Family Businesses

Our family business has been supported by Armstrong Watson over the past 40 years, this alone is testament to the quality service and invaluable advice they provide us.  They are only a phone call away, whether it be about tax, pensions, payroll, accounts or personnel queries.

We know that we can pick up the phone and our queries will be promptly dealt with in a professional but friendly manner.  To be quite frank we would be lost without them.

Fontana's Fish and Chips

I’ve been with Armstrong Watson for over 20 years and have worked with them on quite a range of things from accounts, corporation tax, self-assessment returns and general compliance.

What sets Armstrong Watson apart from other accountants is the personal relationship we have developed. They always go the extra mile and are always there when I need help and advice.

I trust Armstrong Watson. They always act in my best interest - and having that feeling of security is priceless. 

Ben Peters, Managing Director, BHP Associates, Harrogate

As a family owned and managed manufacturing business we have the skills and experience to know what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

We have the day to day running and management of the business in hand.  That said, what we have never challenged ourselves on is the bigger picture, we all know our roles and responsibilities.

What the team at Armstrong Watson have done is to challenge how we work not in the business, but on the business.  Their input and knowledge has allowed us to stand back from the day to day operations and work on the business, looking at the bigger, more strategic plan, rather than the day to day operational issues.

We have found, and are still finding, their input challenging, insightful and of great value.  They have a wealth of knowledge and whilst we believe the issues in our family owned and managed business are unique to us, it becomes more apparent that the issues are common throughout many similar businesses.

Jon Ward Joint MD Kay Dee Engineering Limited

I first encountered Justin when he provided training for my work colleagues about the introduction of pension auto enrolment and I was impressed by the quality of the information provided and Justin’s clear and knowledgeable response to concerns and questions raised. When I was looking for someone to provide me with pension advice leading up to my retirement Justin immediately came to mind. The advise and support that Justin has provided has been excellent, just the right level of detail to allow me to make informed and realistic decisions about my pension and future finances. Justin has certainly lived up to my expectations - brilliant!

Karen Bowen

Discussing matters of succession planning with family members is a challenging but necessary process if you wish to try and minimise inheritance tax. In recent years, with the help of Helen Thornley and the rest of the team at Armstrong Watson, we have been able to take proactive steps to manage our family’s affairs to the point where we are now confident about the future.

Charles Lowther, Owner, Askham Hall

We were recently left with a very complex family estate to unravel. Helen was able to guide us through the process of IHT submission to HMRC and help unravel a number of complex tax issues in a calm and professional manner. She answered all of our questions promptly and provided clear guidance as to the individual steps we needed to take, making the whole process a lot easier and simpler to deal with.

Helen's work meant we did not have to engage a solicitor to close the estate, thus saving expensive legal costs and time and also brought in other experts (Trust & Investment Funds) to advise us as and when needed. At all times we found Helen easy and pleasant to deal with no matter how stressed we were with having to deal with what was essentially an emotional roller coaster ride. The estate took over two years to close out, but without Helen's support it would still be going on now.

I would recommend Helen and Armstrong Watson without any hesitation or reservation; they are the “go to source” for all financial issues and advice in my opinion.

Phil & Justine Waddington

Running a 'family business' carries with it a set of unique challenges and opportunities specific to the balance between 'family' and 'business'.  As easy as it may to think that keeping the two distinct from each other is straightforward, the lines can become very blurred and often difficult to manage. As my experience in both business and family life grows the more I come to believe that you cannot "do it on your own" - in either area. The listening ear of other people, the experience of other people and the perspectives of other people are essential to making real and lasting progress.
 
We have recently embarked on a more strategic business advice approach with David Richmond and the Armstrong team as we recently stepped away from our day to day labours leaving many perceived problems at the office and stepped into an independent and trusted environment where we have been able to speak freely (both jointly as a management team and individually in one to one sessions). The first session was both a relief and a revelation. The relief in taking a positive step to help ourselves - the revelation in how easy it was to open up and talk about issues we had probably thought too sensitive to get out in the open. Then comes the real value - a realistic plan. Having listened, questioned, and challenged we all worked together to agree definite objectives and plans to achieve them - both together and individually. This forward looking, objective based approach is stimulating and allows the principles established at the Blue session to be taken back into the maelstrom of day to day business - where, because of their clarity, they have a chance to take root.
 
We have wanted to develop ourselves and our business with a fresh approach - going in with an open mind, we have quickly gained a different perspective and we have started to change. There is a fascinating blend of gradual, slow, 'wait and see' adjustment and some decisive, quick, 'take the plunge' change...its exciting to be moving to a new way of thinking, building on all the good things we have and leaving some of the not so good things behind.

Mark Sugden, Managing Director, John W. Laycock Ltd

Armstrong Watson work very closely with our company and we meet with Tony Bullock regularly to discuss the business and strategic matters. During one such meeting we mentioned a new craft tool that we were involved with, and some of the technical challenges we had faced in this regard.

Armstrong Watson immediately made us aware of research & development tax relief. We then met with their R&D tax relief expert who explained the relief clearly and we agreed a way forward in order to make our first claim under this relief. Armstrong Watson helped us every step of the way, making the process easy and really showing knowledge and expertise throughout.

I would strongly recommend any company involved in science or technology to seek help with R&D tax relief claims from Armstrong Watson
 

Brian Welch, Managing Director, UK Industrial Tapes Limited