KPMG, started
an accounting firm from her spare bedroom, and built it
into a 23-person practice. In this episode, Laura talks
candidly about leading from the gut, the office decisions
she'd rather forget, and why imposter syndrome never
really goes away. If you're leading a firm or thinking
about starting one, this one's for you.

Not many firm leaders will tell you about the moments that nearly broke them. Rob Heaton will. In this episode, Rob talks with rare honesty about losing everything and rebuilding from scratch. He reflects on what that journey taught him about leadership, delegation and knowing when to say no, and why the hardest lessons have made him the leader he is today. 

If you've ever wondered how the best firm leaders are forged, this episode has your answer.

Most firms measure success by how fast they're growing. Ask the Boss decided to measure it differently. In this episode, Antoniya Beyriyska reflects on the decision
to shrink the team, shed the wrong clients and rebuild around the ones they love to come out the other side more productive, more profitable and happier for it. If
you're leading a firm and wondering whether bigger really does mean better, this one is essential listening.

In this episode, Lucy Cohen, founder of Mazuma and President of AAT, opens up about the day her body inexplicably formed 17 arterial blood clots, the hospital sprint that followed, and the strange guilt that comes with surviving something you weren't supposed to. She talks candidly about therapy, an eating disorder in her early twenties, and how she found healing on a powerlifting platform where, for once, there was no talking her way out of anything. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.

This is part two of a two-part conversation. Part one covered Lucy's unconventional route into accounting and the birth of Mazuma.

In this episode, Lucy Cohen, founder of Mazuma and the largest female-founded accounting business in UK history, shares her unconventional route into the profession, from a careers advisor opening a book at random to walking into a hotel and talking her way into a job. She opens up about growing up without money, feeling like an outsider in rooms full of privilege, and why a good dose of naivety was exactly what she needed to disrupt an industry she didn't even know she was disrupting. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.

This is part one of a two-part conversation. Part two covers the birth of Mazuma, power lifting, mental health, and Lucy's brush with death.

In this episode, Liam Wilson, Director of Elevate Accountancy in Wrexham, shares how watching his father's business nearly collapse shaped his drive, the rapid rise through private equity-backed firms that eventually hit a wall, and the leap of faith that led him to build a firm on his own terms. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm. 

In this episode, Eriona Bajrakurtaj, Owner and Director of Majors Accounts in London, shares what it took to take over her father's practice and drag it into the digital age, the team fallout that came with it, and the offshoring gamble that kept the business alive when she gave birth to her second child just days before going back to work. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm. 

In this episode, Luke Hamblett, Associate Director at Lewis Smith in Dudley, shares his journey from audit junior to the top table, the relationship-building skills that set him apart, and the presentation that helped convince the partners he was ready to step up. Honest, considered and full of hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm. 

In this episode, Lucy Williams, Managing Partner at Team JS opens up about the
management buyout that transformed her role, the decisions that kept her up at night, and the mentors who helped her get there. Honest, considered and full of
hard-won wisdom for anyone navigating their way to the top of a firm.

In this episode, Ermal Krutani reflects on 23 years of growth, the management mistakes he made along the way, and the moment he realised that pride was getting in the way of everything. Working in accounting but the biggest lessons had nothing to do with numbers. 
Honest, self-aware and packed with lessons for anyone stepping into a leadership role for the first time.