Peter Duncan: When did your journey begin as an accountant? What was the inspiration?
Abul Nurujjaman: Well, as for inspiration I guess I always loved numbers and even though I formally completed my education with the acquisition of an Honours degree from Greenwich University and AAT qualification back in 2008, I have been associated with accounting since 2004. From 2004 to 2010, I continued learning and experiencing all the bits and pieces of accountancy, so that one day I could create my own firm. And I think that it allowed me to choose the path which ultimately became my destination.
Q: How long have you been in an accountancy practice in London? In this business?
A: Although I have been working as an accountant since 2004, I started Taj Accountants, my own accountancy firm in London, in 2010. So it’s almost 16 years now that I have made my name among the top small business accountants in London.
Q: Why did you choose this form of business?
A: I believe that in today’s world, the shape of business opportunities has changed. Starting a business on your own, whether it’s not as huge as other big brands, is beneficial in a lot of ways, most specifically because it doesn’t require you to be as experienced as you’d need to be if you have to join a conglomerate or the corporate sector. Also, every big brand once started off as a small venture, so I think it’s Taj Accountants starting point.
Moreover, it allows you to manage things in a favorable way. You can expand at your own convenience and preference. Risk is limited and things are not as complex as with bigger industries. In short, this model of business keeps things under control.
Q: What makes Taj Accountants so special? How is it different from other accountancy firms in London?
A: Taj Accountants is special because it was initiated as a small business accountants firm keeping in view the need of accountants in London, in fact, with more and more ventures, it became evident that we were right. Moreover, due to this factor, we understand the accounts and tax needs of small businesses better than the others. Apart from that, we are not just focused on taxation and finances, we care about communication as well.
The very core of Taj Accountants is to remain an integral part of the association of accountants in London. We are a people’s company and the proof is the prestigious awards that we gained through transparent business operations and people’s support.
Q: What’s the secret ingredient of your marketing tactics? How did you manage to get so many small businesses to become your clients in such a short time, especially in a commercial hub like London?
A: Well, as I mentioned earlier, people are important to me. And statistically, growing your business in this era is all about staying close to people. So when I let someone know about our accountancy firm in London and our services as small business accountants, I never start a conversation with a business point of view. They want me to understand their needs before understanding their ledgers, accounts, and taxations.
In a sense, I being a people’s person helped myself in gaining more and more clients in record time. In my opinion, the secret recipe is rather easier than the so-called tactics of reaching out to the target audience.
Q: What services does your company offer and how do these benefit businesses in smooth operations?
A: My company offers the most comprehensive set of accounts and taxation services for sole traders, partnerships, business start-ups, and individuals including bookkeeping, payroll, taxation, VAT returns, compliance services, and consultancy. We also offer personalized assistance to our clients tailored specifically in accordance with their requirements.
I believe that the biggest advantage we provide to our clients is the freedom to focus on growth and expansion. Since things change swiftly in the entrepreneurial arena, people are more concerned about devoting their time to keeping up with the trends rather than hustling with finances. So our services allow them to do what they love, make decisions that can help their business grow and reach their goals.
Q: As a business owner, what are your responsibilities? Are they limited?
A: Being the sole owner, my responsibilities are unlimited. From ensuring smooth operations, and honesty in my office, to staying connected with the clients, and keeping things up to date, I take care of all. I personally make policies and plans to execute the functionality in my office. In my opinion, every client and their business are equally important so I never let anything go unnoticed and make sure that they are provided with the best care.
Q: Do you think working with different ethnicities is a challenge?
A: On the contrary, I think it’s easier. When they have the same goal, they can work in unison. It’s all up to a leader to make his subordinates work in a cooperative environment while keeping their religious and social affiliations aside. I have never found any trouble keeping my staff or workers motivated enough to bring marvelous results.
Q: What were your feelings when your company was featured in the Daily Star, A mainstream newspaper in the UK?
A: It was huge. A proud moment when Taj Accountants was interviewed and featured on the Daily Star in March 2012. The topic was CIS taxation. And I was truly delighted to be associated with such a prestigious name. But that was just the start of many features for Taj Accountants. In my vision, the key was always and will continue to be honesty and dedication to my work. And the proof is all the awards that Taj Accountants received over the years and becoming a leading name among the top accountants London possesses.
Q: Licensed Member of the year 2017 Awards from AAT, How was the target achieved? What were your expressions?
A: It was really a roller coaster ride of emotions when I heard my name announced. I remembered working hard and keeping my people motivated, also that I incorporated tech and innovative marketing strategies to acquire better outcomes. I think the best formula was not only expanding the size of my staff but also increasing their work capacity through technological assistance, through software and electronic mediums. Like I said before, communication is vital so I kept all my social media channels open for feedback, suggestions, and reviews, ultimately the result was as good as expected.
Q: Small business of the year 2019 Award from London Asian Business Awards? Did you feel it was your biggest achievement?
A: Without any doubt, the feeling is inexpressible. It was indeed an accomplishment I was looking forward to. The acknowledgment from London Asian business awards in itself is a remarkable achievement for my company but it’s also a motivation for the people associated with Taj Accountants in any way whether as staff, clients or even as software partners. It is a kind of reassurance that they are linked with the right accounting firm in London which keeps hard work as its top priority no matter what. Serving the community is also a crucial aspect of my enterprise, Taj Accountants even won the award for community services.
And in the end, we received The Best Small Business Accountants Award too. Another sign of our popularity, our commitment to our services and our clients to always provide them with excellence no matter what. In fact, when I was made the cover of an industry magazine, it was an iconic moment for me as well as Taj Accountants.
Q: What are the biggest issues for running this tax advice business In London?
A: The biggest challenge that I came across apart from making small businesses realize the significance of an accountancy practice is the fact that tax policies change and when they do, telling people about them and their implications isn’t as easy.
In layman’s term, tax is an amount you have to pay on your income or property or business but for accountancy and taxation experts, it is all about abiding by the law to avoid any serious consequences later. So reasoning with people in terms of tax advice can be regarded as the toughest of challenges.
Q: So have you been featured somewhere recently? And what was it about?
A: We were recently mentioned by a case study, done by the BTC software. They interviewed asked about our experience with the accounts and tax production software BTC and how beneficial it was for our advancement and increasing efficiency. Again, I felt deeply honored when the BTC team contacted me and asked me to share the story of my journey to success and reaching the top accountants in London.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
A: Well, I would say start small and start smart. Making big decisions can have bigger impacts, sometimes even bigger than one is ready to juggle with.
The next thing, be a leader and a leader is the one who takes everyone along. Having a team is good for starting a business but keeping it means sustainability and growth of the business.
Another thing that is worth mentioning here is the utilization of technology. Technology in this era can help you more than anything else. So research on the products, software, and practices that involve technology and can benefit your business.
And last but not the least, stay focused, you may not find all that you are looking for, especially in the beginning but you will ultimately reach it.
