At Stafford & Co. we believe it’s important to understand our clients personal and business goals. We sat down with our Managing Director Rob Stafford and asked him a few personal questions over a cup of Earl Grey Rooibos Tea!
Q: What’s your favourite place you have visited and why? A: Positano. It was my honeymoon so I was with the woman of my dreams. It was a beautiful place with amazing scenery, food, people and the hotel we stayed in was fantastic. I often remark – “I want to be back in Positano!”
Q: What superpower would you choose? A: To be able to fly. May seem obvious, but I hate my commute to work and I’d love the freedom of being in the sky.
Q: What’s your signature dish? A: Probably my nando’s chicken & halloumi burgers which I do for the kids. I cook for the kids more than I cook for my wife! (Sorry Joni!) For Joni it would be aubergine parmigiana (a rare treat!)
Q: What’s your favourite motto/saying? A: I think I probably have 2 things that I regularly ask and annoy Joni / the kids with:
- “What do you know?”
- “What was your favourite thing / part of …..?”
Q: What is your biggest lesson in life? A: Your own health is the most precious thing you can have and you should do everything you can to protect it. If you’re not healthy yourself, you can’t look after anybody else.
Q: Who is your longest standing client? A: Heavyparts Hydraulics Ltd. (I think – there’s a few to mention!) They were my Dad’s client when he was based in Rochdale and have been a client for over 30 years. We’ve helped them through 2 management buy outs and 2 premises moves. I remember going out to complete a stock take as a trainee accountant over 20 years ago.
Q: Who is your most bizarre client? A: There’s too many to name! I recall when one of my client’s who were selling various products online, came across electronic cigarettes. I thought they were crazy investing their resources in such a strange product. Little did I know when they sold their Vape / electronic cigarette business for + £25m three years later! It’s one of the things I love about my job – seeing the various and interesting ways that client’s earn a living.
Q: What’s the hardest challenge for businesses at the moment? A: Managing the increases is costs in all areas – energy, wages, IT services, products, you name it our client’s margins are being squeezed all over and for small businesses being able to pass those increases in costs on to their customers is not always that easy.
Q: What’s the biggest change in your job in your time as an accountant? A: There’s been so many in my 20+ years! More recently the after effects of Covid and the reduction in client visits and face to face meetings. Whilst there are significant savings and benefits from online meetings, there’s nothing better than seeing a client’s operations to truly understand what they do.
Q: If you could change one thing in business/the economy? A: Equality. It concerns me enormously that there is an ever-widening gap between the wealthy and the poor.