20x ROI for a family-run accountants
“We didn’t have a marketing strategy,” Edward Blythe explains. “We tried a bit of cold calling, some Google reviews – just to see what worked. But we didn’t really know what we were doing, and it wasn’t bringing in the right results.”
Design by Sideplate Studio
An interview with Edward Blythe from Blythe&Co
Read time 1 minute 30 seconds
When the team at Blythe & Co took over the family-run accountancy firm from their father, they were stepping into a well-established business with deep roots in the local community. The UK side of the firm was ticking along nicely. But as they looked to grow a new arm of the business focused on US tax and cross-border clients, they realised they needed a different kind of support.
“We didn’t have a marketing strategy,” Edward Blythe explains. “We tried a bit of cold calling, some Google reviews – just to see what worked. But we didn’t really know what we were doing, and it wasn’t bringing in the right results.”
After a recommendation, Blythe were introduced to Louise. What began as a conversation quickly developed into a working relationship built on trust, structure and a shared understanding of what the business could become. Louise helped the team move away from a scattergun approach and build something clearer and more strategic from the ground up.
The results speak for themselves. “She’s grown our business, I’d say at least twenty-fold on the initial investment,” Edward Blythe explains. Here, Edward shares how that collaboration has helped Blythe & Co shape a stronger brand presence, build confidence as business owners, and lay the foundations for long-term growth.
Q: When did you realise you needed help with your marketing?
Edward: We didn’t really have a marketing strategy. We were trying a few things – some Google reviews, a bit of cold calling – but none of it was really working. It was very much a “give it a go” kind of thing, just to see what happened.
I’d been doing most of it myself, but we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Then someone mentioned Louise in a conversation. What stood out straight away was that she didn’t just say, “You need to do pay-per-click” or “You need a new website.” She actually talked about forming a proper strategy, and that felt different.
Q: What was it about Louise that made you want to work with her?
Edward: It was really Louise’s personality. Our first conversation wasn’t a pitch, it was just a general chat about how she works and how we work. There was no pressure, just a suggestion to give it a go. We really got on with her, and her approach just clicked with us. That’s what got things started.
Q: Where did the work begin?
Edward: We started with the cross-border side of the business – the US work. Our UK business was already well established, so the idea was to grow something new without drawing money from that. It was basically its own isolated thing that I was running 90% of the time, and Louise helped me grow it from scratch.
Q: What strategies did Louise suggest at the start?
Edward: One of the main strategies was figuring out how we could generate more word of mouth, particularly through social media. The one that really surprised me was LinkedIn. Louise gave us guidance and feedback on how to improve our profiles, and from there we started reaching out to other professionals in the cross-border space.
We ended up connecting with a solicitor and a financial advisor. We still work closely with the adviser, and they refer a lot of work to us. It helps their business and obviously helps us too.
It was a clear, practical strategy that worked really well. From there, Louise encouraged us to keep building on that foundation. We’re now looking at the website, doing more localised marketing, and expanding our online presence for that side of the business.
Q: Has your approach to clients changed since then?
Edward: It has, yeah. At the start, we were trying to be available to everyone — anything that might help build the business. We spent a lot of time on online chats and enquiries, which didn’t always lead to work, but it helped raise our profile and get our name out there.
Now, we’re more focused on working with clients who have complex needs and require more of our time. We’ve also started recognising that the advice we give has real value. We’re still happy to be helpful, but when something is more involved, we’ve learned to take a step back and say, actually, this is something that needs to be charged for.
Q: Has Louise helped shift your mindset as a business owner?
Edward: Definitely. Louise has helped us look at the value of what we do in a different way. Having someone external come in and offer a fresh perspective has been really useful, especially when it comes to recognising the impact of our work and how we position ourselves.
She’s also encouraged us to explore opportunities we might have avoided before, like speaking opportunities on podcasts. It’s not something I naturally gravitated towards, but Louise helped break it down into manageable steps. It’s about building confidence gradually and seeing it as part of the growth process, rather than something you have to get perfect from day one.
Q: Would you recommend working with her?
Edward: 100%. I think the only thing that might stop someone is fear – fear of the cost or the time. But Louise has shown us she’s worth it. She’s grown our business, I’d say at least twenty-fold on the initial investment.
That said, you can’t be lazy. You have to do the work yourself too. You can’t just hand it over to Louise and expect it to magically work. You get out what you put in.
Project partners:
Branding and design: Sideplate Studio
Copy and content: Fables Agency
Interview and words by Gabriella Dyson
Design by Sideplate Studio
