Build a Recurring-Income Professional Services Business in a Recession-Resistant Sector
Operating in the essential SME services sector, this model provides predictable recurring revenue, scalable growth, and low overheads—ideal for commercially minded individuals looking to run their own professional enterprise without starting from scratch.
Founded in North London in the 1960s, Affinity Associates has grown through acquisitions and strategic partnerships into a multi-office group. Today, the organisation serves over 6,000 clients across the UK and internationally. Franchise partners benefit from established systems, operational infrastructure, and brand credibility from day one.
Why Franchisees Choose Affinity Associates
Franchisees focus on client acquisition, relationship management, and local business development, while centralised technical teams provide:
- Expert support in accounting, payroll, tax compliance, and advisory
- Operational guidance to streamline business processes
- Established systems that reduce start-up barriers
Key Strengths
Accountancy and business services are essential and non-discretionary—companies must comply with tax, payroll, and reporting obligations regardless of economic conditions. This makes the sector defensive, predictable, and attractive for investors.
- Recurring monthly income streams from bookkeeping, payroll, VAT, and tax compliance
- High client retention and long-term relationships
- Low overheads, with home-based launch options
- Scalable growth without expensive premises
- Multiple revenue streams per client through cross-selling
- Relationship-led, contract-driven revenue providing financial visibility and stability
Services & Revenue Streams
Franchise partners offer a comprehensive range of SME-focused services:
- Accounts preparation & audit
- Bookkeeping & payroll management
- VAT returns & tax planning
- Managed IT and advisory services
One Franchise, Two Options.
The Franchise Opportunity
This is ideal for:
- Accountants or bookkeepers looking to own their practice
- Existing practice owners aiming to scale efficiently
- Corporate professionals or consultants seeking a structured business model
- Investors seeking a professional, service-led enterprise
The Practice Conversion Opportunity
This route is ideal for established accountants, bookkeepers and practice owners who:
- Are looking for new ways to grow their practices
- Want to broaden their service offering and improve profitability
- Are keen to add the expertise and infrastructure of a larger professional services organisation.
Practice conversion franchise partners must also clearly show that they have the determination to take their business to the next level, and build a stronger, more valuable and more resilient practice backed by the Affinity Associates brand.
The New Franchisees Have Their Say
The franchise really is a business in a box. It has a structure and it has a support package. Perhaps, most importantly, Affinity has really embraced modern technology in a way that is accessible and relevant to both my business, and to my clients. They’ve always bent over backwards to help me.
What appealed to me the most was that this would still very much be my business, but there would be a whole structure behind me, too. There are people I can contact if I’m struggling, or need pointing in the right direction. It takes away that scare factor that would definitely be there if we were doing this completely alone.
Investment & Financial Overview
- Franchise fee: £24,495 + VAT
- Recommended working capital for initial growth phase
- Modest home or office setup costs
- Many franchisees start from home to maintain cash flow efficiency
- Guidance available on bank financing and government-backed loans
Training & Ongoing Support
All new franchise partners complete a 4 to 5 day training programme at the head office in Wembley, covering:
- Operations, services, and systems
- Business development and sales strategy
- Tailored support based on experience level
- Regular performance reviews
- Access to technical specialists
- Collaboration with the wider franchise network
- Dedicated guidance during launch and early-stage growth
If you are looking for long-term value and a scalable, relationship-driven business, this franchise offers a proven model backed by heritage, operational infrastructure, and growth potential.
Contact Affinity, and become the local face of a global brand offering essential services…
Meet Marina: the accountant who chose Affinity over going it alone
This month, Affinity Associates are delighted to introduce you to Marina Sturmey, who is building her new accountancy practice in Oxfordshire as the latest member of the Affinity Associates franchise.
Marina has a great deal of experience to draw on. She’s spent much of her career in the finance departments of larger businesses, before building her own successful childcare business after having kids of her own. More recently, she’s worked as a fractional Financial Controller, supporting several businesses at once.
Returning to accountancy, and building a practice of her own, had always been on her mind. She certainly had the experience to do it.
So, why did she choose Affinity?
As Marina says herself, setting up a practice entirely on your own is hard. What the Affinity franchise gave her was a way to do exactly that, with the systems, services and support of an established firm behind her.
She was especially drawn to the outsourcing model. It means she can build relationships with her own clients and do the work she enjoys herself, while calling on a network of specialists for the services she doesn’t provide. From day one, she can offer clients a far broader range of accountancy services than she could alone, without having to build an entire team around her to do it.
It’s a model that also works just as well for bookkeepers looking to grow beyond the services they can offer today. With the right specialist support behind them, they can broaden what they put in front of clients and build a full practice under their own name, much as Marina is doing now.
Marina didn’t reach her decision overnight, either. She spoke to several other franchises before choosing Affinity, which she described as having “the right vibe, the right feel”, and she took her time over it, from her first enquiry in January to signing in August.
You can read much more about Marina’s background, her plans and what drew her to Affinity in her full case study here: She could already do it alone - here's why Marina chose Affinity instead
And if you’d like more, there are two other case studies on this website:
An 8-year partnership that led to franchise ownership
Meet Our New Franchisee - George Isaacs, Manchester
Whether you’re thinking about growing your bookkeeping business, building a practice of your own, or expanding your existing practice, Affinity will gladly talk you through how the Affinity Associates franchise model might fit your plans.
Click on the button below to get in touch and schedule a call, at a time that suits you. There’s no obligation, simply a chance to ask your questions and see whether it makes sense for you.
