Compare
Where Fortis sits between the high street and the big firms.
Both have their place. This is an honest view of where each fits and where Fortis is different, so you can decide with clear eyes.
| Traditional accountant | Big national firm | Fortis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Accounts, tax, maybe payroll | Everything, each from a different department | Ten disciplines, one team, one picture of your business |
| Who you deal with | The partner at the start, then whoever is free | A relationship lead and a rotating cast | One named lead who knows the whole business |
| Fees | Annual fee plus hourly for anything else | Hourly or day rates, estimates that move | Fixed, in writing, before work starts |
| Advice | Reactive: when you ask | Frameworks and decks | Proactive, grounded in your monthly numbers, with owners and dates |
| Speed | Year end plus a few months | Proposal cycles and steering groups | Diagnostic in weeks, actions the same month |
| Systems and AI | Recommends a software package | A separate technology practice at separate rates | Built and run in our own businesses, deployed in yours |
| Size of client | Local, small | Mid-market and up; small clients get the junior team | Owner-managed businesses that want to grow, nationally |
| Regulated advice | Varies | In-house, cross-sold | Introductions to independent FCA-authorised firms, disclosed |
| If we cannot help | You find out later | There is always a department | We say so on the first call and introduce someone who can |
General characterisations, not a description of any particular firm. Plenty of good accountants and consultancies exist; this is about fit.
Questions
Fair questions
Is Fortis more expensive than a local accountant?
For compliance alone, usually similar. The difference is what else you get: monthly numbers you can act on, planning before year end and access to advisory, HR, procurement, marketing and systems without finding and briefing four more suppliers.
Is Fortis big enough for my business?
If you are an owner-managed business with turnover from a few hundred thousand pounds to the low tens of millions, yes. Above that, or if you need statutory audit, a larger firm is the right choice and we will say so.
Why not just use a big national firm?
You can, and for some needs you should: audit, large transactions, specialist tax. For running and growing an owner-managed business month to month, a big firm's structure, fees and pace rarely fit. Fortis is built for that job.
Decide with a conversation, not a brochure.
A thirty-minute conversation, no charge and no pitch. Tell us where the business is and where you want it to be, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.