The Shipley Group

What The Shipley Group does

The Shipley Group is a privately held, family-operated professional services firm headquartered at 1551 Pandora Avenue in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Originally founded as an accounting practice by Bill Shipley in 1994, the firm was rebranded under its current name following Tim Shipley's entry as a commissioned Notary Public in 2008 after his father's passing. The company serves individual consumers and small estates in the Greater Victoria area through three sub-brands: Victoria Notary Services (document notarization, life planning documents, and real estate transaction support), Victoria Accounting Services (personal income tax preparation including T1-General and T3 Trust returns), and Victoria Estate Services (estate reviews, executor guidance, and probate services).

The firm operates an appointment-only delivery model from a single physical location, with no proprietary technology platforms disclosed beyond standard accounting software and document management tools, plus a basic online booking system and downloadable PDF resources on its website. There is no mobile application, no API, and no disclosed AI or automation capabilities. The technology footprint is intentionally minimal, reflecting the relationship-driven, in-person nature of notary and estate work.

The Shipley Group generates revenue entirely through professional service fees billed on a quote basis, with no publicly listed pricing. Customer acquisition relies almost exclusively on 30+ years of local word-of-mouth referrals and reputation within the Victoria community, supplemented by a content-marketing website and direct phone/email contact. With approximately 5-8 staff including the principal Notary Public, an accountant, a conveyancer, bookkeeping and IT support, and no external investors, the firm operates as a sub-$1M-to-low-single-digit-million local services business optimized for stability rather than scale.

Name

The Shipley Group

Legal name

The Shipley Group

Website

https://shipleygroup.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Shipley Group is a family-owned Victoria, BC professional services firm delivering notary public, personal tax preparation, and estate/probate services to individual consumers and small estates through three sub-brands from a single appointment-based office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Notary Services: Professional notary services including document notarization, authentication, certified true copies, affidavits, and declarations. Revenue generated on a per-service basis.
2. Accounting and Tax Services: Income tax preparation and filing services including personal T1-General tax returns, year of death returns, and T3 Trust returns. Ongoing accounting services for clients.
3. Estate Planning and Management Services: Estate reviews, estate product preparation (wills, powers of attorney, representation agreements), executor services, and probate services. Revenue generated through professional service fees for estate planning engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Shipley Group provides professional notary public services, personal and small-business accounting and tax preparation, estate planning (wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements), and probate and estate-administration support to individuals and families in the Victoria, British Columbia area. Founded in 1994, the firm combines legal-financial advisory services delivered through scheduled in-person appointments under the Shipley family brand.

Product overview

The Shipley Group is a family-based notary and accounting service company serving Victoria, BC for over 30 years. The company operates three sub-brands: Victoria Notary Services (notarization, life planning documents, real estate), Victoria Accounting Services (income tax, estate planning), and Victoria Estate Services (estate reviews, executor services, probate). The core offering is professional notary public and accounting services, with specialized estate and probate support. All services are delivered through in-person appointments at their Victoria location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Notary Public Services Commissioning of oaths, affidavits, statutory declarations, certified true copies of documents, and execution of notarized documents for individual clients in British Columbia.
• Personal and Small-Business Tax Preparation Annual T1 personal tax returns and T2 corporate tax filings for individuals and small businesses in the Victoria, BC area.
• Bookkeeping and Accounting Services Ongoing bookkeeping, financial statement preparation, and accounting support for small-business owners and individuals.
• Estate Planning Documents Drafting, execution witnessing, and notarization of wills, powers of attorney, and representation agreements for individual clients.
• Probate and Estate Administration Assistance with probate applications and administration of estates for executors following the death of a family member.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of continuous operation serving Victoria community

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Canada: Deloitte is a Big Four firm with a Victoria practice covering personal tax, wealth advisory, and estate/trust services. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same Greater Victoria geography on overlapping tax and estate lines, though Deloitte's center of gravity is enterprise and HNW clients rather than walk-in individuals.
• Liberty Tax Service: Liberty Tax is a North American tax preparation franchise with Canadian locations competing for the same individual tax filers that form The Shipley Group's recurring T1 tax base. Comparable as a broad retail tax-prep incumbent, although it lacks the bundled notary and estate services that differentiate The Shipley Group.
• BDO Canada: BDO Canada operates a national full-service accounting practice including a Victoria office serving individuals and SMEs with tax, estate, and advisory services. It competes for the same Victoria-based individual and small-business clients on the accounting and tax side, while operating at far greater scale and offering a wider service portfolio.
• H&R Block Canada: H&R Block operates a large retail personal tax preparation franchise across Canada, directly competing with The Shipley Group's Victoria Accounting Services for individual T1 tax clients. It is a broad incumbent offering overlapping personal tax preparation at lower price points, though without the integrated notary and estate services the Shipley model provides.
• KPMG Canada: KPMG is one of the Big Four professional services firms with a Victoria presence providing tax, personal advisory, and estate/trust services to high-net-worth individuals. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the same Victoria market offering overlapping personal tax and estate planning, though operating at the upper end of the market.
• Grant Thornton Canada: Grant Thornton is a major Canadian accounting and advisory firm with presence in British Columbia providing tax, personal advisory, and estate-related services. It is comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping personal tax and estate support to Victoria-area clients, though its focus skews toward larger businesses and higher-net-worth advisory.
• Baker Tilly Canada: Baker Tilly is a top-ten Canadian accounting and advisory network with British Columbia offices serving individuals, estates, and trusts. It is comparable on the tax, trust (T3), and estate administration work that overlaps with The Shipley Group's accounting and estate services, although at materially greater scale and broader service scope.
• MNP LLP: MNP is one of Canada's largest accounting and tax advisory firms with a Victoria, BC office providing personal tax, estate planning, and executor/probate-adjacent services to individuals and small businesses. It is comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping personal tax and advisory services to the same Greater Victoria market, though at significantly greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/timothy-r-shipley---notary-public

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Shipley Group