Career coach | AAT Journeys
"Accountancy and bookkeeping is a giant puzzle… you feel like a detective"
Zara Bayley AATQB, AAT Professional Member of the Year and owner of Base2Base Bookkeeping, describes her journey from trainee to business founder looking to provide job opportunities for local people
Words Marianne Curphey
Zara Bayley’s love of Cornwall, the sea and the outdoors has been a driving force in her ambition to run a successful bookkeeping business in the county. Having grown up in Doncaster, she and her family moved to Cornwall when she was 15. She went on to complete her secondary school education there before attending Falmouth Marine School to study marine biology and Plymouth University to study environmental science.
However, she didn’t finish university because of anxiety and mental health issues, so she decided to look for a different career path.
“Having studied marine biology, I was used to formulas and handling data, but it wasn’t until I was helping my dad out with his business that I realised I was really interested in accountancy,” Bayley explains. “He asked me if I could go through his receipts for his tax return and just put them into a spreadsheet. I discovered I really enjoyed it and that was where my passion was. That is what started me off on my journey.”
After university, Bayley moved back to Doncaster to be with her family and began working in temporary office jobs for warehouse and logistics companies.
“The more I was doing spreadsheets, the more I became interested in the financial side of these businesses,” she says. “I was fascinated with what makes a business work, and I decided to retrain and get my bookkeeping and accountancy qualifications. I started doing my AAT Level 2 at Doncaster College while I was working and, after a few years, I got my first accountancy job at Lucy & Yak, the clothing company.”
Bayley worked as accounts assistant at the head office in Barnsley for a few years before getting her first job in practice. However, as she was looking for more flexibility in her career, she made the decision to work for herself.
Providing jobs away from the tourism industry
“I set up my bookkeeping business in 2023,” she says. “Before, I was working as a management accountant, having had experience in working for private companies. It got to a point where I couldn’t work as an employee any more because of my health, and I needed the flexibility to work for myself, so I decided to make a change and open up my business.”
Bayley began working with a handful of clients and advertising her services on freelance websites. After a year of working for herself, she applied for the AAT Professional Member of the Year award and won.
“When I entered the awards, I told the story of how AAT has really helped me establish myself,” she says. “AAT has helped me so much and given me the confidence to sell my services. I started studying for the AAT qualifications in my 20s and achieved AAT Level 2 and Level 3 whilst working and developing the practical skills that I needed for the future. My business has grown so quickly that I have not had time to study for Level 4, but it is on my list for 2026.”
Another reason for setting up her own business was Bayley’s ambition to provide jobs to local people. Living in a small village between Looe and Polperro in rural Cornwall, she is aware that the community is tourism dependent and job opportunities are harder to come by than in a city.
“When I was growing up, I had to travel from my village to either Plymouth, which is the next county, or further into Cornwall to Falmouth. I was travelling an hour and a half on the train to get there every day. It’s quite standard here because a lot of people who have office jobs or are in different industries than tourism have to travel to Plymouth.
“I wanted to grow my business, and offer training and apprenticeships to local people living here in accountancy and bookkeeping, so that I could provide employment outside of the tourism industry.
“It wasn’t until I was helping my dad out with his business that I realised I was really interested in accountancy.”
“Helping clients is so rewarding”
“When I first set up my business, I didn’t anticipate that it would grow the way that it has,” Bayley says. “It’s been amazing. The clients that I’ve got on board are fantastic.
“I encourage clients to embrace technology, not just for being Making Tax Digital compliant, but because it saves them so much money and time. I have clients who have been with me from the beginning and I love getting on the phone with them so we can catch up about what they’ve been doing and how the business is going and what help they need. It is like catching up with friends.
“What I really like about accountancy and bookkeeping is that it is essentially a giant puzzle. You are putting all of the bits together to come up with the answer. There are so many different moving parts, and you feel a bit like a detective, but you are also helping people. I love that sense of when you finish something or you have sorted something out for a client, they are just so happy and relieved to have it done. I love being able to help like that. It’s so rewarding.”
In summary
Zara’s key lessons
- AAT has given me freedom, confidence and a great support network
- I have never considered myself a salesperson but, because I know I have the experience and the qualifications from AAT, I am confident when I am talking to new clients
- Running this business is about helping people. I try to be approachable and build relationships and processes that work
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