Posted August 18, 2026

Exclusive – Every Business has an Adam!

At Whitesides, we don’t have a Dave.

We have Adam – coincidentally it’s also his birthday today!

Now, officially, Adam has a job description. In reality, we’re not entirely convinced it’s possible to list everything he actually does.

Need the website updating? Speak to Adam
IT issue? Adam
Annual regulatory compliance? Adam
Fire extinguisher inspection due? Adam
Record management? Adam
Plant looking a bit sad? Somehow, that’s Adam’s problem too
I’ve lost my password? Adam
Tea and coffee supplies running low? Also, Adam

Like many small businesses, we’ve gradually discovered that a surprising number of things just seem to happen because one person quietly gets on with them. And that’s not unusual.

Every Business Has One

The person might not be called Adam, they could be called Dave, Jessica, Julie or Steve.

They’re the person who knows where the passwords are.

They understand how the systems work.

They know which supplier to ring.

They remember the important deadlines.

And when something goes wrong, everyone instinctively says:

“Has anyone asked Adam?”

The trouble is that many businesses don’t realise how much they rely on these people until they’re unavailable.

The Holiday Test

One of the quickest ways to identify the Adams in your business is when they go on holiday.

Does everything grind to a halt, no invoicing is done, and everything take longer to resolve? If they do – you have an Adam!

It’s Not Just an Operational Risk

Having a trusted employee who knows the business inside out is a huge asset. The problem comes when too much knowledge sits with one person.

If that person leaves, retires or becomes unexpectedly unavailable, the business can find itself exposed.

Processes that seemed straightforward suddenly become difficult, tasks that were completed effortlessly now take twice as long, valuable knowledge walks out of the door.

From a business owner’s perspective, this is often a bigger risk than they realise.

So What Can You Do?

Most businesses can’t eliminate key people completely, nor should they want to, the aim is not to make people less valuable, it’s to make the business more resilient.

These are some simple steps that we have taken that have made a big difference:

We have documented important processes, we have a password manager system and our supplier information and key contacts are stored. As the company has grown, Adam now has two assistants, Charlotte and Danielle and every process we do in the office now has two members of staff who are aware of the process. Adam remains a key member of staff for us but we no longer have one individual who is the sole source of knowledge.

None of this sounds particularly exciting, but it can save a huge amount of disruption in the future.

We Still Need Adam

To be clear, we’re not trying to replace Adam, and frankly, we’re not convinced that’s possible.

But like many businesses, we’ve recognised the importance of making sure vital knowledge isn’t held by just one person.

Because every business has an Adam.

The question is whether you’ve thought about what would happen if they weren’t there tomorrow.

At Whitesides Chartered Accountants, we work with owner-managed businesses every day and often see operational risks hiding in plain sight. Sometimes they aren’t found in the accounts at all, they’re found in the fact that one person seems to know everything.

And if you’ve immediately thought of somebody while reading this article, you’ve probably found your Adam.

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