An independent practice in Crockenhill, Kent.
AR Gardiner & Co. is an independent accountancy practice in Crockenhill, Kent. I founded it in 2011 and have run it as a principal-led firm ever since.
The practice serves owner-managed businesses, contractors and individuals across Kent, London and Essex. Clients tend to be people who've outgrown a high-street firm, or had enough of being passed around a larger one — and who'd rather work with the same accountant year on year than start over with a new account manager every spring.
I work with strong client groups in construction (CIS), contracting (IR35), and professional services — but the practice has always been broader than any single sector.
I'm Bobby Gardiner.
A Fellow of the Association of Accounting Technicians (FMAAT), and the person you'll deal with directly if you become a client.
Before going independent, I spent [your prior career] — which is where the practical, no-nonsense approach to clients' books came from. I went on to qualify with the AAT and progressed to Fellow status, the senior tier of AAT membership.
I started AR Gardiner because I wanted clients to deal with the person doing the work — not be passed down a chain. That's still the principle the practice is run on, fourteen years in.
A small practice — with the trade-offs that implies.
I run a small practice — me, plus part-time admin support — which means I'm not always at my desk when you call.
It's a deliberate trade-off. The thing I won't do is hand your file to someone else so I can pick up every phone call. Email is the most reliable way to reach me, and phone calls are returned the same day or the next working morning. The person getting back to you is the one who actually knows your file.
For most clients that's the right deal. If you need an accountant who'll answer instantly every time, a larger firm will serve you better — and I'll happily say so on a first call.