I’m delighted to share our latest local business spotlight, and this time it’s the team at Rosslyn Associates!
Based in the Bush Estate, Midlothian, Rosslyn Associates is an accountancy firm that pride themselves on helping their clients build better businesses – and they do this through helpful content, business development coaching and workshops (and great TikToks!).
I’m really happy to have been able to include Mark, Kirsty, Iqraa and Olivia for this interview, which means this interview is a bit different to how we usually do things!
I also need to mention that although Director Ian McLeish couldn’t join us on the interview, he’s mentioned enough that I need to explain who he is (he’s also in one of the TikToks embedded throughout this article)! And thanks to the helpful website, I know his favourite food is curry, his favourite film is Jerry Maguire, and that he likes blues music, guitars and photography – so, there we go!
B: Hi everyone! How are you all? This is not our usual format, so we’ll see how
this one goes! Care to share a fun fact about each of you? (Can be about
yourselves, or a team mate!)
Iqraa: Hiya! I am all good thanks! Fun fact about me is that during my school years I
loved PE, all things sports and was a bit of a tom boy!
Mark: Not particularly fun, but it’s taken me half hour to work out how to answer this
question!
Kirsty: Before going into Accounts I was always set on becoming a hairdresser and cut
my own hair for years, going by those hair cuts everyone will be grateful I chose
accounts instead…
B: We’re loving your TikToks over here at Edinburgh Reviews – lots of really silly
content, but also some helpful stuff, too! Who was responsible for first getting
you on TikTok?
Iqraa: Thank you! I’m going to take the glory here and say I am responsible for getting us on TikTok and doing the silly (and helpful) videos on our social media. But
Mark had been talking about doing a bit more on social media for a wee while.
Mark: I think Iqraa was the one that set up the account, but I’ve been pushing for it
for years. I think I’m usually the first to push for new ideas/content.
Kirsty: When everyone started getting obsessed with TikTok I think it was Mark’s initial idea to start making our own to have some fun content to go with our other posts since we were already on social media. (I had thought it was Iqraa’s idea since she is the mastermind behind all our TikToks now)
B: Speaking of your TikTok, who won at crazy golf?! Was it Ian? We need
confirmation!
Iqraa: I think it was Ian! Or maybe Mark? All I remember is that I came last.
Mark: Obviously me!
Kirsty: I’m hoping no one can remember this answer so I can say it was me (it
definitely wasn’t though) – Truthfully though I think the winner was Mark, beating Ian by
just 1 or 2 points so it was very close!
B: You’re not like a regular accountant – and not just because you’re fun – you
also offer things like coaching and business development. What started you in
that direction?
Mark: I’m sure Ian has a lot to say about this. Everyone is different with what they
want from business – money, time, less stress, etc – and it gives us a thrill to help
clients identify their wants and help them to achieve them.
Iqraa: Ian has always had the idea of business development and being more than just
an accountant or tax advisor ever since he started the business. We introduced it more
formally about 5 years ago now and have been developing it ever since. We now have
our 3 core services: Business Planning, Financial Forecasting and Monthly Coaching.
The reason behind it is to help business owners work ON their business and not just IN
their business. Helping them to get to know their numbers, helping them look at the
business from a strategic point of view, helping them build a plan with goals and actions to ultimately give them more time, more money and less stress, which is usually why most business owners start a business and we want to help them achieve that. It is much more rewarding than preparing accounts and tax returns!
B: It must be rewarding to be fuelled by the successes of your clients. What’s one
of the best success stories you can tell us about?
Kirsty: One of our clients came to us a few years ago just looking for an accountant to
help with their accounts preparation and weren’t too keen on coaching etc, but after
they put in a lot of work on their business and worked with us for a while, they decided
to take on coaching to help grow their business. Along with their hard work already and
the learning that came from the coaching they went on to grow even more and are now
a bit of an idol in their industy, new clients now come to us and when we ask what they
want for their business, their answer is to be just like our client. It’s been amazing to see
them become a leader and idol in their industry.
Iqraa: We have been working with one client for a couple of years now with the
business development services and the difference from when this business came to us
to now, is just enormous. From sales, cash, profits to the team size and motivation to
the business owners stress levels and how much time they’re now spending in their
business. We can’t take full credit for it, as this client has worked really hard over the
last couple of years to get here.
B: Okay, onto the fun questions! Who is most likely to win a Nobel prize?
Mark: The person with the most awesome door knocker!?
Kirsty: Iqraa – the amount of times she’s had to deal with me asking questions about a
completely random bit of tax and testing her knowledge, she certainly deserves one!
Iqraa: Kirsty – she is really kind and helpful to the whole team and all of our clients.
Olivia: Iqraa
B: Who’s most likely to know where to hide a body?
Mark: Probably me. I think I went in to too much detail when we discussed
it in the office.
Kirsty: Olivia – she’s so lovely but is a ‘take no shit’ kind of person at the same time, and that’s definitely the kinda person you see in movies that knows how to get rid of someone that makes the mistake of giving them shit.
Iqraa: Olivia – we were discussing this one and Olivia seemed to know a quite a bit :O
Olivia: Mark
B: Who is most likely to walk off with your pen?
Kirsty: Ian – there may or may not already have been occasions this has
happened… (but then again he pays for the pens so maybe we can let him off)
Iqraa: Ian – I’m sure he has already!
Mark: Definitely not Ian. He’s more likely to buy more because he’s down to his
last hundred pens.
Olivia: Kirsty
B: Who is most likely to start an office pizza day?
Mark: I’d be surprised if anyone doesn’t say me. Food is the first thing I ask about if we’re having a meeting that overlaps any time that could be considered lunch
time.
Iqraa: 100% Mark… 1st thing on the agenda for Mark at our training days is FOOD!
Olivia: Mark
Kirsty: I would say Mark (hoping this one comes true)
B: Hahah! If it does come true, I hope I get the credit! Who is most likely to impulse buy an inflatable dinosaur suit?
Mark: Not sure.
Kirsty: Mark – he’d definitely use the excuse that it’s for the kids to justify it even though it was for himself
Iqraa: After a few drinks… Kirsty
Olivia: Kirsty.
B: It’s the zombie apocalypse, where trust in each other is paramount. Who is
most likely to hide a zombie bite?!
Mark: I wouldn’t hide it. I’d say bye to everyone, crack out my bow, and take out as
many zombies as I could, before falling on my sword. Yes, I’d also have a sword!
Kirsty: Iqraa – but this one isn’t lack of trust, she’s a such an honest person (even if
she has the hint of the cold she’ll warn us all in case we don’t want her in the office
beside us) but the FOMO if we were all to be together and she wouldn’t be able to
because of the bite would get to her too much.
Iqraa: I would say me because I don’t want to be a Zombie �� and I wouldn’t want to be left
out from the team!
Olivia: Myself!
B: Who is most likely to secretly be three ducks in a trench coat?
Mark: No answer
Iqraa: I would love to tell you, but I have no idea what that means
Kirsty: I have no idea what this means, so I’m just going to say myself in case anyone
gets offended
Olivia: Not sure about this one.
B: It’s an internet meme that’s clearly not as well known as I thought it was when trying to come up with fun team questions! I think to make things more confusing, it’s sometimes racoons, cats or toddlers. Moving on!
Finally, what do you all love about working in Edinburgh?
Kirsty: I live outside of Edinburgh so it’s a nice change to drive into Edinburgh for work.
There’s a lot more going on here and places to see, it also reminds me how small a
world it is when driving into work and passing a lot of client’s/their vans around about as
well.
Iqraa: What I love… is working from home! No commute, saving money, jammies,
hot lunches and heating on full blast! Seriously, Edinburgh is a lovely place to work. You
have the best of both worlds – a city with loads of things to do, eat and see, as well as
little tranquil places to reset and have some calm!
Olivia: Edinburgh is a lively city with lots of different things to do
Thanks, Team Rosslyn Associates! We’ll look forward to seeing more from you
on TikTok!
You can find out more about Rosslyn Associates, and check out their services, via their official website – and don’t forget to follow them on TikToK!
Need a birthday gift idea? Maybe our list of gift vouchers can help. Good luck!
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