Thrive

Remember that blind recruitment experiment I mentioned? "Did it actually work though?" Well, thanks for asking... yes. Yes it did! 🎉 We've had an offer accepted for our Accounts Payable Manager role, and honestly? I'm properly chuffed with how this played out. If you didn't see my previous post, we reviewed redacted CVs for this role. No Name or Location No Gender markers No Education section The most surprising bit? The extraordinary clarity you get when reviewing CVs with all the noise stripped away. No unconscious biases sneaking in - just pure focus on skills and experience. And those interview questions we sent in advance? (I mentioned we might chat about that 😉) The feedback was completely consistent: • Less nervous candidates • Better conversations • More meaningful exchanges about actual experience • No weird 'gotcha' moments For anyone curious to learn more, I recently chatted about it with Jordan Vickery for The Firm and have linked to the full conversation in comments. To our soon-to-be new team member - can't wait to have you on board! 💚 And yes, I'm still making bits of this up as I go along, but isn't that exactly how we find better ways of doing things? PS: Thanks to Drew Mitten of Aila Recruitment | Certified B Corporation® for a flawless process 🙌 #BCorp #DoingThingsDifferently

While net zero regulations might feel like a distant warning, it’s coming faster than you think 👀 Accountants and bookkeepers are key players in catalysing positive change. Getting your firm, and your clients’ businesses Net Zero ready doesn’t have to be a thankless chore... With the right tools, it can: ✅ Become a profitable service offering. ✅ Set you apart from your competitors. ✅ Increase demand of your services for clients in an increasing range of industries. We’ve joined forces with James Lizars FCCA to show that you can boost your profits, while inspiring meaningful change in the world. Join us on 26 November at 12:00 PM to discover how: https://lnkd.in/ejXgfeUw

Ding ding - webinar double-header At 1pm tomorrow, Adam Bastock of Small99 and I will be diving into how small businesses can create their Net Zero plan, why they might want to, and how accountants and bookkeepers are the ones to help them do it. Free to join and with a CPD certificate to-boot, check out the whole programme from the Accountex Virtual Summit. https://lnkd.in/e9EedGrT And next Tuesday at 12pm, I’ll be joining the GoProposal and Sage Earth crew to look more deeply at Profit/Purpose, Carbon Accounting and how accountants and bookkeepers can offer a Net Zero service in a way that boosts broader advisory services. https://lnkd.in/eUBxtuGP All these webinars and germs going around, it’s like a flashback to 2020 🦠 #netzero #purpose #sustainability

Removing bias: Our experiment with blind recruitment 🔬 At Thrive, we're always looking for ways to improve our processes and live the B Corp philosophy. Our latest adventure? Blind recruitment (surely there's a better term than this 🤔). Why? Well, imagine an HR director, a B Corp consultant, and a DEI specialist walk into our office. They'd probably (🧐) high-five over two key reasons: • It supercharges diversity, injecting fresh perspectives and boosting innovation. 🚀 • It laser-focuses hiring on skills and experience, leading to better job fit and stellar performance. 💪 The result? A stronger, more dynamic team built on merit and aligned with our values. It's a win-win that ticks both the business performance and social impact boxes. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 (𝗻𝗲𝘄) 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵: Our friends at Aila Recruitment | Certified B Corporation® strip CVs of identifying details - names, education, gender markers, and location. Basically, anything that might trigger those pesky unconscious biases we all have lurking in our brains. 🧠 The outcome? It's like clearing away the noise. Suddenly, we're zeroed in on the 'what' instead of the 'who': • What has the candidate achieved? • What unique value can they bring to Thrive? Don't worry, we're not ignoring who they are as individuals. That comes later when we dive into values and ambitions during interviews. But for that initial review? It's all about skills and experience. So, how's it going? I'm genuinely impressed and surprised. The clarity it's brought to our review process is hard to put into words. We've now got a cracking shortlist of candidates moving to the interview stage. And because we like to keep things interesting, we're shaking up that part too. We'll be sending interview questions in advance. (More on that in a future post, perhaps? 😉) Have you dipped your toes into blind recruitment? I'd love to hear about your experiences and any tips on how to improve further. And if you haven't... why not give it a whirl? You might be surprised at what you uncover when you peel back those preconceptions! Drew Mitten Aidan Murray Sarah Whale #BlindRecruitment #BCorp #DiversityAndInclusion #ContinuousImprovement

Sooo, about last night then….. Thrive are the winners of the small firm ESG category at the Accounting Excellence awards. Blimey…. What’s ESG? Environmental, Social, Governance. Think sustainability and you get the gist. Lovely to get the recognition, obvs and that’s one solid trophy. Congrats to all of the other shortlisted firms and winners on the night. What an amazing group of people you are. Oh and thanks to ACCA United Kingdom for having me as your guest and, well, for all of the opportunities the qualification has created along the way 🙏 I’m off to the dentist 😋🦷 🏆💚 #ae24 #acca

🎉⭐💚We're Finalists Again 💚⭐🎉 They're arguably the premier national awards for accounting businesses and, for the second year running, Thrive has been shortlisted in the 𝗘𝗦𝗚 (sustainability) category of the 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀. One of our core values is 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩. It’s not about donating a few quid to charity at the end of the year. It’s the fully embedded, pervasive, features-in-all-that-we-do version. You know, like a core value should. 🌍 𝗘 (𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹): One obvious place it shows up is our progress towards the Million Tree Pledge with the planting of over 🌳200,000 trees🌳 now funded. That comes from our commitment to divert 20% of our profits to making a positive impact. We do that alongside my industry advocacy efforts, sharing how accountants can be a force for positive change, particularly in helping clients navigate the challenges of Net Zero. 🧑🤝🧑 𝗦 (𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹): It also shows up in how we treat our team. Making sure that their jobs make a positive impact on their lives and families beyond the payslip. And of course, it shows up in how we support our clients. Filing stuff for them is table stakes, helping them reach their goals is what we strive for (and few of them exist on this planet for the purpose of just making profit). 💼  𝗚 (𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲): Last but not least, is our own business. We're a B Corp, which is a for-profit certification and whilst I'm not going to pretend we've got it all sown up (there's plenty of room for improvement, but running a small business is HARD) we're growing at a steady 30% by adding clients we love. And we're continuously working to improve all of our key metrics - our B Corp score, our profitability, our team happiness, our client NPS and our monthly recurring fees, whilst living ALL of our core values. There are lots of ways to 'do business'. This is how we do it. #ae24 #bcorp #accountingexcellence  

We did it! We brought an escape room experience to Accountex and had over 100 escapees work through the carbon literacy-themed clues. That, alongside numerous other conversations around carbon accounting and B Corp certification. When Caroline Hobden approached me in December saying that she wanted a sustainability zone feature area at the London show, I got straight in touch with my mate, the creative genius Laura Gelder-Robertson . She said “𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺!” I said, “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝗮𝗮𝘁?” Caroline said, “𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁; 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄.” Sage said, “𝗬𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.” And that’s how Thrive came to be an exhibitor at Accountex London. Making the Sustainability Zone and Escape Room a reality. 😞 From 2022 with only 2 of 180 seminars addressing Sustainability. 🥳 To 2024 and 14 of 180 with an actual feature zone at the front. The partnership that Caroline and I forged in May 2022 has strengthened the show's sustainability experience no end. But also, their team has worked incredibly hard to improve the show's sustainability overall. That will always be a work in progress, but the progress made so far has been brilliant. A huge thank you to Caroline and the Accountex team for providing the prime space and being so incredibly supportive. Sage for sponsoring and giving us the budget to source our supplies from amazing small, sustainable businesses. Conrad, Richard, Saara, Mark and Seren from Sage Earth, for your boundless energy as hosts on the stand Bird & Blend Tea Co. B Corp, and all our sustainable suppliers. Simon Byerley, for your incredible design work Lucy Bennett, for your brilliant support and production excellence And, of course, Laura Gelder-Robertson for going so far above and beyond to bring this to life and making the Escape Room such an engaging experience. All the buzz is about bigger and better for next year ☺️ Bring on 2025! #accountex #acx24 #sustainability  

Ever watched, "The 1% Club" or Richard Osman's, "House of Games"? Well, inspired by these quiz games + a desire to spark curiosity in Sustainability from c.10,000 accountants at Accountex London next week, the wonderful James Lizars FCCA, Neil Russell-Bates (he/him) and I have designed a 20 mins Escape Room blending maths, science + cryptic clues. All of the answers are rooted in business facts and general knowledge related to 8 key topics of relevance to Accountants (thanks, James!) Accountex have given us a prime position as you enter the show, right next to our sponsors, Sage Earth. We'll have ESG Experts on hand like Conrad Langridge and James Lizars FCCA to answer all your questions as well as refreshing tea from our B Corp friends at Bird & Blend Tea Co. B Corp. If you're around, come and say "hi" and bring a friend to try the Escape Room, or just come and ask all those questions you've been dying to ask but weren't sure who to turn to over a nice cuppa tea. *Free tickets* to the show are available here: https://lnkd.in/ePsM9SCz *Free signups* to the Escape Room via Calendly here: https://lnkd.in/eUZB44fs Know an Accountant? Feel free to tag them below. More on who escapes next week!! Free sustainable gifts for every Escapee! Caroline Hobden Rachel Gregory Zofia Hugill Dr Peter Ellington Jennifer Williamson Kathryn Frimond Lucy Bennett Meg Fenn Simon Byerley Mary McAlister Fran Ellington Richard Fitzherbert Sarah Whale Rebecca Young Adam Bastock Alexis Eyre Sam Zindel Peter Bowie 鲍毅 BaoYi Trey Meckel Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi Janet Pope #famouslastwords #AccountexSustainabilityZone #SageEarthEscapeRoom #racetozerominutes #collaborationiskey #stretchyourminds #Onepointfivepercentclub

Just love this new feature at Accountex! And so happy to be working with James Lizars FCCA Laura Gelder-Robertson and Conrad Langridge to create something so important. 🌳

Team Thrive are already signed up :) #ACX24