The Business Bulletin
Spotllight on…
Spotlight on Roger Eddowes
Roger Eddowes of Essendon Accounts & Tax – a leading accountancy practice in Bucks and the surrounding area – shares his journey, what makes his practice different to the competition and also what impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on his business – both staff and clients.
So how did you get into your
So I went back to college and
position. It was just by chance one
business? When did you start it and
started the accountancy exams and
day I was reading the accountancy
how did you end up in this industry?
looked around for some work as well,
rag and noticed that there was an
I actually started my working life as
because the course was part time. I
opportunity going in Towcester in
ended up working for small family
South Northants. There was a retiring
businesses in a Market Harborough
accountant who had been let down
who understood my position given my
by his successor.I went for a chat and
illness and were very kind supporting
before I knew it, I was in the building
me with getting qualified.
taking over his client portfolio and
a quantity surveyor (QS) and you can imagine I like numbers! I enjoyed my time as a quantity surveyor – it only lasted about two years, as in my early twenties I became ill. As I was coming out of that illness, it was right in the
I’m quite a loyal person, so I
recession of the early nineties. The
stayed with them for a few years
construction industry was dead and
after getting qualified; to pay them
QS jobs were disappearing and there
back for the investment they put in
was no chance of me ever getting
me. Because it was a family firm, I
back into a suitable role.
was never going to get to the top
26 | Issue 1 – Finance
finding myself self-employed running a business! So it all happened quite quickly; that was back in 2004 and time’s flown by. Like all these people who become self-employed, you don’t look back –
