Today, Hallidays Stockport celebrate the 10th anniversary of their move from Manchester to purpose-built offices in Stockport having first been established in Manchester in 1843.
Gone are the top hats and long lunches of the traditional chartered accountancy practice of 1843 to a modern, forward thinking business offering growth and business advice with no core hours!
A study of every census for England & Wales since 1841 shows that almost two-thirds of the population worked in factories or on the land at the start of Britain’s mid-Victorian heyday. By 2011 the service sector accounted for 81% of the 26.5 million employees in England & Wales – compared with a third in the nineteenth century.
In the 1800’s offices would be lit by candles, oil or gas with a very strict regime on time-keeping. Today, Hallidays have rooftop solar panelling that supplies energy for all its lighting and heating needs, plus they recognise that their team members can be trusted with the hours they work! Offering huge flexibility with working conditions that not only fosters loyalty and trust but encourages creativity and growth.
This century alone has, and continues to see, vast changes in the way we conduct business.
From quills to computers and the ‘cloud’
Writing materials in that period would be quill and steel nib dipped pens in lengthy journals. Today they are using cloud and are on the cusp of Making Tax Digital. As Hallidays have been on the cloud for over 7 years they are able to support clients by accessing their cloud accounting software ‘real time’ enabling them to give up to the minute advice.
Over 10 years ago Hallidays ditched time sheets recognising that a valued service does not need to be measured by time!
In the last ten years the team has grown from 35 to 90 with over half their board and team members female, they have received over 7 awards and are featured in the book The UK’s Best Accountancy Practices in 2011. Important services have been added such as Corporate Finance. This means Hallidays can support clients from start-up to exit, ensuring they maximise the value of their business and exit in the most productive way. Hallidays even went as far as setting up their own HR and recruitment service in response to poor recruitment practices.
The firm has changed and continues to grow but at its heart are still their clients and their team members with their mission and vision to ‘support and help their team to grow’ and ‘support and help their clients to grow’. This vision saw the introduction of coaching and their recent team HIT training programme so team members can be the best version of themselves enabling them to support and help their clients to grow. Their business growth events which have been running successfully for over 15 years, currently named Business AM and Stockport Business Angels events (in conjunction with North West Business Angels) have offered business owners, the opportunity to learn and grow with some amazing success stories.
Beverley Budsworth from The Debt Advisor Limited commented:
“Hallidays have been life-changing for me. I have been challenged to think differently, and supported throughout to implement changes which have had a huge impact on me personally and my team.”
Original photo courtesy of Manchester Library