Better Business / Streets Steele
“I would like to see more firms working on building up younger people from disadvantaged backgrounds”
Ben Steele is a certified chartered accountant with 17 years of practice. He specialises in cloud accounting, tech, and app integrations.
As the managing director of Streets Steele accountants, Ben steers the Bristol office and focuses on serving the hospitality industry, particularly food and beverage businesses.
Can you describe the career journey that has led you to where you are today?
I started as an on-the-job trainee in a very small local firm, filing paperwork and typing up receipts.
I then spent several years, working my way up through the ranks, qualifying along the way.
At that point, I joined a firm where the plan was for me to takeover when the boss retired.
After managing it for him for a couple of years, the journey took a sudden turn for various reasons, and I found myself starting my own firm from scratch – no clients, no money, no clue! (or so I felt at the time). The rest as they say is history. For 7 years now, I built my modern firm on the image of what I thought a modern accounting firm should be, delivering a service to small business owners that I felt they deserved and weren’t getting from our industry.
Then last year (2023) – we joined forces with a top 40 firm called Streets, where we can now help even bigger businesses, with even more services –including our speciality service “VFO” – acting as a finance department for growing/large companies.
Tell us about one (or more) of the people who inspired you along the way?
The original inspiration for my career came from my parents (I know…cheesy!) My Dad was one of the most ambitious and solid workers I know – creating anything and everything into a business. Despite being someone without an academic background, he knew how to create & grow a business, and connect with people.
My Mum showed me what it was to be fully committed to something, and strive for better, whilst staying loyal and grounded.
Then whilst training, I had a manager called Susan. She taught me what it was to be an Accountant. Her ethics and eye for detail were unwaivable. Not a single penny could be left unreconciled, and this strong approach to
accounting stuck with me – and I would like to think I pass this on to my team now.
Are there any memorable challenges you have faced along the way?
There have been many challenges along the way! When you try to build a career as a young, ambitious, and gay man, in an industry that was very different 17 years ago – every day was a challenge! Being told no, and not taken seriously, for things out of your control was extremely frustrating.
Yet perseverance and drive enabled me to push through that, and become an MD of a growing, successful firm.
What is the most important thing for you to focus on in business?
A big focus for me is the recruitment issue our industry faces, as well as creating opportunities for people in Bristol with a similar background as myself. More opportunities are needed in Bristol for young people from
disadvantaged backgrounds to be able to enter a professional industry like accounting. Our model at Streets Steele is to consistently take on young school/college leavers and train them up, giving them a gateway into this career.
If you had one piece of advice to offer people aspiring to your role, what would it be?
Keep pushing. Its long and tough and is easy to chuck the towel in at times, especially when failing exams.
However, you will get there! Once you do, it can be a very enjoyable and fulfilling career to have, helping business owners achieve their own dreams is what gets me up in the morning!
If you could change one thing about your sector, or Bristol as a whole, what would it be?
In all honesty, one key area has repeatedly caused issues over the past six months – and that’s transport/access around Bristol. We have come across incredible candidates that would have been great for our team, yet due to the lack of access and transport options, they simply couldn’t accept the role. Bristol transport issues are stopping young people being able to make career moves, and that is such a shame.
What are your aspirations for the future (personally and for Bristol)?
My aspirations for myself would be to create a team which means the firm is less reliant on myself – giving me space to create a better work/life balance. All business owners know that feeling of their business consuming them
24/7, and it’s been fun along the way. It’s now time to rediscover myself outside of the workplace, and that’s my plan for the year ahead.
For Bristol – I would like to see more firms working on building up younger people from disadvantaged backgrounds, to give them a chance at otherwise inaccessible career path.
Main photo: Streets Steele
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