Elliott Dennahy

Elliott always had a passion for gaming but had doubts over whether he could pursue it as a career. However, after turning 30 and becoming a Dad, he decided to follow his dream.

He says: “I was often ridiculed for the fact I still played computer games, that it shouldn't be a pastime of mine and I should ‘grow up’.”

“I took this passion and my love for YouTube and had my ‘lightbulb’ moment to create a channel where I would crush that stigma and show everyone you can be both an amazing, loving father and be one of the best gamers in the world.”

Elliott’s success in gaming soon led to confusion over how to deal with the tax implications of his new-found career. He turned to Crunch for his sole trader accounting. Crunch’s team of expert accountants and superhero client managers have helped ease any financial stress, so Elliott can focus on what he loves.

He explains: “Unfortunately for me I have been both employed and self-employed which makes tax a bit more complicated, so for the past few years I have taken the opportunity to pay my selected accountant at Crunch to look over my accounts and file for me. It’s amazing that you can have that option - especially because they have access to your account so going over everything isn't stressful.”

“When you become self-employed it suddenly becomes very daunting that you have to start paying tax for yourself - my accounts were all personal and very unorganised. Crunch helped by visually representing my accounts all into one dashboard.”

Asked about his top tip for anyone looking to go it alone, Elliott says: “KEEP ON TOP OF YOUR EXPENSES WEEKLY ... oh my, I had to type that in capitals because the hardest thing in the world is not knowing your income vs outgoings - you can really stress yourself out at the end of the year trying to scrabble together what was expenses vs profit.”

“So, each week go through your accounts - they are already there for you because of the auto-sync with your bank accounts - and quickly mark what’s income and what's expenses - profit will be calculated for you and by tax filing month - you'll be laughing at how easy it will be.”

If, like Elliott, you’re looking to follow your dreams and start a career in something you love, then explore Crunch’s accounting packages to ensure you have unlimited support and easy-to-use software at your disposal.