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Testimonials.

Summertown Garage

16 September 2024
Summertown Garage Team

Our business has been growing so quickly in the last 5 years!

We have grown from 1 person plus an apprentice to 6 team members so quickly, and our turnover has tripled over the same timeframe.

This is brilliant and a testament to the quality and value for money we give our clients, but it has meant that my workload has increased massively. There are only so many hours in the day, and I was starting to fall behind with the bookkeeping and finances.

I met Tracy at a networking event and realised that The Smart Finance Team might just be the solution I was looking for. Over the next few months, I got to know Tracy a bit better, but I still did loads of research to make sure they were trustworthy and had the right experience and credentials.

Handing over the finances for our family business was a big decision and I wasn’t going to take that lightly. I checked out the website, and her profile on Linked In. One of the things which helped me take the first step was watching some of her videos where I think her authenticity and desire to really help her clients comes across. I had to persuade my husband who is the owner and co-director of the business, but in the end, we just had to take the step.

Everyone is uncomfortable with change to some degree, and initially I felt overwhelmed, and it was quite scary because I couldn’t visualise the solution Kasia wanted to implement. I couldn’t see the path and I had to really trust her.

She was incredible, and I immediately started to feel huge relief that everything was being addressed and she very clearly knew what she was doing.

Our transfer to Xero went well. It’s a great system and I’m keen to learn more. It seems to have so much capability, and I’m building up my confidence step by step.

Kasia and Caroline support me with the bookkeeping and VAT, and I’ve just asked them to take over everything else, so they will also be doing our Payroll, Statutory Accounts, as well as our Corporation Tax and Directors Tax returns.

The difference they have made so far isn’t just business related. The biggest difference is that I can sleep at night. I don’t worry about what might go wrong because I am confident they have it all under control. That means my personal life is better. I’m not as stressed, and that’s good for all the family.

In terms of feedback, I’d like to call out Kasia… I love her! She is a gem who always goes above and beyond. She very quickly got everything organised, getting to grips with what needed to be done and prioritising and organising it all. She and Caroline are always on top of everything, and they aren’t afraid to chase me if they need to!

I wouldn’t ask them to change anything, and it doesn’t matter what stage your business is, working with The Smart Finance Team is a No Brainer!

Lindsay Brown – Director Summertown Garage (Oxfordshire)