There are moments in life we reflect on, often many years later, and realise that it was a turning point.
Professionally, personally, or otherwise, sometimes we can look back at one event, or one decision, and know that it changed the course of what would happen next.
This is certainly the case for Carlisle-based accountant Nick Heaney.
After graduating from the University of Glasgow with a degree in zoology, Whitehaven-born Nick began a career as a self-employed horse trainer for several showjumping clients in Oxfordshire.
On Christmas Eve 2001, he fractured his skull after falling from a horse, waking up in a Swindon hospital on Boxing Day and quickly deciding to retrain for a less accident-prone career.
Drawn to accountancy because of the opportunity to earn while training, Nick took a job with a firm in Oxford, where he completed his training, becoming a chartered accountant after three years.
Nick and his partner Gillian, then moved to Stratford-upon-Avon and later Shropshire, where they started their family and enjoyed the opportunity to buy their first property with adjacent land for their horses.
By now a director, the couple were keen to be closer to Nick’s home county as well as Gillian’s childhood home in Oban, eventually settling in Heads Nook near Carlisle in 2017 after purchasing an old farm with plenty of space for their animals and for their son Campbell to play.
After spending a couple of years working for local firms Nick decided the best way he could maintain a personal and bespoke approach to his clients’ needs was to set up his own accountancy practice.
By keeping a keen eye on the business outgoings and efficiencies, he is able to keep costs down for his clients and maximise the value of his time.
He said: “It’s a real variety of clients from all over the country, from local charities and farmers to yoga studio businesses in London, car dealers in Leeds and builders in Edinburgh.”
His accountancy firm, CWH Accounting is named after his son.
“It’s an asset I can pass on to him in 20 years if he wants it,” says Nick.
While the launch of the business in 2020 slowed due to Covid, Nick says that the most daunting thing about setting up on his own was overcoming his own doubts.
“The best thing I learned was to not worry about every little thing being perfect straight away. It’s never going to be. If you are 51% sure, just do it,” said Nick.
After spending so many years away from Cumbria, what motivated him to start his own business journey in his home county?
“I think people up here understand and respect honesty. They don’t like being told what they want to hear, they value being told as it is. There is a real benefit in that because I don’t dress anything up for my clients,” Nick said.
“I think the business community in Cumbria needs to collectively raise awareness of its strengths, but because Cumbrians aren’t show-offs, I think the fact that they don’t always shout about their success is representative of the integrity and mindset we have here.
“It’s a ‘just get on with it’ attitude and it can be a double-edged sword.”
