Starting up a limited company with no experience was quite scary and challenging, but de Jong Phillips gave us great counsel, advice and confidence.

My husband and I were setting up a graphic design business servicing the beauty industry. Together we had over 45 years of experience in our respective fields, but when you’re starting out in business that can get lost. de Jong Phillips gave us the confidence to take that big step. We’d both only ever been self-employed or fully employed before, so they helped us to negotiate the stuff we didn’t understand, and some of the more complex financials we previously hadn’t dealt with.

The systems and processes they set up helped us run our business more effectively from the start. 

We wanted to focus on driving the business forward and getting lots of new clients. We didn’t want to be worried about the financial behind-the-scenes piece. The team at de Jong Phillips, therefore, helped us to onboard a system called Xero. This enabled us to manage our cash flow and also to make investment decisions in terms of what to prioritise, and how we could move things forward.

Feeling in control of the financial side of your business makes the other pressures of life and work easier to navigate.

I know a lot of people talk about work-life balance, but I actually don’t subscribe to that. I think as business owners sometimes we have to flex upwards when work is a bit more demanding, and then shift a little around when family becomes more important. One of the key things about having systems and processes in place is that you feel more in control of your finances, which gives you one less thing to worry about.

de Jong Phillips’ have an open door and open Zoom policy which is exactly what a business owner needs.

Although we have regular monthly calls with our account manager, it’s great to be able to just call up or email if there’s something we’re not sure of. There were many times over the last two years when we’ve probably called on their services more than once a week. That level of support, and to be honest in our case, hand-holding, has been so beneficial.

de Jong Phillips are dynamic and on the ball.

They’re so collaborative to work with, in fact, over the pandemic they invited me to co-host a webinar, which is something I probably would never have done without a nudge from them. I’ve recommended de Jong Phillips without hesitation so many times. They’re a really diverse team in terms of age and expertise, and they are trusted and knowledgeable. Finance and accounting can seem quite boring, but they make it feel like an adventure in terms of where you can go with your business, and the sky’s the limit.