TaxOne.
Meet the team.

Beginnings
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‍Polish professionals, be they doctors or builders, have a reputation for their diligence and skills. But what about a Polish accountant – UK-trained and qualified  – that’s me?

I came to the UK in 2005 with £300, borrowed from friends and family. I had bartender qualifications and a degree in chemistry. My English was barely adequate to get by.

I urgently needed to work, so falling back on my past experience I applied for work as a barman at the well known Edinburgh bar and restaurant ‘The Dome’ – my determination paid off and I got the job. In my new surroundings I quickly picked up colloquial English but also worked hard on honing my academic English to the level needed for study at a university level.

I had always been keenly interested in the stock exchange and personal finance and in my spare time I avidly read on the subject. So as soon my English was good enough, I applied for and started a BA degree in Business Management & Financial Services at Edinburgh’s Napier University. After completing this qualification, I began working with an accountant, and after a very interesting year, decided to progress my career and moved on to further educate myself. After 4 years I gained a Master of Science in Accountancy from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Whilst studying, I continued to earn a living by working as an accountant, helping small businesses and self-employed people keep accounts and deal with their tax problems.

‍From the NHS to my own business
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‍After Aberdeen I moved back to Edinburgh to work for four years in the NHS, where I held various accounting positions, developing skills and learning to apply my theoretical knowledge into practice, in a large and complex organization. That's when I started to seriously think about setting up my own business, where I could focus on helping clients with their accounting, business and personal finance challenges.

In 2018 I passed - with excellent results – the ATT (the British Association of Taxation Technicians) qualification for tax adviser and although I still deal with general accounting, my passion is tax consulting, in particular the fairly complex area of VAT. I am also qualified as a mortgage adviser, but I am not a mortgage broker.  I think this is an important area in the finances of many people and I felt I should become qualified in the subject.

TaxOne was founded in 2018 and is a living proof that my pro-active approach to serving customers is working. After less than a year, at the start of 2019, I was able to employ 2 people. At the beginning of 2021 the team has grown by two more people. I hope to grow the business by helping people deal with their finances in accordance with my principles and values, of which more here.

I believe that education in financial matters is an absolute must - for entrepreneurs, but also for everyone else. I come from a modest background, and when I was a kid, even when there was some money at home, nobody really knew how to manage it properly. That is why my professional motto is "finances without the mystique". I believe that everyone can be taught the basics of finance.

Of course, you don't need to go into detail if you don't want to - in such a case I will optimise your tax situation and handle all accounting matters. However, I am always more than willing to share my knowledge with you for your benefit – avoiding complications, de-mystifying obscure jargon and making things crystal clear.

Integrity is my guiding principle. There are plenty of legal, and relatively easy ways to implement and optimise tax situations and save money. I'm not interested in working with clients who sail close to the wind or operate on the edge of the law.

I don't promise prices from the lowest shelf. But you don’t have to worry about sky-high bills either. I can promise you this: you will never have to pay me for anything you do not need.

I intend growing the TaxOne team by employing people who want to help themselves by helping others - according to the best principles proposed more than 200 years ago by the Scottish economist, Adam Smith, in his classic work: "Wealth of Nations".

I like to work with driven people who have a passion for what they do in life, and respect their customers, their suppliers and most of all their employees. Money is important too - and you have to respect money - but it will never be an end in itself and will never be more important than people.

I am inspired and guided by the example of people like Warren Buffet, Richard Branson and Suze Orman, people who combine personal values, a sense of joy and professional excellence.