Jerome Bury, Chairman, Teesside Society of Chartered Accountants

Jun 22 2010 by Jez Davison, Evening Gazette

Jerome Bury became an entrepreneur for all of six months before realising he was better suited working for someone else. Jez Davison asked him why.

SEVERAL Teesside entrepreneurs have built multi-million pound businesses after fleeing the corridors of corporate life.

But going solo was not for Jerome Bury, who dived back into salaried employment within months of launching his own accountancy practice.

Not that the newly elected chairman of the Teesside Society of Chartered Accountants (TSCA) was any worse off.

He won’t disclose his salary as a partner with Thornaby accountants Anderson Barrowcliff - where he has been for the last seven years - but he admits he earns more than he did as his own boss.

“It’s pretty hard being on your own. The advantage of being in a partnership is that you can walk into someone else’s room and talk things over,” he says.

At Anderson Barrowcliff, he can bounce ideas off 47 other staff.

All that creative buzz doesn’t necessarily translate into higher revenues, of course - as Vantis, a competitor of Anderson Barrowcliff, will testify.

AIM-listed Vantis suspended share trading last week after it plunged into the red, recording a stonking £10.7m pre-tax loss in the six months to October 31.

Anderson Barrowcliff itself saw a 5% dip in workload thanks to the recession but looks to be in healthier shape than its rival.

Its status as a limited liability partnership means it does not have to disclose full accounts at Companies House, but on March 31 last year, total assets less current liabilities stood at a robust £590,566, bolstered by cash reserves of £74,927.

Eighty per cent of its work is repeat business from around 580 business and more than 1,000 individual clients.

“Which makes forecasting a little easier,” says Andrew.