Balance First
Bookkeeping with the owner in mind.
Balance First is a bookkeeping and Self Assessment practice being established in Leeds by Alexis Lamb, MICB PM.Dip.The intended focus is sole traders who need a dependable year-round service: straightforward ways to provide information, carefully maintained records, relevant compliance work and continuity through to the annual tax return.While the remaining professional and operational arrangements are completed, this website introduces the thinking behind the practice and provides a point of connection for fellow bookkeepers, accountants and other professional contacts.Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
A deliberately designed practiceBalance First is being developed as a deliberately small practice, with the aim of providing continuity and clear responsibility throughout the working relationship.The intended service begins with regular bookkeeping and follows the records through the year, rather than allowing the work to become an annual reconstruction exercise. The underlying approach is practical: use appropriate technology, maintain clear processes and keep professional judgement at the centre of the work.The practice is initially being designed around the needs of sole traders. This provides a focused setting in which to develop strong systems, deepen practical expertise and build lasting relationships with owners and professional colleagues.Straightforward for clients, controlled within the practiceClients should not need to become proficient in bookkeeping software before they can hand their bookkeeping over.Balance First is developing simple, agreed ways for clients to provide receipts, invoices and other records. Once received, that information should enter a consistent process for checking evidence, identifying omissions, resolving queries and maintaining the books.The principle is flexibility at the client interface and standardisation behind the scenes. The process should feel straightforward for the client while remaining orderly, reviewable and professionally controlled within the practice.Clients should understand what information they need to provide and when. They should also know what has been dealt with, what remains outstanding and which matters require their attention.Information that supports decisionsAccurate records and timely compliance are the foundation of the service. The resulting information should also be proportionate to the business and useful to its owner.For a straightforward sole trader, that may mean a clearer view of income and expenditure, likely taxable profit, upcoming obligations and amounts that may need to be reserved. Where a business requires a fuller accounting picture, the bookkeeping system and level of reporting should reflect that need.Not every owner has the same ambitions. One may want to grow, while another may value dependable income, greater control over their time or a business that operates more steadily. The purpose of the bookkeeping is not to prescribe the direction. It is to provide a sounder basis for the owner’s decisions.This is the sense in which Balance First is being built with the owner in mind: not by making straightforward bookkeeping appear more elaborate than it is, but by ensuring that the information produced earns its place.Connected bookkeeping and taxThe intended core service runs from maintaining the records through to preparation and submission of the annual Self Assessment return. MTD for Income Tax, VAT and CIS will be included where relevant, within competence and as agreed with the client.This connected approach should reduce fragmented responsibility and create a clearer path from the information supplied during the year to the final tax position.Where a matter requires expertise outside the practice’s agreed scope, appropriate specialist involvement or a clear professional handover will be arranged. The aim is continuity for the client while recognising where another professional should contribute.Professional relationshipsBalance First is being developed within a wider professional community.Alexis is particularly interested in building relationships with fellow ICB members, bookkeepers, accountants, experienced practitioners and other professional contacts. These relationships provide opportunities to exchange experience, develop complementary expertise and establish trusted connections for the future.
About AlexisAlexis is an ICB Member, MICB PM.Dip, with qualifications in bookkeeping and accounts, payroll management and Self-Assessment Tax.After university, he worked in NHS administration and personal assistant roles, where discretion, responsibility and dependable working relationships mattered. He then spent 17 years living in Portugal before returning to the UK in 2026.Establishing Balance First is a deliberate return to professional work. It brings together his interest in numbers and systems with the opportunity to develop professional expertise and build lasting relationships with people running businesses of their own.
Preparing for launchAlexis has submitted his ICB Practice Licence application. Balance First is not yet accepting client engagements while the remaining professional, regulatory and operational arrangements are completed.In the meantime, Alexis welcomes connections and conversations with professional colleagues in Leeds and beyond.Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn