Our insights and reflections on business and Scotland’s tech sector
You can also follow Accountech on LinkedIn for the latest insights.
London Bound – Part 2 – Reflections on the Event
The “Going Global: Showcasing Scottish Innovation in Climate and Life Sciences” event was organised by Scottish Business Network and hosted by Zinc Ventures at their office at Euston House in London on 7 May 2024. Four Accountech clients were showcased at the event: Clyde Hydrogen Systems – a University of Glasgow spinout which has created technology to help build systems for green hydrogen...
London Bound – Part 1 – How the Event Came About
The idea for an Accountech trip to London first came to me last year when I was down for a business trip and discovered that after Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, London is the city where you can find the most Scots in the UK – and also that many of those are successful, well connected and keen to help their fellow Scots. I had also come across Scottish Business Network and was keen for...
Touchy Feely Board Book
Amongst my favourite business books that I keep in my office to refer back to, there is a Touchy Feely Board Book. Let me explain why that is. The Hedgehog Concept My favourite part of my favourite book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins is The Hedgehog Concept. It is based on the Isaiah Berlin essay “The Hedgehog and the Fox” which divided the world into hedgehogs...
Chasing Unicorns – What Makes a Difference for Successful Tech Companies
Definition of a Unicorn: Unicorn is the term used in the venture capital industry to describe a startup company with a value of over $1 billion. In between saying that I would write this blog in my 21st anniversary LinkedIn post at the start of September and actually writing it two months later, I was beaten to it. That in itself is perhaps a good illustration of one of the rules for running a...
Scotland’s Tech Sector Then and Now – Part 2
Now – What has Changed since 2002 In Part 1, I listed what had endured and worked since 2002 when I started my accounting business for tech companies. In Part 2, I cover what has changed, which is a much broader subject. 3 Major Changes Technological change The internet, mobile phones, and more recently robotics and AI have changed and are changing our world in ways that would have seemed...
Scotland’s Tech Sector Then and Now – Part 1
Part 1 – Then – What has endured Introduction When I started my accounting practice and freelance Finance Director service for technology companies in September 2002, it was a turbulent time. Scotland was still reeling from the dot com boom and bust and Motorola had recently announced the closure of their Bathgate plant, which was the latest setback to a policy of encouraging inward investment...
100% Pure and Fresh Part 2
100% Pure and Fresh Part 2 – Time for a Fresh Approach In Part 1, I described changes that have happened in the past 21 years that Accountech has been serving tech companies. In this second part, I describe a fresh approach which better fits their needs. A Fresh Approach Tech start-ups need more and different help from other clients. Systems They need to get their systems right from the start in...
100% Pure and Fresh Part 1
100% Pure and Fresh Part 1 – Why the Traditional Accounting Model does not fit early stage tech companies well My accounting practice started in 2002 and right from the start I decided that it would focus on early stage technology companies. The boom in tech companies that has happened in the intervening twenty one years has attracted some traditional generalist firms to the sector, some dating...
3 Favourite Books
“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read” - Mark Twain I am a very keen reader as anyone who follows my #bookofthemonth LinkedIn posts will know. So far this year, I have read 50 books and it is only mid-August 📚 I keep copies of all of my favourite books in my office and they can usually be seem behind me in any Zoom/Teams calls 🙂 There aren't many books that I...
Story of a website
Two years ago, after I joined the One Per Cent Club, I started doing 90-day plans, where we identified three goals per quarter. If you haven’t tried it, I would definitely recommend it, as otherwise, it is easy to spend your time on day-to-day tasks and answering emails and attending meetings and you haven’t actually achieved any underlying improvements to your business – you haven’t worked ON...