When Anne Wright's husband came home one day and announced he'd resigned from his job, they had three children under five, an extension on the house with no gable end, and not a single client between them. It wasn't exactly the business plan.
But it worked.
Nearly 20 years later, FBD Consultancy is a nine-strong accounting practice serving businesses from start-ups to multi-million-pound turnover organisations. Anne joins Brenda on Scale HER Up to share what she's learned — about finance, about building a team, and about backing yourself even when everything feels uncertain.
The financial reality for small businesses right now
Anne doesn't sugarcoat it. Right now, it's tough for small businesses — and she's seeing it up close in the books of her clients.
Rising national minimum wage, increased employers' national insurance, energy costs, and now Making Tax Digital (MTD) — the government's requirement for businesses to submit quarterly digital tax returns — are all adding pressure before a business has even opened its doors.
"For a small business owner, it's tough. There is no getting away from it."
MTD in particular is a significant shift for sole traders and small operators who are used to dealing with their finances once a year. A plumber, a painter, an electrician — someone out every day fulfilling their order book — now needs to stay on top of quarterly digital returns. The logic may be sound, says Anne, but the burden on a one-person business is real.
Her message? Get support early, keep a close eye on your costs, and don't wait until year-end to look at your numbers.
Starting when the time was definitely not right
Anne and her husband Brian — a Chartered Institute of Accountants for Scotland (ICAS) qualified accountant — built FBD Consultancy from scratch. No clients. No safety net. No gable end on the house.
"There is no right time. There is no right time. And you make it work."
They started with one client and grew steadily from there. Nearly two decades on, they have a team of nine and a business that supports families across their community. It's not glamorous, but it's real — and Anne is proud of every bit of it.
The biggest challenge no one talks about enough
Ask Anne what the hardest part of running a business is, and her answer is immediate: getting paid.
"We're last in the queue. And I hate it. I absolutely hate it."
After hours of work preparing accounts, the client's first priority is often the tax bill — and the accountant's invoice can wait. It's not unique to accounting. Every business owner, from the sole trader to the multi-million-pound operation, faces the same challenge. Managing cash flow, chasing invoices, and staying on top of who owes what — it's unglamorous, it's stressful, and it never really goes away.
If you want your time back, you have to build a team
Anne is clear on this: if you want freedom in your business, you have to be willing to grow.
"You will never be free. When you're not working, there's no money coming in. If you want to scale and leave a legacy and have some time back, you have to build."
She's honest about the challenges of building a team — the interviews that don't tell you everything, the probation periods that don't always reveal the full picture, the moments where things don't work out. But the alternative — staying small to avoid the stress of managing people — means staying trapped in your business forever.
The confidence that came from saying yes
One of the most unexpected parts of Anne's story is her 15 years as a QuickBooks software trainer. An accountant who describes herself as someone who sits behind a spreadsheet — travelling from Northern Ireland to Orkney, delivering training, building confidence one room at a time.
"I was just an accountant that pushed paper and spreadsheets. But you can get so much out of an opportunity that is thrown in your direction."
It started with one talk. Then three. Then a four-and-a-half-day interview for a trainer role. She took it anyway — and absolutely loved it. The first big training session in East Kilbride had her buzzing. After that, she was hooked.
Her advice? Say yes, even when you're not sure. You might just discover something you love.
Just don't give up
When Brenda asked Anne what she'd say to her 18-year-old self, her answer was simple: back yourself more, and don't be so hard on yourself.
And when asked what she'd leave listeners with, her final message was even simpler:
"Just don't give up. Put one foot in front of the other and see it through."
It's the advice she gives her kids, and it's the advice that has carried her through nearly two decades of business, family, challenges and growth.
About Anne Wright
Anne Wright is the Finance Director of FBD Consultancy, an accounting practice based in Scotland serving businesses from start-up to multi-million-pound turnover. With a CIPFA qualification and nearly 20 years in practice, Anne brings a people-first approach to finance — helping business owners understand their numbers, stay on top of their obligations, and make better decisions for their businesses.
