Julie Robinson
Julie is 41 and a born and bred Sheffielder. The youngest of four, she has two brothers and a sister and grew up with her parents in Wincobank.As a child, Julie was what her parents called ‘of a nervous disposition’. She was very shy and problems with her speech meant she was attending speech therapy through Sheffield Children's Hospital. At the age of four, a life changing accident nearly cut Julie’s life tragically short. “I had a serious accident playing hide and seek on some spare land behind our house. I fell on some glass and cut my left artery. I was very lucky in that our next door neighbour's friend was visiting. Because she was a nurse, she actually saved my life. I was rushed to hospital and was in intensive care for a number of weeks, staying in hospital for about a month in total. They said that I would never use my arm again.”
Treatment on Julie’s arm lasted for about three months after which the medics said nothing further could be done. It was about three months after this that she reached out for a toy and started to use her arm. Julie still remembers the tears from everyone when that happened. However, the accident had also caused her speech problems to worsen and she had difficulty communicating and expressing herself for several years afterwards. “I asked my parents how such a nervous little girl can become the confident person that I am today and their only answer is that sheer determination from somewhere deep inside me made it happen!”
Julie has never been a stranger to hard work. That same determination saw her take a Saturday and after school job in a newsagent from being thirteen earning £100 a week in the holidays, to pack it in to take on a youth training scheme in the 80s for the princely sum of £27.50. She started at Yorkshire Bank because she had an eye to her longer term career prospects and became bank manager after 13 years.
Since then, Julie took her ACMA and MAAT qualifications and has held a string of finance manager roles within the voluntary and business sectors. At Voluntary Action Rotherham, Julie set up the Community Accountancy Service, then became senior finance manager with SOVA, a large national charity managing the £11M Women Into Work Project working with disadvantaged groups including women in prisons. In 2007 she became head of finance & operations at Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber of Commerce.
Along the way, Julie married and had a son Danny, now 16, but sadly their marriage failed when he was three. Julie gradually moved on in her life and lived with partner Lee for five years before she became a Christian and they got married in 2003. Lee is a songwriter, and he and Julie kept thinking of having a baby together, but not acting. As Julie says “Lee didn't wish to have a family until he had achieved certain things in his life- 41 is still young to Lee!”
There were two things it never seemed right to start, that second family and her own business… that was until Julie felt she needed to move on from her last job and Lee encouraged her to create the kind of innovative accountancy practise she had long dreamed of.
I always knew there was a need for a supportive, hands-on accountancy service rather than an annual formality. I’d been chuntering about it for five years and turning 40 gave me that now or never feeling. Fortunately Lee agreed, and after eight months having had to take on four new staff to cope with demand, we are both glad I did. Oh, and something else... with staff I could trust and a great start up experience that shows no sign of slowing, Lee and I decided there was another piece of business to start and our baby is due in April!”
“The practice was always going to be called Footprints after the well loved poem called ‘Footprints in the sand’. Our strap line 'helping your business every step of the way' , describes how I feel about my faith. I started on my own in April, Caroline joined me as associate accountant in June and we took on two trainee accountants through Modern Apprenticeships in November. I really want to help other young people train in the way my YTS gave me a start all those years ago. This has proved that there is a real need for what we do- I don't know anyone else that helps businesses in the same way at all. All our business has been word of mouth: either people meeting me at networking events, clients recommending me to one another and fantastic support from my own Bank whose many business managers continue to recommend their clients to Footprints, plus business support organizations like Opportunity Sheffield and Entrepreneurs Ladder.”Julie believes her free of charge workshops and range of additional business development services, make her service unique. “I’m always spotting ways to help our clients. Our two main areas of difference are that as our CIMA qualifications qualify us to do all the normal formalities, we have also worked in business and therefore can understand our clients’ real world environment. We are constantly coming up with ideas they may not have thought of to help clients become more profitable: looking at and challenging where needed their costs, prices, product bundling, opening hours, staffing structures and more. Secondly, our team is structured so that junior staff can do the day to day basics such as bookkeeping and payroll, then managers complete final accounts and tax, making the service very cost effective. We have also been highly successful with business planning and raising finance for clients. Being an ex bank manager, I know exactly what the banks are looking for and can submit it in a suitable format that they will respond to positively, I even attend the meeting between the client and their bank or commercial lender. I also conduct quarterly business reviews during which I am known for strategically challenging our clients and working together to drive the business forward.”
The packages Footprints offer can provide the basics, plus some finance director time from myself for the many businesses who simply cannot afford a finance director. We have listened carefully to our customers and started designing packages which allow for various staff involvement at different levels, producing a full service at a sensible price.
Julie also runs a range of workshops with partner organizations which have really taken off since she launched these in October with her 'Sheffield Business Workshop' at Barclay’s flagship Fargate branch. “The idea behind the workshops is to bring in different companies that I know and trust to present on areas which larger corporates would have specific departments to deal with such as finance, HR, IT, health and safety, marketing etc. I also involve a public sector body each time where I feel they can be of value to our clients, such as National Apprenticeships and Opportunity Sheffield.
So with all this achieved in an incredible eight short months, what does the future hold for Footprints? “Well, we are thrilled we already have a waiting list of talented accountants I have worked with over the years who have said they would love to work with us. We know how important flexibility is for working mums, so that’s the kind of working environment we provide. That doesn't mean it is an easy ride as service to clients is paramount. However, staff are treated well, developed and will progress further within the business. It benefits everyone. Footprints is rapidly becoming its own brand- our ethics and level of service is attracting attention and our reputation is building. The long term plan is for Footprints to become a group and to set up further companies to service other business functions such as Footprints Health and Safety, Footprints Human Resources etc. However, for now it is imperative that we grow at the correct pace to protect ourselves and our clients, the focus today is therefore Footprints Accountancy.”
Not bad for a shy four year old of ‘nervous disposition’!
For more information on Footprints services, contact: Julie Robinson ACMA, MAAT Director
t. 0114 2488764
m. 07846856972
www.footprintsaccountancy.com
Eckington Business Centre 2, 8 Gosber Street, Eckington, Sheffield, S21 4DA
Profile created and distributed by Faye Smith, Keep your Fork marketing consultancy
Telephone: 07985 038265 email: faye@keepyourfork.co.uk
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