Testimonials
What do current Crunch customers say about our service?
Background
Steve Calvert is a director at Borlotti. He has just started contracting for the first time after 25 years of permanent employment in the fields of general electronics engineering and telecoms software. He is also a software consultant at Ubiquisys. He is currently working on a contract for ‘femtocell’ mobile technology.
Problem
For many software contracts, Limited Company status is a standard requirement. Steve was keen to set up as a Limited entity and he was specifically looking for an online accountancy service which specialised in freelancers.
Solution
The speed at which Steve was able to set up as a Limited Company through Crunch came as a surprise: “I found the setting up process to be extremely fast and efficient - I had a half hour chat with Crunch in the morning, and the company setup confirmation came through in the afternoon.” The process took just three and-a-half hours.
Steve found out about Crunch while researching accountancy services online: “I picked Crunch because it popped up when I was doing a Google search of accountants specialising in freelance.” He said: “Being a bit geeky, I was particularly attracted by the online web interface for handling invoices and expenses. I was very impressed by the look and feel of the Crunch website, and I love the idea of having online software to provide a way to submit expenses and invoices.”
Steve has just started his first contract working on UMTS femtocell development – the project which required him to have Limited Company status.
Using Crunch, he says that everything has gone smoothly, but he did have one slight worry: “One area of managing my accounts that I was concerned about was the subject of director’s pay and dividends, but the Crunch software has been updated with a mechanism that should simplify this procedure.” He said: “I was pleased to see that support has been added in this area.”
As the Crunch service continues to develop, further benefits continue to be felt, at no extra cost. Steve said: “I was also impressed that they plan to integrate the web interface with the company bank account to provide automated reconciliation of payments and receipts.”
Clive Bonny, Strategic Management Partners Ltd
Background
Practical hands-on manager for innovation companies, large and small, led to start-up in recession hit 1989. Over 20 years he has supported a wide range of professional bodies, several Footsie 100, government bodies, award winning SME’s and over 100 start-ups. He stuck with the same friendly chartered accountant for 20 years.
Clive is the founder and principal consultant of Strategic Management Partners. He has over 25 years commercial experience in delivering bottom line benefits for client teams from the MD to the receptionist. Many years advisory experience with Investors in People, Innovation and Enterprise Agencies has produced many national award-winning projects. Clive has delivered over 50 government funded business growth schemes for small to medium sized businesses through enterprise support programmes. Clive also works closely with large corporate and the public and not-for-profit sectors.
Clive is a founder of the not-for-profit Innovation Forum and delivers consultancy funded by government bodies to bring innovative products and services to the market. Previous roles have included Chairman of a national business consortium, and Programme Developer for professional institutes.
His business research on best practice has been published by The Economist and endorsed by industry leaders including the Director General of the Institute of Directors, Chairman of Investors in People and the late Sir John Harvey-Jones, past chairman of ICI.
Problem
Clive became more and more concerned with fee increases at his previous accountancy:
“My accountancy fees increases because my accountant office costs had increased and I was paying more fees for those overheads directly. Accounting firms with major office costs simply pass those overheads to clients. I would like them to cut their office overheads not increase their fees. I prefer to pay my own taxes not other people’s business rates.”
Clive also required faster automated information at a time when his accountant was looking after bigger clients.
Solution
Clive switched to Crunch which saved him over £1000 in annual fees. Crunch also saved him money by switching his tax status from sole trader to limited company.
“Most sole traders pay business tax at personal rates from 25-40% which is much higher than tax based on company dividend payments at 18%. Crunch switched my tax trading status in a day and saved me a fortune in future taxes for less than £100.”
He felt that the change to a limited company was even more advantageous in the current economic climate:
“I am aware that a transfer from sole trader to limited company would win more work with bigger clients. In today’s new economy of bad debts and supplier failure, clients like to see supplier’s accounts, openly and transparently. Most freelancers never win big clients because they fail to show audited limited company accounts. I’ve worked with some of the biggest and best companies in the country and plan more within a limited liability trading status.”
Clive also has the benefit of access to several qualified accountants rather than just one:
“Instead of one accountant I now have access to several qualified accountants from a single source. They can all see my financial position online and give me support every day of the week if needed. No more reliance on unqualified assistants when the accountant goes on holiday. There are now more demands for fast response to new tax situations than ever before. I have faster access to more support on hand than before. Crunch has an easy access library of Q and A support info and online accounts gives me 24/7 access for updates as 9-5 should be client time not accounting time.”
New rules and regulations also mean that Clive would have to have done his accounting online anyway. The Crunch system offers an easy way to do this.
“We are being obliged into online accounting anyway by HMRC. Using a professional online system designed by accountants specifically for my own business sector seems smarter than applying my own DIY process. Mistakes using personal online systems are avoided with Crunch technology.”
Steve Hearsum, Deboxing Ltd
Background
Steve Hearsum is a Change Consultant. He is the director of management consultancy Deboxing Ltd, where his work has included a review of the finance function of a publicly funded UK television company. He is also the co-founder of the Fit Forum, which specialises in how people fit into their workplace, and lectures at the University of Brighton. Steve says:
“I’m a change consultant; I work on anything that involves change. My projects usually involve the impact of change when the structure of organisations change, basically it could be anything that changes peoples relations with one another.”
Steve has previously been a business analyst at Emap, and has held down a number of roles at Guardian News and Media.
Problem
Steve’s previous accountant was perfectly able but he discovered Crunch.co.uk and felt it would be able to reduce the amount of time he spent doing his accounts and allay some of his accountancy worries, such as overpaying tax. He decided to become Crunch.co.uk’s first client.
Solution
The Crunch system helped simplify Steve’s accounting:
“It centralises all my finances in one place, it pulls everything together in a really simple way. They’ve offered a holistic solution to all my requirements. They’ve made sense of what can be a quite confusing mess of accounting and finance requirements such as VAT and tax issues."
The simple nature of the Crunch system has helped him save time on processing tax returns and has also taken away some of the worries of accounting:
“Previously it would half a day or a day’s worth of putting things in order before seeing my accountant – and now it takes half the time. But mainly it’s the not worrying about things. I don’t worry about accounting. Things are not all over the place.”
Steve decided that if he hadn’t seen any financial benefits within a year, he would return to his previous accountant. Almost immediately Crunch helped him save money.
“When I registered I was on the standard VAT rate when it makes more sense to be on a flat rate,” He said: “They advised me to go on the flat rate and I have since saved £1500.”
As the first client for Crunch, Steve assumed there would be a few issues that would naturally come with the infancy of a new company but he was immediately impressed:
“The way that they responded to any issues I had was really telling, they were always very professional about things and there was never any attempt to fob me off.”
Steve is very happy with the service Crunch has offered and likes the way it continues to develop. One of his governing philosophies sprung from a personal quest to find the perfect coffee – something that he found difficult. He searched for the perfect blend of bean, grinder, milk and steam, and the best way to combine them. He discovered that the interconnectedness of ingredients and process was the key.
“It’s like the quest for the perfect coffee – tons of companies try to do it but not many do it well.”
Jono Brain, Digital Blah Blah Ltd
Background
Jono Brain is a freelance digital developer specialising in building websites. He describes his business, Digital Blah Blah, as a virtual micro-agency. He was formerly a technical director at creative agency Love Creative. Jono felt that he needed a new challenge and so he left Love to start up his own company.
Problem
When Jono Brain left his former job he discovered that setting up a new company was a minefield. He was unsure of whether to be a sole trader or a limited company and didn’t fully understand all the finer details of accountancy. He looked at a number of different accountancy services and received quotes of up to £1500-a-year at a time when cash-flow was an issue.
Solution
Crunch offers clients a simple and manageable monthly payment service which combines accountancy software and expert financial advice all rolled into one - he chose Crunch just as he was about to sign up with another service.
“What really appealed to me was the fixed rate because cash-flow was an issue when I was starting up. I got a couple of quotes from other accountants and I was looking at £1500 a year but I would also have to find my own software to keep track of expenses and quotes.”
One of the first things Crunch did was advise Jono to become a limited company rather than a sole trader:
“Other freelancers advised me to be a sole trader because it’s a lot easier... there’s not so much hassle. But Crunch advised me to become a limited company and made the process a lot easier.”
Jono was particularly concerned about the issue of expenses:
“I was worried about how to keep up with my expenses, and with Crunch they told me how to do it and basically gave me advice on how to run my business. When I started up I was completely clueless and so I was phoning them up all the time – I was probably a pain. I often don’t know what to count as an expense so whenever I have a doubt I just call them and they advise me on what to do. I can speak to people all the time and there’s no extra charge so I can phone them every day if I want to. They are really nice people and not your typical accountancy types which makes a big difference.”
Jono admits that he has actually enjoyed using the system:
“Everything I do is digital, I’m not very good at filing things. The thing I love about it is seeing how much money I’ve made and seeing who owes me money. Luckily I’ve had a good six months which has included building the Bank of America’s website - which is good for a start-up.”
Jono’s clients have included Bank of America, CG animation studio Realtime UK, and design agency Music.
Rohan Gunatillake, 21awake Ltd
Background
Rohan is an innovation consultant who helps people and organisations innovate in response to changes that happen around them. In particular, he works with cultural organisations existing in the digital space. He is an unpaid director and freelancer at Mission Models Money - a network which aims to help creative practitioners and organisations strengthen their capacity to take artistic risks.
Besides his consultancy work, Rohan is also founder of the Here and Now Project – an innovative approach to meditation that enables people to meditate via mp3 players. He also writes for 21awake – a website exploring Buddhist practice in the 21st century.
Problem
Rohan had spent most of his career working within organisations and he went freelance for the first time in July 2009. He had never previously required direct contact with accountants, but when he became a freelancer he started searching for online invoicing systems.
Solution
Rohan found out about Crunch through Freelance Advisor (he once met Michael Rose, the site’s editor).
“When I became freelance I was looking for a simple accounting system. I realised Crunch was a good fit for my needs,” He said: “I was looking at online invoicing systems and when I came across Crunch I saw it provided a 360-degree service.”
Rohan was impressed with what he saw:
“I used to work with an innovation agency so it’s part of my expertise. I like the idea. It’s an innovative business model so I was interested in being a part of that model as it grows. Using the system for the first time I found it to be quite intuitive and it was clear they had made sure that usability and design was a priority, which is something I appreciate.”
But there was another reason, besides practical considerations, for choosing Crunch:
“I like the fact that it’s a British start-up company especially as I spend a lot of time with innovative companies.”
Mohammad Khan, Khanee Ltd. - Gas Fitters
Background
Mohammed Khan is a gas engineer who works through his own limited company, Khanee Homes. He has worked with high-profile clients including: IKEA, the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Ministry of Defence.
Problem
Mohammed was working through a traditional accountant charging him at a high rate – a rate he wanted reduced. Meanwhile, the complexities of accounting were giving him a headache. He needed an accountancy service that would simplify his accounting, save him money, and alleviate his aching head - preferably without the use of painkillers.
Solution
Whilst quoting for jobs on MyBuilder.com Mohammed came cross Crunch. Mybuilder is the website which offers an easy way for homeowners to find the right builders – they take customer service very seriously and were delighted to recommend Crunch to their tradesmen (they spent 6 months looking for the best accountancy service to promote to their tradesmen). Mohammed checked out Crunch and got in touch.
“When I went limited I found it difficult to find the right accountant. It’s quite a daunting task to remain on the right side of the law. And it’s quite daunting trying to find the right accountant. You don’t know what accounting is – it’s like a mysterious art.”
Mohammed discovered that Crunch was anything but intimidating:
“Crunch has a very friendly atmosphere and it’s such a nice service. I’m very new to accountancy software but I could understand how the Crunch system worked. It’s very simple and straightforward.”
Since being signed up with Crunch, Mohammed has reduced his stress levels and spends less time on accounting:
“The biggest thing is that I don’t have a headache any more. I used to get headaches because I had people asking me questions about accounting and telling me to talk to my accountant etc, and it was quite stressful. But now I can simply send people to Crunch and they deal with everything. This means I get more time to spend with my family which is great.”
Mohammed has also saved money through switching to Crunch, something he was quick to tell his former accountant:
“I told my old accountant to look at the Crunch website to see how much they charge. Crunch offers an excellent service – that’s the only way to describe it. It is the best thing that’s happened to me in life!”
Nabila Kamran, KNIA IT Consulting Ltd
Background
Nabila is an IT professional of six years, working within the IT Sourcing and Project Management sector and serving numerous blue-chip companies. She runs her own company KNIA IT Consulting Ltd. Her clients include high profile names such as Centrica, Volkswagen, T-Mobile, Blackberry and BP. She is the mother of two children.
Problem
“I found myself spending a lot of money on accountancy fees, money which I’d prefer to be spending on my kids. I also believe in doing my work today rather than tomorrow so speed is important. I thought I’d look for a cost-efficient online accounting tool that I could use for myself – a tool which just had to be simple.”
Solution
“I needed on-tap expert accountancy advice, along with an easy-to-use computer application, enabling me to minimise the time spent managing my finances, and leaving more time to concentrate on business. I found a solution in Crunch.”
Nabila had a good relationship with her previous accountant but decided that the benefits of using Crunch meant that she just had to make the switch.
“They helped me change over to a limited company business structure. It was important for me to do this to meet the needs of my clients – it really adds credibility to your business, and Crunch makes the whole process easy. It also means I’m now more tax-efficient.”
“I’d recommend Crunch to anyone, whether you’re a freelancer, contractor, sole trader or a limited company, and regardless of what industry you’re in.”
Andrew Smith, Spilt Milk Studios Ltd
Background
Andrew Smith is a BAFTA winning game designer (an award picked up for the game Flock! Released on Xbox Live, PSN and PC). He has just switched to contracting, and his first contract is with Proper Games Ltd – the game is cloaked in secrecy, but is expected to be a big release, and a big coup for both Proper Games and Andrew himself.
Aside from this project he is looking to fund and develop his own free online games from the ideas stage all the way through to end product.
Problem
Andrew decided it was time for a new challenge and so he decided to go freelance.
“At 27 years-old I felt the next step in my career should be the big one. I feel that going freelance is a way of growing projects faster, and the opportunities are there with the digital market being a lot less expensive than it used to be. It can take as little as a couple of grand to get a project off the ground – five years ago that would not have been possible.”
Andrew needed an accountancy service that would enable him to start up his own limited company and provide a solution to all his accounting needs.
Solution
Crunch offers clients a simple and manageable monthly payment service which combines accountancy software and expert financial advice all rolled into one - he chose Crunch just as he was about to sign up with another service.
Solution
“I found out about Crunch when looking around for an accountancy service. The way it’s presented and styled makes it a less scary prospect compared to some others. And the idea that you have the support of accountants on the end of a phone was also very appealing.”
“One of the main things that attracted me was the monthly price set-up. It’s a very flexible way of doing things which I like because you’re always wary of extra charges and hidden extras. This way, if there are any problems, I’m not tied down for a long period,”
With Crunch looking after all his accounting needs, Andrew’s been able to get on with what he does best.
“There’s a big market at the moment for free online gaming content which gives you the option of purchasing items or added extras from within the gaming environment. This is what’s called freemium content and it’s all about offering a free-to-access game with the hope that some people will actually buy things from within it, and it’s a particularly effective model at the moment.”
So what is Andrew currently working on?
“I’m currently in the process of building a community based freemium mode of content, but I need to differentiate myself from the likes of World of Warcraft. So I’m looking to build a one universe world with different game modes so that people can come back and play the game in a different way – so they might be driving one minute then doing a puzzle the next, but all within one interrelated gaming environment.”
If you would like to find out more about how Crunch can help you with your limited company, freelance, contract or sole trader accounting drop us a line on 0844 500 8000 or contact us via the site
