3 Minutes with Mark Wickersham

Kicking off our first ‘3 Minutes With’ of the year is Mark Wickersham – Accountex trail blazer, Chartered Accountant, public speaker and #1 best-selling author. He is known for helping accounting firms double their profits in less than 18 months without having to work harder or do any uncomfortable marketing. In May 2011 his first book, “Effective Pricing for Accountants”, was a number 1 Amazon bestseller.

 1. How did you get into the profession? 

A happy accident. I had no idea what I wanted to do whilst at Sheffield University. However, at the start of my final year in 1987 they had something called the “Milk Round”, where accounting firms would visit the university and make presentations about their firm and invite applications. Surprisingly I got offered a job at a local accounting firm with no requirement on grades, so I could enjoy my final year at university! I knew I wanted to do something in business, and the idea of doing professional qualifications didn’t seem a bad idea.

2. What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job? 

After I sold my sole practitioner accounting firm nearly 20 years ago I have spent my time teaching accountants how to run more successful businesses. I discovered that I love to teach, either onstage, or via Zoom. From my own mistakes running my own firm I know pricing is the biggest problem most firms have. What I love most about what I do are the success stories I get every week from firms I have helped when they get much higher prices, make more money and start having more fun. Some of those inspiring stories feature in my books, “A Practical Approach to Value Pricing” and my latest book, published by Kogan Page last July, “Value Pricing for Accounting Professionals.”

3. What do you see as key trends for the accounting sector in the coming year? 

Many of the trends are continuations of what we have seen, particularly in the area of technology which is moving at a frightening pace. However, the other big trend I am seeing which partly comes from technology and accelerated during Covid, is the issue over remote working and how to motivate team members who work from home. It seems to be causing a divide in the profession. More traditionally thinking firms think people have to work in offices, and yet I am seeing a big shift in firms moving to virtual set ups. I live in a different country – Portugal – to my team, and see huge benefits of working from home and a flexible work environment. This new way of working requires a different way of thinking, particularly how we communicate with both clients and team members in this increasingly virtual world.

4. What advice would you give to your younger self?

That’s a tough one. I’m living the dream life in Portugal right now, working a 4 day week, with the financial means to retire anytime I want and working with amazing accounting firms around the world. I have made so many mistakes in my life and career; the biggest ones being in the first few years of running my sole practitioner accounting firm which I started in 1996. However, I believe that mistakes are a learning experience. If I didn’t make those mistakes I wouldn’t have had those opportunities to learn!  If I had to pick something, it would have been to set high – not low – prices when growing my firm. I was 2 weeks away from bankruptcy in 1999 – a very tough time in my life – and the root cause of my problems was being too cheap, too many of the wrong clients and low margins.

5. How important is Accountex to you and the sector?

I exhibited and spoke at the very first Accountex at London Olympia in November 2012. I exhibited and spoke at every UK event until 2019; Covid led to the cancellation of the 2020 event and I also moved to Portugal. Whilst I now rarely travel to speak, Accountex was an event I always looked forward to and is essential for anybody in the profession to keep abreast of the latest thinking and the latest technology.

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