striveX - High Wycombe

Danielle S.

Having recently joined StriveX as a client, I have found them exceptional. I joined with some (what felt to me at least) really complicated issues and challenges that felt really overwhelming to navigate. The on-boarding process was really thorough. Emma spent plenty of time at our first meeting really understanding where I was at individually as well as my business. Since then she has worked with me through a consultancy session to support me in understanding my finances to make decisions around hiring. Aside from this, I have had what I can only call incredible support from Fiona, who has run through my tax planning and really helped me to understand what my next few years can look like so I know how to manage my money better. Throughout all of this Fiona and Emma have also worked together, and coordinated, which meant they were both up to speed with the whole picture and how the moving parts intersect. Aside from these touchpoints I have been to the webinars you get as a client and booked on to the MBA in a day course led by Rachel and James. As an action from this I am now clear on my pricing strategy and profitability - something I didnt know where to start with before. Everything has really felt like more than being an 'accountancy' client. It's like having a finance department in my business there to help. I honestly wish I found them sooner, its been lifechanging for me in terms of the peace of mind I now have, and confidence that is now growing. Rather than staring at the numbers wanting to cry, I feel excited about them, because I know what I am looking at (or know who to ask) and I understand how what I do impacts them. I am beyond grateful for all of their support.

Jess

Myself and my best friend run a Branding & Web Design studio and we found striveX last year in the hopes of finding an accountancy company who not only understood, but supported female business owners. Coming across Rachel and striveX was like finding a diamond - from the first call we had with her we knew it was the perfect fit for us. We feel empowered and have since gained the confidence to quit our 9-5 jobs and run our business full-time because striveX have given us the assurance and confidence that it's possible for us. The resources they have and support they offer has been fantastic so far and we feel like our finances are in very safe hands. We'd highly recommend striveX, especially to any female business owner!

Ramona J.

I’ve been with Strive X for about 4 years or so. They have very high staff turnover and I’m not sure I’ve ever had the same accountant complete more than one return for me. The 2/3 star review is because some accountants I’ve worked with have been exceptional - very kind, take time to understand me and my business, prompt returns and great communication. A couple have been awful, and one year my return was left super late and I had to chase multiple times to get it completed, which made me really stressed. Their fee is already on the high side of the spectrum for my style of return. When a good accountant gets promoted I’m left with a feeling of worry as I don’t know who I’m going to get next, and the handover process feels a bit poorly held as sometimes the accountants don’t seem to know much about my work. This year the accountants increased my fee by a substantial amount, claiming my business has grown in complexity. When I questioned this they said that it was simply due to my turnover increasing, which is not the same as complexity. I do my own bookkeeping and my work has not changed at all, and the fee increase is completely unjustified especially given the high turnover of staff that I’ve had to weather. I feel as the business has grown it has become more robotic and less human, and that’s something I really miss. At the end of the day they do get the job done to a good standard (apart from the one year they almost didn’t), but I feel things are a bit too extractive and transactional now. The times I’ve asked for guidance I’ve been told the accountant has a fee of £125/hour, but I’m already paying them over £2k a year for a small business return with add ons. Perhaps this is part of the industry norm now, but it feels rather cold to be in receipt of.

Jo P.

I joined StriveX as a client this year, and have had brilliant service from Fiona and Becky J. Having done my previous years accounts - and made some mistakes - they took a lot of time to help me rectify this which went above their engaged scope, which I fully appreciated and am grateful for. Becky has been on it with my accounts and taking the time to talk me through all the details. Lush team!

Frankie T.

Strive X have gone so far and beyond my expectations of what an accountant can offer, that I would question anyone who comes across them and doesn't engage their services.

I was incredibly frustrated with the lack of pro-activeness from our old accountants and when I came an instagram video giving some tips, I thought, if they are prepared to share this support publically, I wonder how much more there is for clients!? Well, I have not been disappointed. Working with StriveX is so much more than working with an accountancy firm, it's like having a business mentor and specialist support team behind you. Not only do they cover their statutory duties, they have so much resource available to help your business thrive and introduce you to other likeminded businesses and services.

Amy-Leigh is incredibly knowledgeable and has been great and really patient with how slow I am, her deadline reminders are on point 🙂 Fiona is doing a fantastic job at our year end and fixing some mistakes, showcasing her attention to detail.

Overall, I am so pleased I came across Rachel, James and StriveX. It's a community that feels a privilege to be a member of and I am taking advantage of every bit of support they offer!

Gemma C. K.

We've been Strive X for about three years. During that time we've met some really great accountants and were very grateful of some of the 1:1s we've had to help direct our business. In particular Natasha who managed our payroll was always so organised, cheerful and patient with all her interactions which has always been so appreciated.

Nikki K. G.

We joined StriveX in April after a long search for dynamic and transparent accountants. Annabella & Rachel really eased our fears when we were ensuring and took some time to reassure us. Since then I have spoken to both Emma & Fiona who have been extremely helpful and also really reactive in responding to any queries I have had. Emma did our onboarding session and it was excellent, she took the time to go through all my concerns and helped me resolve some issues straight away! I feel like I am finally fully understanding how our business works, the essential financials and also how to get the best out of it. I’m looking forward to working with them and seeing how they can transform how we view our business. So far they seem like the perfect fit!

Joy O.

We were very privileged and excited to have Rachel visit us at the National Audit Office and speak to us in honour of International Women’s Day. Rachel is a fantastic speaker, truly inspirational and she dished out plenty of practical suggestions to help motivate anyone to achieve their full potential. She shared about her career history with lots of interesting and funny stories and her plans for the future. I particularly liked her advice about collecting ‘Nos’, which is basically not being afraid to ask for what you want - the worst thing that can happen is you get a no. However, since taking her advice I have got plenty of Yes’. So thanks Rachel, we appreciate your visit and wish you all the best and great success for the future!