The Power of Online Accounting for Sole Traders & Ltd Companies: 3 Awesome Crunch Customer Success Stories

At Crunch we love to hear about our clients' success and the difference that our software makes to their business and their life. We’re a non-corporate, grassroots company and our brand mission is to help small businesses thrive and find independence and satisfaction doing what they love. 

One of the main obstacles that prevents people from starting out on their own is the fear of all those figures and difficult maths involved with filing tax, bookkeeping and accounts.   

But you shouldn’t let that stop you, as there’s no reason why you can’t emulate the following success stories of these featured Crunch members. There’s nothing more powerful than real-life examples of people just like you using our software to achieve their business goals.

Here are three awesome examples of our clients who have unlocked the power of Crunch to realise their self-employment ambitions and with impressive results.

So if you’re in any doubt about what Crunch products can do for you, stay tuned and prepare to be inspired. 

Story 1: Jenifer is living the freelance writer dream

As a successful magazine writer and editor Jenifer knew she had the skills to follow her desire to work as an independent freelancer. And take charge of her career to live life on her own terms. 

But the thought of handling invoices, tax-returns and all the other financial admin required to operate effectively as sole trader, was a daunting barrier holding her back. As trying to single-handedly manage your tax can be a very complicated process, throwing up a minefield of potential errors.

Doing this by herself would have added more stress and time restriction to her life, exactly what she was trying to liberate herself from. 

So she looked for an accounting solution that could simplify and speed up financial management, as well as provide access to support human support when she needed it. 

“It wasn’t until I had to Google ‘how to do taxes UK' that I realised how impossible that can feel sometimes. Crunch made things simple and clear.”

Crunch’s flexible software combined with advice from accounting experts delivered on both these requirements. Making tax straightforward and answering questions when needed.

“Crunch was there for me when I was already really overwhelmed about all aspects of being self-employed.”

Since joining Crunch in 2018 Jenifer has been able to really take her freelance career forward in the way she wanted. Taking control of her own time and gaining the ability to pick and choose when/where she works and who with. 

‘’…Be nice and work with nice people. Don’t undersell yourself. And the odd time, finish work on a Friday at like, 2pm. Go read a book in the park or something. It’s the dream.”

If you’re seeking to break out from the 9 - 5 and achieve personal freedom like Jenifer, then our Sole Trader packages will be right up your street.

To see how going freelance has allowed her creativity to flourish in the fantastic writing and editing shoe does check out her website at https://www.jenniferleeobrien.com/

Story 2: TV stardom was the icing-on-the-cake for Evlyn 

If we told you that a joke with your spouse over a Victoria Sponge could be the start of a transformational career move that lead to appearances on prime-time TV shows, would you believe us?

Well that’s exactly what happened to Evlyn Day, and her chocolate patisserie business Chocadyllic.

Back in 2012 she and a friend were amused by Evlyns’s husband stating that his favourite cake was a Victoria Sponge. Evlyn insisted that it wasn’t a ‘’proper cake’’ and offered to make the ultimate gourmet chocolate cake for her friend’s birthday. 

Weeks of research, development went into this and needless to say her friend was highly impressed. Evlyn enjoyed making the cake so much that she continued to have fun experimenting with baking and patisserie, posting pictures of her creations on social media.

After another friend requested that she bake a cake for her in return for £25. Motivated by the first modest, but satisfying, pay-off, Evlyn realised that she had a new love for cake making. As her social media portfolio of cakes grew, so did interest in her work. And serious catering commissions soon started pouring in. 

This opened up an opportunity for her to make the leap from amateur baker making cakes for fun, to an expert professional running a successful and in-demand patisserie business.  

Evlyen cites Crunch’s software as a service that afforded her vital time-saving benefits and management tools,

“It’s important for me to review my business to plan upcoming seasons. Crunch helps me easily view turnover and costs which in turn help me evaluate what products I want to develop and the direction I want to take the business. It’s user-friendly and cost-effective.”

But Evlyen’s story doesn't stop there…

In 2019 she appeared in three episodes (2,3, and 10) of Channel 4’s show “Extreme Chocolate Makers”. And later on Channel 5’s “The Wonderful World of Chocolate’’ in which she was commissioned by Brighton’s Royal Pavilion to create bespoke hot chocolate lollipops.

Today her stunning and spectacular chocolate architecture is sought after by high-end clients across the country. Including the London Chocolate Festival, the Moorings, the Mayfair, Hawksford and more.

Story 3: Richard went from policing the streets to keeping the lights on

After leaving a rewarding career as a police officer, Richard Grey decided he wanted an even more lively (pun intended) role as an electrician.

Having retrained at college and spent time working as a contractor he decided he wanted to start his own business. 

At first it was tough, as slow-paying clients and mountains of accounting administration weighed heavily on his time and energy. But gradually, with more knowledge and the help of Crunch’s software, after joining in 2020, he’s been able to build a truly thriving business. 

Firstly, Crunch’s Automated Late Payment Reminders solved some of the problems caused by slow-paying clients. Namely having to constantly chase them with emails and messages just to get paid what he was owed.

“Crunch has definitely been helpful - without a shadow of a doubt.”

As well as saving him from spending hours wading through horrendously tedious spreadsheets in search of invoices.

“Now I know if an invoice has been paid or not. I’m not searching through Excel spreadsheets, which is always good. Also the fact I don’t have to deal with HMRC - Crunch does it for me.”

Our software has given him a much better, more simplified overview of his accounts. Enabling him to focus on taking his business to the next level. And saved him significant time and the extortionate fees of traditional accountants. Who tend to treat hard-working, independent small business owners like Richard as cash-cows. 

“I can log in and the dashboard shows me where I am with my finances (provided everything is up to date). At a glance, I can see exactly how my business is doing.”

With his accounting sorted Richard’s business has gone from strength-to-strength, and he’s not looking walk-the-thin-blue again anytime soon. 

See the great feedback Richard gets for his top-quality electrical services on his Facebook page. 

Hopefully these stories will give you the confidence that small business accounting isn’t as daunting as seems with Crunch by your side. By demonstrating tangible evidence of Crunch members who’ve been able to achieve great things once they leveraged our software and support for Sole Traders and Ltd Companies. 

If you’ve got ambitions of finding freedom in self-employment, don’t let complex tax and accounting challenges hold you back. You can even speak to our experts today for free advice. Go for it!