Crunch, the Brighton-based online accountancy service, plans to roll out its new freelance network to accountants as well as bookkeepers.
Until now, Crunch has employed 50 accountants in-house at its office.
Around 11,000 customers pay monthly to subscribe to Crunch’s online accounting platform.
Founder and CEO Darren Fell cites Crunch’s consistency of service, as well as being to pay monthly platform rather than being hit by a nasty accountant’s bill at the end of the tax year.
Speaking to customers, the Crunch team realised there was a need for freelance bookkeepers as small business owners are too overwhelmed to keep up with bank reconciliations.
So far, 20 freelance bookkeepers have signed up and Crunch plans to grow to 100 within two years.
The company believes this freelance push will help it grow by another 20pc next year.
This follows a substantial runoff growth with revenue of £9.4m in 2017/18, a 16pc increase on 2016/17 and 11pc growth to £10.3m in 2018/19.
Crunch’s platform
Crunch’s platform helps accountants compile VAT payments, expenses and year-end accounts – all compatible with the Government’s Making Tax Digital initiative.
Remote working bookkeepers will be allocated jobs and have controlled access through Crunch’s new practice management system, which was developed as part of a £2.5m technology investment.
Crunch’s headquarters in Brighton houses 200 staff to fulfil bookkeeping, accountancy, technical, sales, marketing and HR.
Darren Fell, founder and CEO of Crunch, said: “Crunch has always been fast growing, but we’ve been evaluating the business model for the last two years to find a way of super scaling beyond our four walls to meet the needs of more freelancers and small business owners. We’ve invested in and built new technology to ensure our model works, it’s secure, it maintains a high quality of service and can be accessed from any location. This also means we can now work with the best and most qualified people in any location.
“Customers will get the same high-quality service they’ve come to expect, still having a dedicated account manager, with the only difference being a slightly faster speed of response.
“As a business dedicated to supporting self-employed people in all walks of life, we’ve long loved the idea of providing work to self-employed bookkeepers. This network is the solution to give our customers the services they need, in the time they need it, while providing flexible work for people in our sector.”
Further reading
How to change your small business accountant in 10 easy steps
