Motivation | Breakthrough
‘I’m achieving dad’s dreams. I know he is very proud of me’
Nicole Lonsdale MAAT, who won AAT Practice of the Year 2025 and was shortlisted for the Triumph and the Rising Star awards, reveals how her love of numbers was inspired by her father
Words Jessica Bown
“Winning Practice of the Year was such a proud moment for me,” says Ginger Bucks founder Nicole Lonsdale, who is based in Birmingham. “There were lots of great practices run by really great people up for the award, so I was very surprised to be chosen.”
It is a huge accomplishment for the MAAT-qualified accountant, who dropped out of sixth form just seven years ago.
“I had some health problems in my late teens,” she says. “I’d also been working in part-time jobs since the age of 15 and felt a real sense of satisfaction from that, which made me keen to join the working world.”
Here, she explains how she turned that situation into a catalyst for a rewarding career in the accounting sector.
Accounting in her DNA
Lonsdale’s interest in maths and accounting started at an early age. It was kick-started by her father, who was unable to realise his own childhood dreams of becoming an accountant due to health problems in his youth.
“My dad had a speech impediment when he was young, so he was labelled as not very bright at school despite being really good with numbers,” she says. “He wanted to be an accountant but was told to choose another path as a result, which led to him going to cookery school and becoming a chef.
“Once he became a head chef, he went back to using his maths skills to handle the purchasing and stock management included in the role. He had loads of cool spreadsheets to do this, which really interested me – even when I was just seven years old. That’s where my love of maths comes from, along with my grandma teaching me and my siblings money management skills from an early age.
“It feels great to know I’m achieving his dreams. I know he is very proud of me.”
After leaving sixth form, an accounting apprenticeship felt like a natural step.
“I took on an AAT apprenticeship at a bathroom shop soon after leaving school at the age of 17,” Lonsdale says. “It was interesting but there were limited learning opportunities as it was such a small company, so I left after 10 months to take on an accounting assistant role at a larger company in the motor trade.
“That position was not an apprenticeship, so I continued my AAT studies at night school, working my way up from Level 2 to Level 4.
“I was lucky enough to have a fantastic supervisor, who allowed me to use what I was learning with AAT in the workplace and gave me the confidence to set up my own firm once the time was right.”
“I chose the name to reflect my identity… I didn’t want to take a traditional approach.”
Nicole’s key takeaways
Ways to make yourself stand out.
1
Do an apprenticeship
“I gained so much from taking the apprenticeship route. It’s a great way to get the experience you need while you qualify. You don’t end up in debt like you can if you go to university and there is no barrier to entry due to a lack of experience once you are finished. Just make sure the business where you do your apprenticeship has the right team and network to offer you the support you need.”
2
Prioritise your soft skills
“Technical expertise is important but so are soft skills such as teamwork and communication. I would encourage anyone keen to build a career in finance to try to build up your skills in these areas. It’s one reason I found it really interesting working alongside."
3
Work in a variety of businesses
“Having experience working in a range of different companies and sectors was really helpful when it came to setting up and running my own business. It showed me that finance is always at the heart of business, whether you’re working for a small business or a big listed company. I call it ‘the heart’ because the finance team is in charge of pumping money around the business, ensuring all the different parts continue to thrive.”
Going solo
For Lonsdale, the right time to go it alone was 2023, when she completed her AAT Professional Diploma just as the world was easing out of the Covid-19 years.
“I worked in finance in the construction industry for a while after my second job, then set up Ginger Bucks soon after I qualified in 2023,” she says.
“I chose the name to reflect my identity, as I have ginger hair. The ‘Bucks’ part is a nod to ‘doing the books’ as well as a slang term for money.
“I didn’t want to take a traditional approach. The aim was to create a young and innovative business with a client-centric approach and a willingness to use technology to aid collaboration with clients. The unusual name was a part of that.”
The approach worked well, with profits soaring 900% between her first and second years in business.
Ginger Bucks now offers packages for people with a side hustle, full-time freelancers, influencers and limited companies, and has clients in a range of sectors and based everywhere from Birmingham to Dubai.
“I love working with founders of creative companies and start-ups,” Lonsdale says. “People who want to be involved in the running of their business and just want to keep hold of as much money as possible.
“Our core client base is in the Midlands, but we also have clients in far-flung locations such as Dubai. While most of our work is done remotely, we do face-to-face meetings where possible. I recently travelled to Wales to meet with a client, for example. In a digital world, that sort of interaction remains important and valuable.”
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‘I’m achieving dad’s dreams. I know he is very proud of me’
Nicole Lonsdale MAAT, who won AAT Practice of the Year 2025 and was shortlisted for the Triumph and the Rising Star awards, reveals how her love of numbers was inspired by her father
Words Jessica Bown