Affinity Associates’ mission statement is “delivering exceptional quality, every time”.
There are also a number of reasons that make them stand out from other opportunities:
- An unbeatable reputation
- Local presence with global solutions
- The personal touch
- Services in continuous demand
- No accountancy experience required
- A highly experienced and knowledgeable team
- No expensive high street premises
Affinity Associates have an extensive (and growing) range of services to cover the needs of virtually all SMEs in the UK and beyond, including (but not limited to); accounts preparation, audit services, bookkeeping and VAT, payroll, tax planning, and managed IT services.
Creating a Winning Formula
Affinity Associates began as a small, family run firm, launched in North London in the 1960s; offering small scale, but essential, accountancy services to small and medium businesses in their local community. As the firm began to grow, they took on more and more skilled partners, expanded their services, and began to move out further into the capital, eventually expanding into the rest of the UK.
Through a combination of acquisition, joint ventures, and partnerships, Affinity Associates now has a total of 12 UK offices, plus 5 in India, and 1 in Dubai. They currently serve over 6,000 clients. In 2023, the annual group turnover was in excess of £10m, and the company expect to reach position 44 in the prestigious Accountancy Age “Top 50 + 50” rankings. Affinity Associates now has an executive committee of 4 directors, 12 partners and 7 practice managers, with a total worldwide staff of 240 people (and rising).
Franchise Opportunity
This franchise offers you a way to be a part of the local business community, at the head of your own successful enterprise, but also working under the umbrella of a well-known and respected brand. You’ll be able to work with business owners and individuals on their level, offering a personal and tailored service, but with the backing of an extensive network of experts.
With this tried and tested model, the experience, and support of Affinity Associates, they are confident that they can help you build a fulfilling and rewarding new future.
Your role as a franchisee
The Affinity Associates franchise is one of a very small number of accountancy franchises that can offer such a comprehensive, in-depth range of outsourced services. What really sets Affinity apart, is that you do not need to be an accountant; your role will be one of marketing your services and being the public ‘face’ of the business.
Aspiring accountants and established accountancy practices, who want to expand their services far beyond anything they could offer alone, are welcome.
Your primary role will be networking and building relationships of trust. Businesses are always looking for accountants they can trust, and with Affinity‘s reputation behind you, you can expect to become the go-to provider of comprehensive accountancy solutions in your area.
A background in business, and a basic knowledge of company accounting, would be advantageous, as you will be speaking to other local business owners on their level. The Affinity training will provide you with both a good working knowledge of the services, and how they can help your clients, however, you will need to demonstrate that you understand their fundamental needs.
Much of your success will depend on networking and building relationships, so you must be someone who is confident in communicating with others, and marketing yourself. Affinity can give you plenty of help and advice in this area, but a great deal will be down to your natural ability to promote yourself, and become an integral part of your local business community.
Your Investment
The Affinity Associates Franchise Fee is £24,495 + VAT
You will also need to factor in the cost of setting up your office. This may be home-based to start with, but sourcing a dedicated space as soon as possible is recommended. We also advise that you have a certain amount of working capital available to you whilst you are building your business. Affinity are happy to offer you some advice and guidance on this based on existing operations.
Financing is not provided directly, however there are a number of attractive options to help you with your investment. It may be possible to obtain funding from most major high street banks for some of the amount, and there are also government funded loans which could be available; Affinity are happy to point you in the right direction for more information.
Training & Support
The training programme is designed to give you all the knowledge and tools you need to launch and grow with confidence.
All new franchisees attend an initial training course at the head office in Wembley, which lasts for 4-5 days. The exact content will depend on your existing knowledge and experience, Affinity will make sure that you have a familiarity with how accountancy works in the wider business world, and how to market yourself to clients.
As a partner, you will have the best potential for success in your new business. Affinity work very closely with you in the lead up to launching your business, and in the first few critical weeks; you’ll be able to call on them for advice and guidance as required. Affinity also set up regular review meetings with you to make sure they are doing all they can to help you achieve your goals. You’ll be an important part of the wider network, and have plenty of opportunities to share ideas, problem solving techniques, and best practices with both your fellow franchisees, and key personnel in the company.
Contact Affinity, and become the local face of a global brand offering essential services…
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Meet Our New Franchisee - George Isaacs, Manchester
When George first asked to learn more about the Affinity Associates franchise, they were very keen to hear the story behind a young man whose ambition and business sense was clearly beyond his years.
He was in a position they see quite often; qualified accountant, ACCA under his belt, working his way through the ATT and CIOT qualifications. He had everything in place to start a well-paid career working for any number of accountancy firms, and had already gained valuable experience working in his uncle Reuben’s business.
He was clearly driven, clearly capable, but he had his sights set on much more, and dreamed of taking the helm of his own business. But the idea of actually starting his own practice felt like something "so far down the line that I couldn't even work out where to start."
When ambition meets reality
George had moved to Manchester three and a half years ago, and has been steadily building his career and qualifications ever since. "I realised that if I didn't push myself to do something more, that would probably be it for qualifications," he explains. Anyone who's studied for accountancy qualifications whilst working full-time knows what that takes. It’s the kind of self-drive that tells you someone's ready to run their own business, and George just lacked the framework to help him do so.
“I loved working with the people in my last team but, when you’re working for someone else, you don’t necessarily get the satisfaction from the job that you could be getting. George told us. “You put in the hours, you do the work, but the rewards don't necessarily match the input. I wanted to be my own boss, and structure my life and career the way I wanted, but without having someone there to guide you, and some kind of starting point to build from, it can be a very daunting prospect.”
This is exactly the gap that franchising fills. It's not that people lack ambition or ability, it's that the practical steps to get from employed accountant to business owner can feel overwhelming when you're trying to figure it all out alone.
The missing piece of the puzzle
George’s uncle Reuben was well aware of George’s talents, and wanted to help him build the future he deserved by supporting him both financially, and as a professional mentor. Together they looked at a number of options for creating a lasting legacy together, including setting something up from scratch, and even taking over existing accountancy practices in Manchester.
However, nothing quite fitted the bill. "An accountancy practice is difficult to set up, especially from first principles." George explains. "Without an infrastructure already in place, you’re looking at least 6-12 months to get your business up and running properly. On top of that, you can end up spending a fortune on employing people as you grow, and learning from your mistakes on the fly. It just didn’t feel viable.”
This is why, when they came across the Affinity Associates franchise, the outsourcing model immediately made sense. They could see how it would scale as they grew, but what really clinched the deal was how quickly, and easily, they could tap into the existing systems and support from day one. Not to mention a huge wealth of services which would otherwise have taken years for them to add to their offerings, all immediately available for their future customers.
The more they learnt, the clearer it became that joining Affinity was the perfect way for them both to achieve their goals.
“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. In fact, I’d be tapping straight into a team of hundreds all around the world! It takes away that scare factor that would definitely be there if we were doing this completely alone."
A bright future ahead
Even before he starts his training in February 2026, George already has bold plans for the future, but he’s also realistic about the challenges ahead. Business development and finding his own clients is new territory for him, but he knows he won’t be doing it without the fantastic support and guidance of the Affinity Associates team.
His plan is to get out into Manchester's business community: attending chamber of commerce events, council business meetings, and building a social media presence. He's also recently joined a golf club with a strong business networking WhatsApp group, that he's already planning to leverage.
"I don't think I would have pushed myself to do this without the Affinity model taking away some of that unknown," George admits. "The difference between where I was a year and a half ago - just thinking 'maybe one day' - and where I am now, actually launching this business, is massive."
If you're a qualified accountant keen to start their own business, but the practical reality of starting from scratch feels insurmountable, the Affinity Associates franchise has everything you need to turn that “one day” into “today”.
If George’s story resonates with you why not click the button below to get in touch and schedule a call for an initial chat?
