Inside Business First: Murray Associates Accountants

We sat down with Managing Director, Gloria Murray, of Murray Associates Accountants, to find out more.

What is your business called?

“Murray Associates Accountants Limited.”

How did you hear about Business First offices in Glasgow?

“Our old offices weren’t far from here, and we used to pass the Business First office centre every day.”

Why did you decide to operate from our offices in Glasgow?

“We had started to look around to move, as we needed more space. We had originally considered moving within the building that we were in at the time, but, the offices were damp, draughty and frankly, really tired looking.

We moved to Business First because the building was new, has fantastic facilities and also, the offices receive much more daylight, because there are windows, instead of portholes.

“It fitted, and still does fit, the bill for everything we were looking for. It even has a free-to-use gym and shower facilities.”

How long have you been at Business First, Glasgow, and how big is your office?

“We’ve been here for around two and a half years, now. And we have no plans to go anywhere else.

“Our office is 750 sq. ft.”

What benefits do you get from running your business out of Business First’s Glasgow offices?

“We run quite a lot of events and there is a great training room that we can use to hold them.

“This saves us holding our events at a separate location to our offices. Which in turn saves us time travelling and therefore time not working. Ergo, it actually makes us more money.

“Not only that, but the training room has everything we need to run our events, including a large, top-of-the-range TV screen with screen-share and screen-mirroring software.”

Do you make use of the free facilities at Business First?

“Yes, regularly.

“We use the boardrooms for meetings and some internal staff training. A fair few of us use the gym – with varying levels of regularity – and the showers, afterwards. Personally, I used to use the gym a lot more regularly than I do now, but that’s only because I’ve started to do yoga a lot. We use the kitchen facilities every day. The waiting areas are fantastic, as they enable us to offer somewhere well-appointed for our clients to sit, between meetings.”

How has Business First helped you to run your business successfully?

“Our office is more than a step up from where we were previously based, and allows us to present a much more professional and prestigious image to our clients. It says more about the business… well maybe not more, but it certainly says something many, many times better.

“In fact, it is entirely true and fair for me to say that we have attracted more clients, of a far superior calibre as a result of our move here!”

What would you say the best thing that Business First has done for your company is?

“It’s helped us to attract better clients, as I said. But also, and equally importantly, it has given us a much better working environment. It’s clean, tidy, modern. It is warm in the winter and cool in the summer – the polar (forgive the pun) opposite of our old offices. And on top of all that, the staff here are fantastic. They are the first point of contact any of our visitors have, and we couldn’t ask for a better greeting for them.”

Would you recommend Business First to other SMEs?

“It’s simple. Yes.”

What’s next for your business?

“Well, it’s quite an exciting time for us at the moment, actually.

“I’m taking some time out of the office, over the next few months, to work on plans for the future. We’re planning on running our training and mentoring programmes and events online in the future, as well as continuing to run our physical events.

“We’re also looking to set up a resource website for small businesses; a place where they can go to learn more about their business and personal finances.”

If you’re looking for Accountancy services in Glasgow, you can find out more about Murray Associates Accountants, here.

And, if you’re in the market for new, state-of-the-art offices in Glasgow, then drop in or give our Glasgow Centre Manager a call to arrange a viewing, today, on 0141 433 7915.