Franchisees under 30: Olivia Palios, TaxAssist Accountants

“Building my business into a well established group of accountancy practices would be amazing,” says Olivia

After working in a TaxAssist franchise, Olivia Palios decided she liked the business model so much, she wanted to become a franchisee herself. That was in 2015.

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Today the 25-year-old’s business consists of three shopfront operations across Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe, where her team service 850 clients, mainly small businesses requiring assistance with their tax affairs.

Olivia says: “I always wanted to be in charge of my own future and felt like opening a TaxAssist franchise would give me the opportunity to do this. The business model works fantastically and suits my accounting skills, ambition and hard work.

“I chose to join a franchise network to benefit from all the support on offer and to learn what works well, which helps to fast track your success quicker than if you started out on your own.”

Olivia funded the purchase of her franchise with personal savings, a bank loan and a loan from her mother. The business has been such a success that all loans have already been paid back - six years ahead of target.

Now on the property ladder, driving her dream car and enjoying a healthy work-life balance, she has big plans for the future.

“I want to continue to grow my business and reach the 1,000 client mark, which from starting with one shop in March 2015 with no clients will be a fantastic achievement,” Olivia says.

“Building my business into a well-established group of accountancy practices would be amazing.”