Kate Brown is a chartered accountant with over 20-years’ experience. Having worked with individuals and businesses of all sizes, she has been based in Northamptonshire since 2001 and enjoys working with local clients and businesses across the country.

Kate says…

“I qualified as an accountant back in 1995 and it was once I had children that I decided I wanted to start my own practice. 2001 was the turning point for me, I became fed up with traipsing to Milton Keynes all the time, and I really just wanted to spend more time with my children.  So, I left KPMG where I worked, and struck out on my own. 20 years on and my Kate Brown Accountant business is thriving, my longest client has been with me for 20 years!

I had in the past experienced people not taking me seriously or passing me over because I was a female accountant.  I felt they thought I was just doing the job as a ‘hobby’ around my family but that simply wasn’t the case, I was passionate about my career and always gave it my all.

The first steps…

This experience impacted the way I viewed myself and my business. I have a tendency to undervalue myself and my worth.  One of the main issues was my confidence and work-life balance. A change of mindset and taking action to make changes was definitely needed, as well as knowing what direction I wanted my business to go in.

I sort of knew what business coaching was and had thought about it, but I had never taken any action.  It was when I met Angela at an ICAEW annual conference in Market Harborough (we were at the same table) and we got talking, that I realised I needed guidance. As Angela had run her own accountancy practice, I knew she was the right coach for me, and it was a natural progression for me to sign up for 121 coaching with her in Feb 2020.

The results so far…

Having coaching with Angela has made me be a lot more focused. I now know what I am doing with my business. My business is already pretty well cooked and well organised, but the difference is that the future of the business is very clear, and I know where I want it to be.

The coaching sessions really helped me with my mindset.  My confidence grew and my work-life balance improved. Setting targets with Angela improved how I spend my time and how I approach different things.  I was finding that I was spending rather a lot of time in the office and not all that much with family. Putting it simply, I didn’t want to spend all of my life working, I wanted a healthy balance.

Coaching gives you an independent view of your business, you can’t always see it clearly from the inside, you need someone looking in from the outside.  If I didn’t know about financials, I would say others would definitely need help and benefit from business coaching.

Yes, 121 coaching is a huge investment, but it gives you the accountability to do the tasks that you normally wouldn’t have done without the coaching. The investment also ensures that you strive to get your more money’s worth so again, this gives you the focus to use the tools, and complete the tasks.  When you look at it that way, plus the fact you get monthly calls, books, and attendance at other ActionCOACH seminars, there’s a lot of added value there too. The decision has to be yours, and it has to be the right time for you.

I now fully understand my worth, I feel so much more confident and people who would have gone to someone else before, now come to me.  I’m taken much more seriously and I have built up loyal clients. Angela was great to work with, she was lovely and really challenged me, and I am really glad I signed up for her coaching programme and can thoroughly recommend her coaching services.”

A note from Business Coach Angela Turton

“I loved working with Kate, she was very professional and organised, and we were able to have a laugh sometimes too. Kate continues to be very supportive of her clients and has now gained a work-life balance she is happy with.

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