Accountant To Deal Maker: My Playbook For Buying And Scaling Businesses - John Holliday

This is the story of how John Holliday went from struggling to land a junior accounting role to owning one of the UK’s fastest growing accounting firms, now aiming for a 100 million valuation. He started out with poor grades, low confidence, and a fear of being seen. Over time, he built momentum through determination and a focus on customer experience, evolving a small practice into a finance group redefining what an accountancy firm can be. But the growth came with pressure. A bad debt almost killed the business. Cash flow was tight. Key staff had to be let go. And throughout it all John had to keep going, even when it felt impossible. In this episode of The Driven Podcast, John shares: ⚪ How being bullied at school shaped his need to prove himself
 ⚪ The deal structure that changed everything and why most people get it wrong
 ⚪ Why most accountants never master marketing
 ⚪ The numbers behind turning 1 million of spend into 5.6 million of revenue
 ⚪ What every buyer must know before acquiring a business
 ⚪ The real impact of AI on accountants and who will survive it
 ⚪ Why he now offers equity to key staff
 ⚪ How he tries to balance ambition with being present as a dad If you want to scale a service business, understand deal making, future proof against AI, or learn from someone who built from nothing, this episode is for you. Follow:
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