Episode 167

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Published on:

15th Jun 2026

There's No Right Time: Anne Wright on Starting From Scratch, MTD and Building a Business You Love

In this episode of Scale HER Up, I'm joined by Anne Wright, Finance Director of FBD Consultancy — a husband-and-wife accounting practice that started with no clients, no money and a house with no gable end, and has grown into a team of nine over nearly 20 years.

Anne is a CIPFA-qualified accountant and a passionate advocate for small businesses. She's also spent 15 years as a QuickBooks software trainer, delivering sessions from Northern Ireland to Orkney — a journey that transformed her confidence and proved that an accountant who says yes to opportunities can end up doing far more than pushing spreadsheets.

In this conversation, Anne shares honest reflections on the realities of running a finance business alongside her husband, the financial pressures hitting small businesses right now, and the simple advice she'd give to any business owner: just don't give up.

We cover:

- What FBD Consultancy does and the clients they work with

- The real financial challenges facing small businesses right now — including rising costs, employers' national insurance and Making Tax Digital (MTD) explained clearly

- The story of how FBD Consultancy started (hint: it wasn't planned)

- Why there's no such thing as the right time to start a business

- What nearly 20 years of working alongside your husband actually looks like

- The biggest obstacle in running any business: getting paid

- Why you have to build a team if you ever want your time back

- How Anne went from accountant-behind-a-spreadsheet to confident public trainer

- The importance of grabbing opportunities even when you're not sure you can do it

- What Anne would tell her 18-year-old self — and why it's advice that's still relevant today

- What's next for Anne and for FBD Consultancy

**Quote of the episode:** *"Just don't give up. Put one foot in front of the other and see it through."* — Anne Wright

If you're a small business owner who wants to understand your numbers better, or you're thinking about building a team and taking a step back — this episode is full of grounded, practical wisdom from someone who has lived it.

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About the Podcast

Scale Her Up: Female business stories and expert tips for business growth and success
The Female Entrepreneur Show. Sharing business expertise, start-up experiences and business growth strategies to overcome challenges
If you are a female business owner, self-employed freelancer, or girl boss who wants to build a successful business i.e. work less hours, make more money, and get better results from your staff, then this is the podcast for you. Hosted by Dr Brenda Hector MBA from ActionCOACH UK, this podcast provides relatable and accessible business advice and inspiration from successful businesswomen who have been there and done it before you.

This podcast is where you can
• hear female business stories
• share business success
• learn how to overcome business challenges
• get advice for businesswomen aspiring to success
• find out what needs to change
• discover how we can bring about that business revolution

Only 1 in 3 UK entrepreneurs are female.
UK men are 5 times more likely than women to build a business of over £1million turnover

If UK women matched UK men in starting and scaling businesses, it would add £250 billion to the UK economy (Alison Rose, The Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship 2018)

As a woman in business, a business coach, and a business growth expert, Brenda’s mission is to help business owners grow their companies, achieve their goals and live the lifestyle of their dreams. She's the help you need to grow your business.
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About your host

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Brenda Hector

I’m Brenda Hector — entrepreneur, business coach, podcast host and writer — and I help ambitious female business owners turn hard work into real results: higher profits, better team performance, and more time back.
If your business relies too heavily on you, growth feels messy, or you’re “successful on paper” but exhausted in real life, you’re not alone — and it’s fixable. My work is about building a business that performs consistently, develops leaders, and supports you to step up and step back when you choose.
On Scale Her Up: The Female Entrepreneur Show, I spotlight women who are building brilliant businesses and share tools and insights to accelerate progress and improve gender balance in entrepreneurship.
"Because being in business should give you more life"