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“We offer a human approach to finances”

Jane Hodge and Danielle Friend of Create Balance were the first business to feature on our cover when we launched Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine last May. So a year later how has their accountancy firm grown and what are their future plans for it? Eileen Leahy meets the pioneering duo to find out…

I first met Danielle Friend and Jane Hodge of Create Balance just over a year ago when I interviewed them for the first edition of Tunbridge Wells Business magazine. 

At the time, the financial entrepreneurs, who both have over 25 years of professional experience, told me some of their key plans to help develop their innovative accountancy firm. They included recruiting more team members, investing in smart software and growing their reputation via a number of platforms including networking and social media.

“Last year was definitely our year of saying ‘Yes’,” says Danielle as we meet again at their two-storey office building which is located in the picturesque grounds of the Eridge Estate.

“We just said ‘Yes’ to everyone – and everything!” Danielle enthuses. 

The qualified accountant and financial specialist founded Create Balance in 2021 but when the original set up changed at the beginning of 2024, Danielle saw this as a perfect opportunity to do things differently.

“My main aim was to diversify and work with different types of clients and explore more possibilities,” she tells me.

Danielle, who is now Create Balance’s Managing Director, was quick to restructure things with Jane, who she had worked with previously.  The two women have since spent the past two years working extremely hard to grow the business exponentially. 

The types of services Create Balance provides include help with statutory accounts, payroll, bookkeeping, VAT and tax returns as well as estate planning. But it is the way in which Danielle and Jane do all of this that sets them apart. From developing unique relationships with each client, to using the latest state-of-the-art technology, the Create Balance team approach finance and figures very dynamically.

“I like to think we offer something different for our clients,” adds Jane who is Create Balance’s Chartered Tax Adviser and Co-Director. She specialises in personal tax compliance and advisory matters, as well as Trusts and Estates. Part of her role is assisting solicitors with capital gains, estate, and inheritance tax issues, enriching their practices with her expertise.

Danielle works with a number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as not-for-profit organisations. She adds that her approach is characterised by a ‘chameleon-like adaptability’, in order to integrate into her clients’ organisations and ‘grasp the unique intricacies’ of each business she serves.

Create Balance’s clients range from the aforementioned law firms, private individuals and SMEs of all types as well as Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity, which sees Danielle spending time there every month. 

In order to maximise their relationships with exisiting clients – or pitching for new ones – Danielle has ticked another of her ‘wish list’ boxes by investing in some state-of-the-art AI software.

“Having Microsoft Co-Pilot means we can spend less time on administrative tasks– and frees us up to develop our relationships with clients and work on growing the business,” reveals Danielle.

The pair have also added to their team. “We now have Chloe Costar on board who is our finance trainee, in addition to our long-standing members of staff Becky Pay who is Client Manager and accountant Lisa Lawson. 

“We also recruited an old colleague of mine, James Hartley, who was brought on as a Senior Client Manager. He will leave us soon to set up his own practice but I think he will always be part of our story.”

Another former colleague of Danielle’s, Jack Gibbs, will take over James’ role and starts with the business in July.

Danielle, who has just been appointed as a Trustee for The Pickering Cancer Drop-in Centre, is not afraid to tell me that she wants to hit a million pounds turnover by year five of Create Balance. 

“We are currently in year two and we’re aiming for 475K this year. I think we can do half a million so we may well hit our target a year early.” she says.

“If 2024 was the year of saying ‘Yes’ then 2025 is all about working out the areas where we can continue to provide a unique and beneficial service for all our clients.”

www.createbalance.uk

hello@createbalance.uk

01892 311890

Eileen Leahy
Author: Eileen Leahy

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