Revenue is up. So why doesn't it feel like it?
Accelerate is the finance director your recruitment agency doesn't have yet. Numbers you understand every month, a plan you can act on, and your compliance handled.
If this sounds like your agency, you're in the right place.
- Billings are up, but you can't say whether the business is more profitable.
- You find out how the year went when your accounts arrive, months later.
- Your accountant files on time. That's where the conversation ends.
- You don't know what the agency is worth, or what would make it worth more.
- You have a goal. You don't have a plan with numbers in it.
Two very different goals. Both need the numbers.
Build it to sell
Understand what a buyer will pay for, and work on it years before anyone looks. Margin, client concentration, consultant performance and clean numbers all move the price.
Build it to run without you
Know what you can safely take out, what the business needs to keep, and what has to be true before you can step back from the desk.
Two ways to work together.
Fixed monthly fees. No surprise invoices.
Compliance
From £200 a month + VAT
Compliance done properly, so you never think about it.
- Bookkeeping in Xero
- Quarterly VAT returns
- Payroll
- Annual accounts
- Corporation tax return
Outsourced FD
From £600 a month + VAT
For owners who want to make decisions with confidence.
- Everything in Compliance
- Monthly reporting you can read in ten minutes
- Budgets and cash flow forecasts
- The KPIs that drive agency value, tracked
- A regular review call to decide what happens next
An in-house finance director costs upwards of £75,000 a year. This is the same thinking, at a fraction of the cost.
What clients say.
Our structure had grown complicated across several businesses. Accelerate untangled it, explained what it meant in plain English, and gave us a clear plan for what to do next.
Bookkeeping, VAT and payroll just get done, without me chasing anything. When I have a question, I get a straight answer I can actually use.
Getting started is simple.
A 30-minute call
We talk through where the agency is, and where you want it to be. No obligation.
A clear proposal
A fixed monthly fee and an engagement letter to sign online. If you're switching accountants, we handle the handover.
Your first review
We agree the rhythm: what you'll get, when, and what we need from you.
Led by a finance director, not a bookkeeper.
Accelerate was founded by Sam Johnson ACA, a chartered accountant and the finance director of a global recruitment business. Sam has worked with recruitment agencies since 2017.
The firm exists because of a gap: agency owners need forward-looking financial leadership, and most accountants give them a set of accounts once a year and very little about what to do next.
- ICAEW Chartered Accountant
- Recruitment specialist
- Xero
Questions owners ask.
Do you only work with recruitment agencies?
No. Recruitment is where we specialise, so we already know how an agency makes money, where it leaks, and what a buyer looks for.
We also work with other owner-managed businesses that want the same thing: clear numbers and a plan, not just compliance.
What size of business do you work with?
Typically businesses turning over £300k to £1m, with 3 to 10 people. That's where finance director input makes the biggest difference.
I already have an accountant. Is switching a hassle?
No. We contact your current accountant for professional clearance and collect what we need. You don't need to have an awkward conversation.
Can I start with Compliance and move up later?
Yes. You can start with Compliance and add the Outsourced FD service when you're ready to plan ahead.
Know where your agency stands.
A 30-minute call. You'll leave with at least one thing worth acting on.