1. What do you do? I’ m a partner in accountancy firm Certax Durham, an independent company which is part of the national Certax franchise. We started trading from Aycliffe Business Park in July 2013.
2. Who have you worked for in the past? I worked for a small local independent accountancy after leaving college before setting up Certax Durham with my business partner Jonathan Tait.
3. Best part of your job? I like being busy and working hard, and I like meeting new people. I also like learning. I find that you’ re constantly learning when you’ re in business.
4. Is there anything about your job that you really don’ t like? Not having the time to play enough golf, which is one of my loves.
5. Favourite thing about working on Aycliffe Business Park? The taste of the Moretti at ROF 59 on a Friday after work. We all love going over there just about every Friday. I also quite like the food offering on and around the park – like Subway and McDonald’ s!
6. Which company / individual on the park do you do the most work with? We work quite closely with Mantis Media. We look after their accounts as well as their sister company, Resolution Media and Publishing, which is based in Middlesbrough. Mantis Media also do our PR, when we find the time to do it, and we also advertise in their publications. We’ re trying to forge new links on the park, we should probably have more local clients.
7. Who’ s your tip for future success? The lads at Greystone Legal – Paul Humble and Ben Healey. We’ ve done a bit of work with them and they seem to offer a very professional, no-nonsense service, so I hope they do well.
8. Four famous people you’ d love to have round for dinner and why? Paul Gascoigne, as I think his banter would be really good; Dwayne Johnson, the former wrestler-turned actor also known as‘ The Rock’, as I’ ve always liked him; Donald Trump, for his outrageous comments; and Vladimir Putin... that would be an interesting party, wouldn’ t it?
9. If you could do something else in business, what would it be? I quite like the idea of having my own restaurant. I love cooking. When I left school I worked as a sous chef in a restaurant for six months and it’ s something that has never left me.
10. Who’ s your favourite Tweeter? I’ ve recently come off Twitter, but Tyson Fury is usually good entertainment and Trump always makes me laugh. Wayne Rooney was always hilarious as well, before his PR people got hold of him.
11. Have you ever done anything really daring? I was once given a Bungee Jump for a Christmas present. That’ s probably about as daring as I’ d get – I don’ t think I could do a sky dive.
12. What’ s the best piece of business advice you’ ve been given? I was told very early on to keep your staff happy, and that’ s what we try to do, and to always put your clients first. Those principles are probably the two main reasons we’ ve grown as quickly as we have in such a short space of time.
13. If money was no object, what would be your ideal car? Aston Martin DB9.
14. Money no object, your dream holiday would be? I’ d say Bora Bora in the Pacific or the Maldives – they’ re always the kind of exotic places I’ ve wanted to see.
15. Do you have a favourite band or type of music? I’ ve always liked Bon Jovi as a band but I like all types of music and can listen to pretty much anything. In the car I tend to listen to something upbeat like Kiss FM, but you can’ t beat Smooth and Magic for the classics.
16. What is your greatest achievement? I think it would have to say what we’ ve done with the business. We started out under five years ago and we now employ more than 20 people.
17. How would you best describe yourself in four words? Ambitious. Workaholic. Outgoing. And cuddly!
18. Where do you see yourself in five years? I’ d like to continue growing Certax and at some point in 2018 we’ ll hopefully be chartered. I’ ll also be pretty tired – my partner and I are due twins next year!
19. Who’ s the most famous person you’ ve ever met? Paul Gascoigne. He was in my local pub in Evenwood, I was only seven or eight-years-old at the time. I’ ve also met Ian Botham.
20. Do you have any guilty pleasures? All food and all kinds of drink. I’ m mainly a lager man, I love a nice cold Stella Artois.
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 31
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1. What do you do? I’ m a partner in accountancy firm Certax Durham, an independent company which is part of the national Certax franchise. We started trading from Aycliffe Business Park in July 2013.
2. Who have you worked for in the past? I worked for a small local independent accountancy after leaving college before setting up Certax Durham with my business partner Jonathan Tait.
3. Best part of your job? I like being busy and working hard, and I like meeting new people. I also like learning. I find that you’ re constantly learning when you’ re in business.
4. Is there anything about your job that you really don’ t like? Not having the time to play enough golf, which is one of my loves.
5. Favourite thing about working on Aycliffe Business Park? The taste of the Moretti at ROF 59 on a Friday after work. We all love going over there just about every Friday. I also quite like the food offering on and around the park – like Subway and McDonald’ s!
6. Which company / individual on the park do you do the most work with? We work quite closely with Mantis Media. We look after their accounts as well as their sister company, Resolution Media and Publishing, which is based in Middlesbrough. Mantis Media also do our PR, when we find the time to do it, and we also advertise in their publications. We’ re trying to forge new links on the park, we should probably have more local clients.
7. Who’ s your tip for future success? The lads at Greystone Legal – Paul Humble and Ben Healey. We’ ve done a bit of work with them and they seem to offer a very professional, no-nonsense service, so I hope they do well.
8. Four famous people you’ d love to have round for dinner and why? Paul Gascoigne, as I think his banter would be really good; Dwayne Johnson, the former wrestler-turned actor also known as‘ The Rock’, as I’ ve always liked him; Donald Trump, for his outrageous comments; and Vladimir Putin... that would be an interesting party, wouldn’ t it?
9. If you could do something else in business, what would it be? I quite like the idea of having my own restaurant. I love cooking. When I left school I worked as a sous chef in a restaurant for six months and it’ s something that has never left me.
10. Who’ s your favourite Tweeter? I’ ve recently come off Twitter, but Tyson Fury is usually good entertainment and Trump always makes me laugh. Wayne Rooney was always hilarious as well, before his PR people got hold of him.
11. Have you ever done anything really daring? I was once given a Bungee Jump for a Christmas present. That’ s probably about as daring as I’ d get – I don’ t think I could do a sky dive.
12. What’ s the best piece of business advice you’ ve been given? I was told very early on to keep your staff happy, and that’ s what we try to do, and to always put your clients first. Those principles are probably the two main reasons we’ ve grown as quickly as we have in such a short space of time.
13. If money was no object, what would be your ideal car? Aston Martin DB9.
14. Money no object, your dream holiday would be? I’ d say Bora Bora in the Pacific or the Maldives – they’ re always the kind of exotic places I’ ve wanted to see.
15. Do you have a favourite band or type of music? I’ ve always liked Bon Jovi as a band but I like all types of music and can listen to pretty much anything. In the car I tend to listen to something upbeat like Kiss FM, but you can’ t beat Smooth and Magic for the classics.
16. What is your greatest achievement? I think it would have to say what we’ ve done with the business. We started out under five years ago and we now employ more than 20 people.
17. How would you best describe yourself in four words? Ambitious. Workaholic. Outgoing. And cuddly!
18. Where do you see yourself in five years? I’ d like to continue growing Certax and at some point in 2018 we’ ll hopefully be chartered. I’ ll also be pretty tired – my partner and I are due twins next year!
19. Who’ s the most famous person you’ ve ever met? Paul Gascoigne. He was in my local pub in Evenwood, I was only seven or eight-years-old at the time. I’ ve also met Ian Botham.
20. Do you have any guilty pleasures? All food and all kinds of drink. I’ m mainly a lager man, I love a nice cold Stella Artois.