OUR STORY

Jackie became AAT qualified and set up a sole trader bookkeeping business.

Jackie welcomed her first team member through work experience—her daughter Heather, who also studied AAT and, with years of experience, is now our Practice Manager.

Jackie opened her first office—a single room on Goat Mill Road—and expanded the team by hiring another employee to support the growing business.

We moved to Navigation Park—an excellent location with easy access and ample parking.

This has proved be a central location for clients based in Blackwood, Bargoed, Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Caerphilly and Merthyr. Conveniently situated in the Valleys and within reach of Cardiff, this move helped us better serve clients across South Wales.

During this time, our client base increased steadily.

During the economic downturn, when many businesses were struggling, we proactively launched a training company to help individuals who had been made redundant learn new skills.

Consequently, this training initiative ran alongside our established accountancy practice. Not only did it support the local workforce, but it also significantly increased visibility for our services.

Furthermore, it proved to be an effective way to grow our client base and strengthen our presence within the community.

Jackie partnered with the University of South Wales and began teaching as a university lecturer, delivering business and finance training to local companies.

This not only supported local business development but also provided a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of our accountancy practice.

We doubled our office space and grew our team to six employees to meet increasing demand.

Since then, our client base continued to grow, and our accountancy practice became a well-established and trusted provider of financial and business advisory services.

JDH was proud to be featured in the published book Putting Excellence into Practice, which highlights successful UK accountancy firms and how they operate.

Our story is shared in Chapter 63

When COVID-19 hit the UK, we quickly adapted by transitioning to remote working to ensure uninterrupted service. Despite the uncertainty, Our team continued to support clients through the challenges. We were able to give timely assistance with COVID grants and the Job Retention Scheme (JRS).

As a result of our dedication, responsiveness, and client-first approach, we successfully retained our entire client base throughout the pandemic.

We downsized our office space to reflect our shift to hybrid working, choosing to work remotely for most of the week. To support this transition, we moved our systems to the cloud—making collaboration, data access, and client service more efficient and flexible.

As a team made up mostly of working mothers, this move has helped us find a better balance between work and family life—something we also strive to support for our clients.

Now a dedicated team of five, our story continues to evolve. As part of our ongoing commitment to innovation, we’ve integrated AI-powered tools to automate routine tasks. This, in turn, gives us more time to focus on what matters most—our clients. Moreover, by streamlining our workflows, we are improving accuracy and saving time so are able to deliver even greater value.

Looking ahead, we’re fully prepared for upcoming changes, including Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax and the latest Companies House reforms. As always, we remain committed to staying ahead of the curve—ensuring clients stay compliant, informed, and future-ready.