Andrea Scott is a force of nature. Straight talking, ambitious and armed with a refusal to limit either herself or her company has meant she has established a successful business.
In 2006, as a new mum, she started her business from her kitchen table. Seven years later she formed A E Scott Accounting & Business Support Ltd and opened an office on Yarm High Street, where the firm remained for a decade. Three years ago, the business moved to its current location at Falcon Court on Preston Farm Industrial Estate in Stockton.
It was a Friday night during another lockdown during the Covid pandemic in late July 2020 that Andrea Scott had a lightbulb moment – “I can work anywhere, so why don’t I?”
By the end of August 2020, Andrea and her 14-year-old son, Shayne, had relocated to Madeira, a tiny Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean, where the teenager started Year 10 in an English school.
“Shayne rarely left the house when we lived in England as he was fixated on his computer games and playing his friends online,” said Andrea. “In Madeira he made new friends, started socialising and began learning Jujutsu.
“Living in Madeira gave me more independence. When my family moved back because they missed the UK, I stayed for another year. It showed me we can do anything we put our minds to.”
Supported by a trusted team back in Teesside, Andrea continued running the company seamlessly from abroad. Clients were largely unaware she was based overseas, as online meetings had become the norm.
“Madeira also taught me an appreciation of quiet,” she said. “I love spending time with people, but I also appreciate peaceful time on my own.”
Since returning to the UK in 2023, Andrea has focused on growing the business while stepping back from some day-to-day responsibilities. The team includes operations director Ben Phillips, accountants Samantha Mason-Hill and Christopher Smith, payroll clerk and administrator Emily Phillips, bookkeeper Kye Ayre and apprentice bookkeeper Lucy Oates.
A E Scott services provided include accounts, bookkeeping, corporation tax, capital gains tax, payroll, personal tax, property portfolio advice, R&D claims, VAT.
Andrea believes attitude is just as important as qualifications when recruiting staff.
“Both me and Ben have worked in McDonald’s and we look for that kind of customer service experience,” she said. “We want people who can work in a fast-paced environment, have the right work ethic and are willing to muck in together.”
She credits the firm’s success to its diverse team and her own ability to relate to clients from all backgrounds.
“I’m from a broken home in Thornaby and I have dyslexia, so I understand why some people find the admin side of business daunting,” she said. “I’m very straight talking but also empathetic.”
Last year, the 47-year-old bought a cottage in Staithes, transforming the cliffside property over the course of almost a year.
“Shayne was wanting to go into property and we wanted a project to work on together,” said Andrea, who has owned a buy-to-let property for the past 20 years.
During the renovation work, she worked Monday to Thursday in the office and Friday to Sunday at the cottage.
“At the time, I was running lots of half marathons, so I was super fit, which is a good job because everyone knows what the road to Staithes is like!” she said.
And having both professional and personal experience of having a property portfolio gives the business the edge when supporting property clients.
Whether running half-marathons, tackling renovation projects or driving business growth, Andrea applies the same resilience and positive mindset to everything she does.
www.aescott.co.uk