Case Studies
Zest Accounting and Finance Directors are experienced professionals who specialise in providing customised financial solutions to businesses of all sizes. Their recent projects have included a wide range of case studies, from budgeting to evaluating financial performance. Read more about these projects and see how Zest can help your business reach its financial goals.
Clydach Farm Group (clydachfarmgroup.co.uk) offer a range of premium and super-premium pet nutrition across two distinct brands. Based in Merthyr, it was established by young entrepreneur, Callum Griffiths.
We were originally engaged on a retained basis to provide part-time FD services and we worked alongside the company’s bookkeeper and existing accountants. Initially our remit was to assist in financial planning helping management shape and understand the company’s growth journey and the financial and non-financial resource required to support the growth ambitions.
Our remit expanded and today we are retained to provide a range of both compliance, accountancy and tax services alongside business advisory services. We also act as an outsourced board member and meet weekly with Callum to provide advice and challenge on a range of financial and non-financial topics.
Our weekly engagement often gives rise to discrete projects which we either lead or assist in. For example, prompted by a number of supply-chain cost increases, we recently helped management update its product value chain by sales channel and we identified opportunities to improve gross margin. Working with management we assessed a number of options and settled on a course of action that both parties felt balanced risk and reward. As is our method, whilst we may ask challenging questions, our approach to settling on strategic decision making is collaborative, objective and fact led.
Our forward-looking work with Callum will often give rise to our involvement in such areas as funding or an assessment on future recruitment plans. We recently helped the company obtain peer-to-peer funding from a party that is happy to provide the flexible facility that the company requires at a price that is mutually acceptable.
Beyond financial advice, we also provide assistance on a range of topics that include HR, the interpretation of contracts, and, of course, commercial strategy.
Adventure Travel (www.adventuretravel.cymru) operates a number of depots across South Wales and is a subsidiary of Metroline. We were approached by management during the early days of the Covid 19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns to assist in the formation of financial planning at a time of considerable uncertainty relating to passenger numbers, revenue and funding. We built a flex financial model that allowed management to understand the relationship between reduced passenger footfall and the provision of funding under the Bus Emergency Scheme, (a publicly funded mechanism designed to keep public transport running for key workers).
We were subsequently engaged to assist with compliance related work under the BES scheme and further engaged to develop a model that allowed management to understand its trading performance route-by-route and in order to assist management make strategic decisions.
Our work with Adventure Travel led to an introduction to its parent company, Metroline, and we have been engaged to work alongside the company’s senior management team and a team of outsourced bid writers, in support of a number of commercial tender responses.
Our engagement has involved a deep-dive understanding of costs leading to the formulation of comprehensive financial models that show the accounting and cash effects of management’s tender response across a seven year time frame for multi-route franchises that are worth many tens of millions of pounds.
This case study was kindly written by our client.
Inspired Business Media Ltd (https://www.inspiredbusinessmedia.com/), an esteemed industry leader, relies heavily on the integral support provided by Zest, making them a highly recommended partner for numerous clients.
In addition to managing annual accounts and ensuring compliance with corporate taxes, Zest plays a crucial role in handling the monthly payroll and auto-enrollment duties for Inspired Business Media Ltd's team of 50. This vital assistance allows the company's dedicated accountant to devote their full attention to the day-to-day financial planning and budgeting essential for a business of this magnitude.
Zest's expertise extends beyond routine financial tasks. They have been engaged by Inspired Business Media Ltd on various occasions to tackle specialized projects. Their guidance in implementing tax-efficient group structures, transitioning accounting systems from SAGE to Xero, and setting up time-saving receipts processing software has proven invaluable. Moreover, Zest's assistance in areas such as employee benefits, HMRC PAYE dispensation, and personalized tax planning and advice for directors has solidified their status as an indispensable resource.
Given Zest's exceptional contributions and expertise, Inspired Business Media Ltd confidently recommends them to multiple clients. Their comprehensive support and commitment to delivering outstanding service have earned them a strong reputation within the industry, making them a trusted partner for businesses seeking reliable financial solutions.
Dr W is employed by the NHS and operates her own private practice via a limited company. As with many medical professionals, Dr W is incredibly busy so it important that the accounting and tax work is efficient and streamlined.
Working in conjunction with Kevin Brace, we firstly established a tax efficient remuneration strategy for Dr W and her company. This is now reviewed on a regular basis to take into account any in-year changes with her NHS employment income.
Dr W provides us with the company accounts paperwork every three months which we use to prepare quarterly management accounts and dividend paperwork. This also helps ensure all receipts are located and the company records are complete and accurate.
In addition to the preparation of the annual company accounts and tax return, we also prepare the Dr W’s personal tax return. As part of this process we ensure all professional fees are claimed in a tax efficient way and review the pensions annual allowance statement to identify and calculate any potential pensions tax charge.
Services: personal tax planning and advice; pensions tax charge: company tax advice and planning: advising on tax efficient benefits in kind.
Clydach Farm Group Limited
Clydach Farm Group (clydachfarmgroup.co.uk) offer a range of premium and super-premium pet nutrition across two distinct brands. Based in Merthyr, it was established by young entrepreneur, Callum Griffiths.
We were originally engaged on a retained basis to provide part-time FD services and we worked alongside the company’s bookkeeper and existing accountants. Initially our remit was to assist in financial planning helping management shape and understand the company’s growth journey and the financial and non-financial resource required to support the growth ambitions.
Our remit expanded and today we are retained to provide a range of both compliance, accountancy and tax services alongside business advisory services. We also act as an outsourced board member and meet weekly with Callum to provide advice and challenge on a range of financial and non-financial topics.
Our weekly engagement often gives rise to discrete projects which we either lead or assist in. For example, prompted by a number of supply-chain cost increases, we recently helped management update its product value chain by sales channel and we identified opportunities to improve gross margin. Working with management we assessed a number of options and settled on a course of action that both parties felt balanced risk and reward. As is our method, whilst we may ask challenging questions, our approach to settling on strategic decision making is collaborative, objective and fact led.
Our forward-looking work with Callum will often give rise to our involvement in such areas as funding or an assessment on future recruitment plans. We recently helped the company obtain peer-to-peer funding from a party that is happy to provide the flexible facility that the company requires at a price that is mutually acceptable.
Beyond financial advice, we also provide assistance on a range of topics that include HR, the interpretation of contracts, and, of course, commercial strategy.
Adventure Travel
Adventure Travel (www.adventuretravel.cymru) operates a number of depots across South Wales and is a subsidiary of Metroline. We were approached by management during the early days of the Covid 19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns to assist in the formation of financial planning at a time of considerable uncertainty relating to passenger numbers, revenue and funding. We built a flex financial model that allowed management to understand the relationship between reduced passenger footfall and the provision of funding under the Bus Emergency Scheme, (a publicly funded mechanism designed to keep public transport running for key workers).
We were subsequently engaged to assist with compliance related work under the BES scheme and further engaged to develop a model that allowed management to understand its trading performance route-by-route and in order to assist management make strategic decisions.
Our work with Adventure Travel led to an introduction to its parent company, Metroline, and we have been engaged to work alongside the company’s senior management team and a team of outsourced bid writers, in support of a number of commercial tender responses.
Our engagement has involved a deep-dive understanding of costs leading to the formulation of comprehensive financial models that show the accounting and cash effects of management’s tender response across a seven year time frame for multi-route franchises that are worth many tens of millions of pounds.
Dr W is employed by the NHS and operates her own private practice via a limited company. As with many medical professionals, Dr W is incredibly busy so it important that the accounting and tax work is efficient and streamlined.
Working in conjunction with Kevin Brace, we firstly established a tax efficient remuneration strategy for Dr W and her company. This is now reviewed on a regular basis to take into account any in-year changes with her NHS employment income.
Dr W provides us with the company accounts paperwork every three months which we use to prepare quarterly management accounts and dividend paperwork. This also helps ensure all receipts are located and the company records are complete and accurate.
In addition to the preparation of the annual company accounts and tax return, we also prepare the Dr W’s personal tax return. As part of this process we ensure all professional fees are claimed in a tax efficient way and review the pensions annual allowance statement to identify and calculate any potential pensions tax charge.
Services: personal tax planning and advice; pensions tax charge: company tax advice and planning: advising on tax efficient benefits in kind.
Richard Andrews Architects Ltd (ra-architects.co.uk) is a leading firm of architects based Newport, South Wales. After continued growth, the company has now expanded to a satellite office and team in Porthcawl, enabling them to meet the increased demand for their services and to service new markets.
We work alongside the director and his team offering a full end-to-end service. Using Xero, we provide all payroll and book-keeping services on a remote basis for the company, ensuring the company books and records are always accurate and complete.
We meet with Richard and his team on a quarterly basis to review the performance of the business. Having this regular review helps identify any pain points and allows us to review the business pipeline, profitability and cashflow and ensures tax planning is undertaken on a timely basis.
Services: company tax advice and planning; payroll; auto-enrolment; book-keeping; Xero; personal tax advice and planning.
Inspired Business Media Ltd (www.inspiredbusinessmedia.com) is a well-established leading provider of global business leadership and corporate events. In addition to the company’s annual accounts and corporation tax compliance, and technical accounting assistance, we look after the monthly payroll and auto-enrolment duties for the team of 50, leaving the company’s Finance Manager free to focus on the day-to-day operation of the finance function and preparing budgets and forecasts that allow management to build on its considerable successes.
We have also been engaged on an ad-hoc basis in a number of areas such as: advising on and implementation of tax efficient group formation; conversion of accounting system from SAGE to Xero; advising on the implementation of time-saving receipts processing software; assisting with employee benefits in kind; setting-up of HMRC PAYE dispensation; as well as advising the directors on personal tax planning.
Services: company tax advice and planning; payroll; auto-enrolment; employee benefits in kind; Xero; group structures; and personal tax advice and planning.
Adventure Travel (www.adventuretravel.cymru) operates a number of depots across South Wales and is a subsidiary of Metroline. We were approached by management during the early days of the Covid 19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns to assist in the formation of financial planning at a time of considerable uncertainty relating to passenger numbers, revenue and funding. We built a flex financial model that allowed management to understand the relationship between reduced passenger footfall and the provision of funding under the Bus Emergency Scheme, (a publicly funded mechanism designed to keep public transport running for key workers).
We were subsequently engaged to assist with compliance related work under the BES scheme and further engaged to develop a model that allowed management to understand its trading performance route-by-route and in order to assist management make strategic decisions.
Our work with Adventure Travel led to an introduction to its parent company, Metroline, and we have been engaged to work alongside the company’s senior management team and a team of outsourced bid writers, in support of a number of commercial tender responses.
Our engagement has involved a deep-dive understanding of costs leading to the formulation of comprehensive financial models that show the accounting and cash effects of management’s tender response across a seven year time frame for multi-route franchises that are worth many tens of millions of pounds.
Clydach Farm Group (clydachfarmgroup.co.uk) offer a range of premium and super-premium pet nutrition across two distinct brands. Based in Merthyr, it was established by young entrepreneur, Callum Griffiths.
We were originally engaged on a retained basis to provide part-time FD services and we worked alongside the company’s bookkeeper and existing accountants. Initially our remit was to assist in financial planning helping management shape and understand the company’s growth journey and the financial and non-financial resource required to support the growth ambitions.
Our remit expanded and today we are retained to provide a range of both compliance, accountancy and tax services alongside business advisory services. We also act as an outsourced board member and meet weekly with Callum to provide advice and challenge on a range of financial and non-financial topics.
Our weekly engagement often gives rise to discrete projects which we either lead or assist in. For example, prompted by a number of supply-chain cost increases, we recently helped management update its product value chain by sales channel and we identified opportunities to improve gross margin. Working with management we assessed a number of options and settled on a course of action that both parties felt balanced risk and reward. As is our method, whilst we may ask challenging questions, our approach to settling on strategic decision making is collaborative, objective and fact led.
Our forward-looking work with Callum will often give rise to our involvement in such areas as funding or an assessment on future recruitment plans. We recently helped the company obtain peer-to-peer funding from a party that is happy to provide the flexible facility that the company requires at a price that is mutually acceptable.
Beyond financial advice, we also provide assistance on a range of topics that include HR, the interpretation of contracts, and, of course, commercial strategy.
Clydach Farm Group Limited
Adventure Travel
Inspired Business Media Limited
Richard Andrews Architects Limited
Dr W - Employed by the NHS
Dr. W
Dr W is employed by the NHS and operates her own private practice via a limited company. As with many medical professionals, Dr W is incredibly busy so it important that the accounting and tax work is efficient and streamlined.
Working in conjunction with Kevin Brace, we firstly established a tax efficient remuneration strategy for Dr W and her company. This is now reviewed on a regular basis to take into account any in-year changes with her NHS employment income.
Dr W provides us with the company accounts paperwork every three months which we use to prepare quarterly management accounts and dividend paperwork. This also helps ensure all receipts are located and the company records are complete and accurate.
In addition to the preparation of the annual company accounts and tax return, we also prepare the Dr W’s personal tax return. As part of this process we ensure all professional fees are claimed in a tax efficient way and review the pensions annual allowance statement to identify and calculate any potential pensions tax charge.
Services: personal tax planning and advice; pensions tax charge: company tax advice and planning: advising on tax efficient benefits in kind.
Dr W is employed by the NHS and operates her own private practice via a limited company. As with many medical professionals, Dr W is incredibly busy so it important that the accounting and tax work is efficient and streamlined.
Working in conjunction with Kevin Brace, we firstly established a tax efficient remuneration strategy for Dr W and her company. This is now reviewed on a regular basis to take into account any in-year changes with her NHS employment income.
Dr W provides us with the company accounts paperwork every three months which we use to prepare quarterly management accounts and dividend paperwork. This also helps ensure all receipts are located and the company records are complete and accurate.
In addition to the preparation of the annual company accounts and tax return, we also prepare the Dr W’s personal tax return. As part of this process we ensure all professional fees are claimed in a tax efficient way and review the pensions annual allowance statement to identify and calculate any potential pensions tax charge.
Services: personal tax planning and advice; pensions tax charge: company tax advice and planning: advising on tax efficient benefits in kind.
Dr W - Private Practice Medical Service
Inspired Business Media Limited
This case study was kindly written by our client.
Inspired Business Media Ltd (www.inspiredbusinessmedia.com)
an esteemed industry leader, relies heavily on the integral support provided by Zest, making them a highly recommended partner for numerous clients.
In addition to managing annual accounts and ensuring compliance with corporate taxes, Zest plays a crucial role in handling the monthly payroll and auto-enrollment duties for Inspired Business Media Ltd's team of 50. This vital assistance allows the company's dedicated accountant to devote their full attention to the day-to-day financial planning and budgeting essential for a business of this magnitude.
Zest's expertise extends beyond routine financial tasks. They have been engaged by Inspired Business Media Ltd on various occasions to tackle specialized projects.
Their guidance in implementing tax-efficient group structures, transitioning accounting systems from SAGE to Xero, and setting up time-saving receipts processing software has proven invaluable. Moreover, Zest's assistance in areas such as employee benefits, HMRC PAYE dispensation, and personalized tax planning and advice for directors has solidified their status as an indispensable resource.
Given Zest's exceptional contributions and expertise, Inspired Business Media Ltd confidently recommends them to multiple clients. Their comprehensive support and commitment to delivering outstanding service have earned them a strong reputation within the industry, making them a trusted partner for businesses seeking reliable financial solutions.
Find out how we've helped our clients, jump to one of our case studies
"We have worked with Lucy and her lovely team since 2015 and have always found Zest to be the perfect professional advisers for all aspects of our business. From answering general queries to some serious patience with our self assessments, we would definitely recommend Zest to help take your business to the next level."
Sam and Susi Rigby
Directors of Branded Matches Ltd and Express Corporate Ltd
Corporate promotional products and owners of furnished holiday let portfolio.
"I have been working with Lucy and her lovely team since June 2018, when I started looking on Google for a better accountancy service that would focus on my specific needs, be flexible and adaptable and willing to take on new challenges in the world of eCommerce. Over the years Lucy has kept me on track, educated me in laymen’s terms, found solutions for me and minimised my Tax and VAT responsibilities.
Lucy and her team provide a friendly and professional service and absolutely know their stuff delivered when needed with a huge wealth of experience and remain totally customer focussed.
I would recommend Lucy and the Zest Team to anyone, large or small."
Keith Coppuck
Founding director of Rhoose Point Remedies Ltd
Handmade, ethically sourced and organic natural skins creams. Balms and homeware products
"We have used Zest’s services since launching our business in 2017 and the support they’ve provided us with is second to none. Zest understand how small businesses tick! We appreciate Lucy and her team’s knowledge, experience, guidance and patience – they are very much a part of our team too and we simply wouldn’t be where we are today without them. Thank you Zest and we highly recommend you!"
Andrew and Annalise Holme
Directors of Insignia Crew Ltd
Superyacht and private staff recruitment agency
"We have worked with Lucy and her lovely team since 2015 and have always found Zest to be the perfect professional advisers for all aspects of our business. From answering general queries to some serious patience with our self assessments, we would definitely recommend Zest to help take your business to the next level."
Sam and Susi Rigby
Directors of Branded Matches Ltd and Express Corporate Ltd
Corporate promotional products and owners of furnished holiday let portfolio.
"I have been working with Lucy and her lovely team since June 2018, when I started looking on Google for a better accountancy service that would focus on my specific needs, be flexible and adaptable and willing to take on new challenges in the world of eCommerce. Over the years Lucy has kept me on track, educated me in laymen’s terms, found solutions for me and minimised my Tax and VAT responsibilities.
Lucy and her team provide a friendly and professional service and absolutely know their stuff delivered when needed with a huge wealth of experience and remain totally customer focussed.
I would recommend Lucy and the Zest Team to anyone, large or small."
Keith Coppuck
Founding director of Rhoose Point Remedies Ltd
Handmade, ethically sourced and organic natural skins creams. Balms and homeware products
"We have used Zest’s services since launching our business in 2017 and the support they’ve provided us with is second to none. Zest understand how small businesses tick! We appreciate Lucy and her team’s knowledge, experience, guidance and patience – they are very much a part of our team too and we simply wouldn’t be where we are today without them. Thank you Zest and we highly recommend you!"
Andrew and Annalise Holme
Directors of Insignia Crew Ltd
Superyacht and private staff recruitment agency