Sole practitioner of the year: Michael Dunkley of Dunkley's

Dunkley’s award-winning submission for the new sole practitioner award began with the following description: “passion, stamina, sexy”.

Not exactly the words most outside the profession would associate with accountancy, but Michael Dunkley’s work at the business he started in 1991 certainly demonstrates a boundless enthusiasm for client care and a strong drive to provide the best possible service. We’ll leave the sexy remark to your imagination.

Based in Bristol, Dunkley’s has seen turnover grow by 50% in the past two years to £1.5m, significantly ahead of the practice’s five-year plan. That rise in fees has come from a 50/50 split of organic growth and retained fees of a practice purchase in October 2007.

It is one of only two sole practitioners to feature in the Accountancy Age Top 50 + 50 survey and 9th highest in terms of fees per partner. But what makes Dunkley’s really stand out is its combination of dedication to clients and how it looks after its staff.

Its core values of providing timely, informative advice, reacting promptly and efficiently to requests, sticking to time scales and fees, and working with clients to develop opportunities have stuck a chord with customers.

“Dunkley’s staff are always willing to help and resolve issues when needed and take a real interest in our affairs,” said one client. Another said the practice was “always at hand to answer any queries we had, even when we called out of hours”.

Of Dunkley’s 32 staff, nearly half have been there over five years, with ten having registered more than a decade at the practice. A shining example of how staff feel about Dunkley’s is that all six team members taken on during a practice purchase have stayed at the business.

Having such stability within the team has also helped with client service, with always at least four members of staff having knowledge of the client’s affairs and able to serve their needs.

The next task for Dunkley’s is to branch out further into various business sectors, including healthcare, construction and catering and develop new services in tax and software hosting. The practice has also taken on its own in-house IFA as part of its expansion.

EVER THE EXTROVERT

The judges were enthused by Mike Dunkley’s unique style and entry.“Extrovert and idiosyncratic, the entry from Mike Dunkley of Dunkley’s stood out for its energy and his total commitment to both team members and clients. He is clearly a driven man and knows exactly what he wants and where he’s going.”