Katie King juggles a contracting business, multiple side hustles, a teenager, and far too many hobbies. We caught up with her between a paddleboarding trip and the school run to find out how she stopped dreading her accounts.
Katie’s situation
Katie King describes herself as “one half of the director” of their family company. Her husband Matt is an IT contractor. “The deal was he works as a contractor and I do all the behind the scenes admin. So, I deal with the accountants, amongst a whole heap of other things!”
Katie also works part-time, runs around after a 13 year old daughter and has (by her own admission), “too many different jobs and hobbies to count.” At one point she was teaching English as a foreign language online, coordinating a book club for nine hours a month, working an office job, and doing social media for a friend who keeps bees. All while being a company director.
Maslins’ reviews were incredibly positive
Before Maslins, Katie didn’t have a great experience with her accountant. So when she decided to change, she did her homework. She trawled contractor forums, looking for recommendations. “The name that kept coming up time and time again was Maslins. With really positive reviews and people naming their actual point of contact.” She liked the fact that they really understood contractors too. “I knew they’d hold my hand a lot, which is what I want. I want my life to be easy.”
Coffee, not chaos
Katie’s been working with Maslins since late 2021. And it’s been a very stress free few years accounting-wise. Maslins are always quick with email responses. Someone actually answers the phone. And there are reminders before deadlines. “Instead of it being this massive task of dread and terror that I then try and put off, I just know that I can go in, get the job done, and have a cup of coffee. It takes a fraction of the time it used to take me.”
Her main contact is Tom, but the whole team has her back. “If Tom isn’t available, someone will step in and answer the query. Or if it’s not urgent or not their area, they’ll pass it along and I’ll get a response in a really timely manner.”
Panic at the NEC
Katie admits she can be “a little bit last minute.” So when she found herself at a show at the NEC on the deadline for the second personal tax payment, realising she didn’t have all the information she needed, she did what anyone would do. She called her accountant. At lunchtime.
“Tom was on lunch. They allow people to have lunch, which is very nice of them, but not helpful for me in that moment!” She laughs. “But whoever I spoke to was super helpful, resolved my issues. I paid my personal tax bill while I was at the NEC.”
A couple of hours later, Tom called back. Just to check everything was okay. Was her query answered? Did she need anything else? “I was having a bit of a panic. It was resolved really quickly. And then there was that follow up to check everything was good.”
She’d also mentioned something else she needed to discuss. Tom put it on his list. “He knew I was at a show, so rather than dig into it then, he’s going to remind me at a more appropriate moment. It is on the list.”
Actually human
What Katie values most isn’t the tax expertise or the systems (though she’s a fan of FreeAgent, which she says is “really nice and easy”). It’s the human stuff.
“If I send an email, I’ll tend to start with ‘how was your weekend?’ And that won’t be ignored. They’ll say ‘yeah, I had a great weekend, I did this, hope you did too.’ It’s never going to be a huge conversation. But it makes me feel like there’s a person there. The relationship feels a bit stronger.”
She gives another example. Both she and her husband have full names but go by shorter versions. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to say ‘please call me Katie.’ They’ve seen how I sign my emails, and that’s how they respond.”
Sorting the numbers nightmare
With multiple income streams, Katie’s tax situation could easily become what she calls a “numbers nightmare.” Teaching, book clubs, office work, beekeeping social media, company director duties – all with different tax implications.
“Some of those have dipped in and out, and it’s been ‘what do I do? How do I deal with the personal tax?'” She’s not scared about next year’s return, despite all those different jobs and income sources. “I know Maslins will make the process smooth and painless. Instead of it being this numbers nightmare, I can just say ‘here’s all the information’ and they will deal with it for me.”
Maslins professional accounting advice really stands out for Katie. From the best way to handle salary versus dividends to how to be the most being tax efficient with pension contributions, their guidance has been invaluable. “So I can say yes or no to work depending on whether I want to do it, rather than how complex it’s going to make my life to do the accounts.”
The verdict
Would she recommend Maslins? Katie doesn’t hesitate.
“I would unequivocally recommend Maslins to other businesses. They have been so fantastic. They’ve made my life so much easier. And they’re just really great people.”
For someone who describes herself as head-spinningly busy rather than productive, who juggles half a dozen roles and admits to the occasional last-minute panic, the peace of mind Maslins offers is everything. No more dread. No more terror. Just the accounts done, and time for a cup of coffee.
Want a responsive, human accountant that cares? Get in touch.
