Introduction: Welcome to Emma Michell Accounting
Emma Michell Accounting isn’t just another accounting practice — it’s the culmination of over 25 years of financial expertise, real-world entrepreneurship, and a deep personal commitment to wellbeing. Founded by Emma Michell, a Chartered Accountant, former hospitality business owner, qualified yoga teacher, and women’s leadership coach, the practice exists to remove financial stress and replace it with clarity, confidence, and balance.
Most accountants focus only on the numbers. At Emma Michell Accounting we believe healthy finances and healthy lives are inseparable. This post shares the real story behind the brand — the challenges, pivots, and revelations that shaped a truly holistic approach to money management.
Becoming a Chartered Accountant: The Early Foundations
My love affair with numbers began long before qualifications. From balancing pocket money as a child to analysing company reports as a teenager, I was always drawn to the clarity finance brings to chaos. Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant gave me the technical backbone that still underpins every piece of advice I give at Emma Michell Accounting today.
The rigorous training taught precision, ethics, and strategic thinking — skills that served me well in corporate roles supporting SMEs, particularly in hospitality. Those early years showed me that behind every balance sheet is a human being with dreams, pressures, and often overwhelming stress.
Running a Hospitality Business: Learning Finance from the Front Line
For nearly a decade I stepped away from traditional accounting to run my own hospitality business. Suddenly I wasn’t advising on cash flow — I was living it. Late-night stock takes, seasonal fluctuations, staffing crises, and VAT returns became my daily reality.
This immersion gave Emma Michell Accounting an unfair advantage: I understand the visceral pressure business owners feel when payroll is due or margins shrink. Those hard-won lessons now save my clients from the same sleepless nights I once endured.
Discovering Yoga and Wellbeing: The Missing Piece
Burnout arrived quietly, then all at once. Running a demanding business while raising a family left no space for myself. Yoga became my lifeline — first as a student, then as a qualified teacher. What started as physical practice quickly revealed the deep connection between mind, body, and financial decision-making.
I saw firsthand how financial worry creates physical tension, poor sleep, and clouded judgement. This revelation became the heartbeat of Emma Michell Accounting: true financial advice must also protect your wellbeing.
The Difficult Decision to Close the Business — and the Gifts It Brought
Closing the hospitality business was one of the hardest decisions of my life. Yet it was also one of the wisest. The experience taught me about resilience, realistic forecasting, exit planning, and the courage to pivot — lessons I now pass on to every client facing tough choices.
Letting go created space for Emma Michell Accounting to be born with a clearer, braver vision: to deliver exceptional financial management while actively protecting clients’ mental and emotional health.
Launching Emma Michell Accounting: A Different Kind of Practice
Emma Michell Accounting was founded on a simple but rare promise — your peace of mind matters as much as your profit and loss. We serve SMEs, hospitality businesses, freelancers, and high-achieving women who want financial control without sacrificing their wellbeing.
Every system, process, and conversation is designed to reduce stress rather than add to it. Clients regularly tell us they finally sleep better because they know their numbers are accurate and their strategy is sound.
Core Accounting & Tax Services at Emma Michell Accounting
Bookkeeping & Cloud Accounting
Tax Planning & Compliance (Personal & Corporate)
Payroll & Auto-Enrolment
Year-End Accounts & Corporation Tax
VAT Returns & MTD Compliance
We use Xero, QuickBooks, and Dext as standard, delivering real-time dashboards that give you control and clarity. Emma Michell Accounting clients save an average of 11 hours per month on admin once we take over.
Hospitality Sector Specialism: Speaking Your Language
Having lived the hospitality life, I understand seasonal cash flow, perishable stock, tipping regulations, and the unique pain of Tronc schemes. Emma Michell Accounting offers tailored packages for restaurants, hotels, pubs, and cafés — including tip compliance, margin analysis, and breakeven forecasting that actually works.
Clients in this sector consistently report higher profitability and lower owner stress within the first quarter of working with us.
The Emma Michell Accounting Wellbeing Difference
We are one of the only UK practices that explicitly combines chartered accounting with qualified wellbeing coaching. Every client receives optional Financial Wellbeing Check-ins — 30-minute sessions exploring how money stress shows up in sleep, relationships, energy levels, and decision-making.
For additional insights into how financial wellbeing impacts mental health, the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute offers a wealth of research, guides, and practical tips for individuals and business owners alike.
Simple breathing techniques, mindset shifts, and prioritisation tools are shared alongside cash-flow forecasts. The result? Clients make braver, clearer financial choices because they’re no longer operating from fear.
Women’s Leadership & Executive Coaching (the other half of my work)
Through Emma Michell Accounting and my private coaching practice, I support high-achieving women with career progression, imposter syndrome, negotiation confidence, and work-life harmony. Many are business owners who want both profit and presence at home.
Coaching packages are available standalone or bundled with accounting services for a completely integrated approach to success.
How Emma Michell Accounting Defines and Delivers Financial Wellbeing
Financial wellbeing isn’t having millions in the bank — it’s knowing you’re in control, prepared for scenarios, and aligned with your values. We measure success not just by tax saved but by how calm and confident you feel about money.
Every Emma Michell Accounting client receives a personalised Financial Wellbeing Scorecard twice a year, tracking metrics like emergency fund coverage, debt comfort level, retirement trajectory, and stress indicators.
Real Client Stories: Transformations That Matter
One restaurant owner reduced his working hours from 90 to 55 per week while increasing profit by 38% in 18 months. A female founder paid off £47k of director’s loan debt and took her first two-week holiday in six years. A tech contractor saved £9,400 in tax and finally started therapy because she could afford it.
These aren’t just numbers — they’re lives changed. (Full case studies available with client permission.)
Practical Tips: Achieve Financial and Personal Balance Today
Separate business and personal spending completely. Schedule non-negotiable CEO days with zero client work. Review profit & loss monthly, not yearly. Build a 6-month runway before any big decision. Practice the 4-7-8 breath whenever a big invoice lands. Automate everything possible. Celebrate profit, not just revenue.
Emma Michell Accounting clients receive the complete 52-week Financial Wellbeing Toolkit when they join.
The Future Vision for Emma Michell Accounting
We’re developing small-group retreats combining financial masterminding with yoga and nature in 2026. An online Financial Wellbeing Academy for women in business is launching Q2 2026. And we continue to grow the team — always looking for accountants who care about people as much as profit.
The goal remains simple: to make “I feel good about my money” a normal statement for every entrepreneur we serve.
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Conclusion: Start Your Own Journey with Emma Michell Accounting Today
If you’re tired of financial stress stealing your energy, joy, and weekends, you’re in the right place. Emma Michell Accounting exists to give you impeccable financial management and genuine peace of mind.
Book a free 30-minute Discovery Call today — no sales pressure, just an honest conversation about where you are and where you want to be. Your calmer, richer, more balanced life is waiting.
