— Luke Nolan, Founder Covered Accounting
our story
Every accountant claims they understand business.
But very few know what it actually feels like to stand front-of-house during a chaotic Saturday morning rush, keeping a smile on their face while delivering top-notch customer service.
I do. Because before I built Covered Accounting, I traded my corporate spreadsheet for a coffee shop apron. Read more of my story below.
As the founder of Covered Accounting, I want to provide the kind of accountancy service your hospitality business deserves - delivering the same level of care, urgency, and hospitable spirit to your finance function that you bring to your customers.
Our journey Your journey
The Corporate Disillusionment
My career began exactly where you’d expect a traditional accountant’s to: climbing the ranks at a Top 20 accounting firm in the City of London. I learned the technical data inside out, secured my ICAEW Chartered status, and handled complex compliance for large organisations. But when I relocated back home to Harrogate, something shifted. I realised I had become completely disillusioned with my profession.
Traditional accounting felt entirely backward-looking. I wasn’t actually helping the businesses I cared about thrive; I was just reporting on history months after the damage was done. I started questioning if I even wanted to be an accountant anymore.
Finding the "Hospitality Heart"
Desperate to reconnect with people and do something entirely different I stepped out of the corporate office and took a job working front-of-house at a local independent coffee shop. That changed everything.
While serving food and pouring drinks, I fell head over heels for the hospitality industry. I saw first-hand how this local coffee shop was the beating heart of our community. A place where people came to connect, share stories and make memories. This was an industry I wanted to be a part of. But I also saw the intense operational pressure - the rising food and staff costs, the complex rotas, and the invisible leaks that drain a bank balance when you aren't looking. I realised I didn't hate accounting. I just hated how traditional accountants ignored the real, human side of running a business.
Why Covered Accounting Exists
I decided to marry my corporate financial expertise with my genuine love for the hospitality industry. I spent years honing my skills at a specialist accounting firm who worked with a select group of hospitality businesses, learning the precise tech stacks, finance systems, and strategies that make food and beverage businesses profitable.
Today, Covered Accounting is the culmination of that entire journey.
We don't just file your tax returns and ensure compliance (though as Chartered Accountants, we absolutely do). We act as your finance co-pilot to deliver the complete finance function your business deserves. We know how to cut through the "financial fog". Because we have lived both sides of the shift, we translate complex data into the plain-English "so what?" that actually gives you your time and mind freedom back.