Businesswoman and mother-of-three Pauline Smith prides herself on being flexible with working hours.

The boss of accountancy business Greenwave believes in allowing employees to balance their work around their family life and commitments.

Manxwoman Pauline, 41, believes this positive go-ahead attitude is something that other businesses should consider adopting.

’It leads to better productivity and greater loyalty,’ said Pauline.

She told Business News: ’I’m really proud of the working environment that we’ve created because I fully understand how challenging it can be to work when you have children, especially for women who want to maintain their career and balance this with having a family.

’To this end, our core office hours are 9am to 3pm to fit around school time, although we clearly work and hold client meetings outside of these hours to ensure we’re continuing to meet their needs too.

’This policy is very much endorsed by our clients.’

Greenwave is based in Pauline’s home in Colby and she admitted: ’I must have the least stressful commute to work in the island.’

She was speaking after celebrating Greenwave’s ’landmark’ fifth birthday.

She held a party for clients at Foraging Vintners in Port Erin to celebrate the company’s significant success since its inception.

Since it began, the company has increased its employee numbers, having recently recruited Pippa Acton and Sharon Greenwood.

Pippa has experience as a legal PA and brings a wealth of knowledge from this sector, with Sharon having significant bookkeeping experience within the local private sector.

Both Sharon and Pippa have partners and have two children each.

Pauline has three children, all boys aged 12, 10 and five, and lives with her ’house-husband’ Richy.

Pauline is a firm believer in workplace equality and supports the principles of last week’s International Women’s Day.

As an anecdote she told how it seems that whenever she and Richy go anywhere to discuss business such as bank appointments, ’they always talk to him rather than me. He has to point at me and say: ’’please speak to my wife as it is her business.’’ ’

Pauline said that as a reflection of its success, she hopes the company will be expanding again in the coming months and prides itself on its flexible culture, allowing employees to balance their client work around their family life and commitments.

She said: ’When I first established Greenwave Accountants, it was a huge leap of faith and I wondered if we would last five minutes, never mind five years.

’Having been a start-up myself and knowing exactly the highs and lows involved with manging your own business, I realised this gave me an insight to help other business owners and entrepreneurs which is why we’ve recently rebranded as the entrepreneurs’ accountant. This is also very reflective of the increase in start-up businesses and companies relocating to the island currently.

’I’m incredibly excited for the next five years and beyond, and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my clients and other stakeholders who’ve supported Greenwave Accountants since our launch.’

Greenwave specialises in providing so-called bespoke accounting services and business advice, dealing with owner-managed businesses from a diverse group of sectors, but with a particular interest in tech start-ups. Since launch, the UK side of the business has also grown from strength to strength with both rural and London-based clients gaining business advice and accountancy services from Pauline and her team.

Pauline said Greenwave recently rebranded as the ’entrepreneurs’ accountant’ to reflect its client base and the specialist business services provided. It now offers multiple corporate ’solutions’ so clients can best manage their needs, promoting cloud accounting where appropriate to encourage them to take a more proactive role in controlling their business finances.

Pauline, who worked for a number of companies before branching out on her own, said she is happy being based in Colby and does not feel she is missing out on the ’Athol Street’ finance sector.

She believes other businesses should look at flexible working hours as the way to work for the future because she believes it leads to greater loyalty from staff.

She is a member of an organisation called ’A League of Her Own’ dubbed as an online membership site and community for aspiring and established female entrepreneurs.

Greenwave boss Pauline Smith, right, pictured with Sharon Greenwood who works at the Colby accountancy business along with Pippa Acton. Greenwave is celebrating five years and Pauline advocates flexible working