It’s always a risky business experimenting on yourself. You either have to be slightly mad, unconcerned by the consequences, or supremely confident in what you are doing.

With Access Accounting it was probably the latter when the business began testing its new carbon footprint software on itself. Group finance director Ian Little reveals, somewhat surprisingly, that it was something of an enlightening experience.

‘We’ve collected our own data and it has caused us to sit up and think ­ there were spikes in some months but then we discovered having an overseas reseller conference was a huge carbon hit. We’re not banging the green drum but it is making us think about what we will do in the future.’

Not banging the drum? That must be hard to resist given that Access has gambled on business leaders’ increasing awareness of the environment to launch what it believes is the first technology, built into a core financial product, that measures a carbon footprint.

The testing has taken 18 months and countless discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Carbon Trust on what the IT tool should measure.

Little’s conversation is all about acquisitions, integrating software packages for SMEs and his unlikely step of giving up his group role to occupy what looks like a lesser job. But right now, the topic he talks about most is the carbon counting tool. ‘The facility to account for carbon emission is in the version of [core financial software] Dimensions just released. It has been very well received and lots of people are talking about it.

[Some clients] have specifically asked to move up to the latest version to see it and know more about it,’ says Deloitte-trained Little.

He stresses that the company’s staff do not view themselves as ‘green warriors’, instead providing a service that could eventually impact on all companies whatever shape and size ­ by recording their carbon emissions.

‘Essentially what we’re doing is enabling businesses to track their footprint, their emissions from their business activities. We’re not pushing any environmental message but looking to facilitate businesses to understand the impact they have on the environment. We’re expecting it will be more standard to report on this.’

‘The business must have a reason to upgrade. As an FD I’d only look to upgrade in the event that there’s benefit in doing that. I’m always on the latest version at Access of course, beta testing the next version!’

Little joined Access in 1997 as business development manager and provided FD services to Access specialist centres around the country. It was three years before he took over full responsibility for the finance function. His time in charge has included three acquisitions and restructuring the group in 2006.

That probably reflects his background in corporate recovery which began at Deloitte. In fact, he was among the first trainees allowed to begin their training outside of audit. Which means he had the opportunity to work on the liquidation of BCCI, something he refuses to make a big thing of.

But he does believe his beginnings in corporate recovery have been a major advantage. It’s given him an ability to understand a business quickly and, perhaps most importantly, win the support of company directors. Corporate recovery, he says, ‘really causes you to get on quickly’.

Commercial understanding is a critical factor in the software business which has a reputation for being ferociously competitive. And stealing a march on the competition is clearly one of the things uppermost in Little’s mind. Great play is made of being first to market with the carbon measurement software.

Little admits that it is only a matter of time before its rivals offer their own green accounting software, but Access is already thinking another step ahead. ‘Clients have asked us: will you benchmark and collect information ­ which would be a very valuable service, but whether or not we do that I don’t know, because our main priority is to enable business to account efficiently and help them operationally. Certainly the software we have would aid any benchmarking that occurred.’

While meeting compliance on measuring carbon footprints might not be a priority for SMEs yet, Access’ sales pitch revolves around the biggest companies expecting a more ethical and socially responsible approach from its suppliers. ‘Many of our clients trade with the FTSE 100, or are part of a listed group, and there is some internal and external pressure to report on this sort of activity. There’s a general acceptance that the climate in reporting on carbon emissions will grow.’

The green move is just part of Access’ growth as a business, which has seen it enter into the merry-go-round that is business software consolidation.

Setting itself ambitious turnover targets of £30m by 2010 and £100m by 2017, the group is hot on the trail of acquisitions.

Its biggest deal was the purchase of close allies and resellers of its accounting software, Armstrong Consultants, which Little oversaw.

Due diligence was not as intensive as can often be in such transactions, due to Access’ existing knowledge of the business. ‘We knew what we wanted to check out,’ says Little.

Other deals planned for Access will see it aim for software suppliers to vertical markets, upon which Access’ core financial system can be bolted on, providing the construction industry, for example, with an end-to-end business software suite.

‘We’re looking for youngish businesses with a good technology product, and good leadership that want to stay and grow it,’ he says.

One of the main reasons for Access’ strategy is that the model of SMEs running separate software products is going out of fashion. Instead they want f ully integrated systems.

‘Nowadays its difficult to sell a core finance system because there’s not a lot of difference between them. What sells systems is business process improvement and its integration with other systems in the business.

‘Five to 10 years ago you talked of accounting software. Now, most of the suppliers sell wider systems, bringing in a lot of business processes around it.

‘Our marketing message is as much to the sales director, IT director as well as the FD ­ who will always be key ­ but we don’t look to sell just into finance but business as a whole.’

Part of the process of making sure Access’ core financial product keeps up to scratch will see Little make the surprise move to become finance director of Access Accounting Ltd, which looks like a step down. ‘We’re in the process of looking to recruit a new group FD. I’m looking to move back and focus on Access Accounting Ltd, which has had very little of my attention over the last three or four years.’

After hitting the acquisition trail, he wants to take up a more operational role alongside MD John Beech, which he says means the move cannot be viewed as backwards. ‘For me it’s onwards and upwards ­ another step in my career to take it into different areas of the business and develop myself. I was aware people would look at it as being stepped over but there is a great need to develop better software, more software, to support and market it.

‘The main focus of the group FD is one of continuing the growth through acquisition and their integration ­ I’ve done a fair bit of that and I am deeply entwined in the limited business and want to stay there and elevate that. The group FD role going forward will be less hands on,’ he says.

It’s as much about getting his hands dirty, as having green fingers.

Little’s credentials

Access Accounting group FD Ian Little left university in 1987 with a mind to enter commerce, and began training at Touche Ross in corporate recovery.

He was in the first batch of ICAEW accountancy trainees allowed to work outside of audit, a move that worked well for him and the institute.

‘I’d left university not wanting to go into accounting, I didn’t want to be an auditor. I got involved in corporate recovery at Touche Ross, dipped my toe in the water, enjoyed it a lot and they offered me a training contract.

‘The key thing was the commercial development they gave me as opposed to theoretical or technical accounting – it was much more commercial in terms of running distressed businesses.’

Little admits it was ‘important’ that the ICAEW had broadened its path, or he would most likely have taken the CIMA route instead.

‘Had I not had the opportunity to work in corporate recovery I wouldn’t have done it, I may well have gone into industry and commerce and maybe looked at CIMA if that’s what I needed to do.’