Career coach | AAT journeys
"AAT helped me achieve my dreams"
Rachel Harris, director of striveX and @accountant_she, ignored a careers adviser’s words before going on to build a £1.5m business
When Rachel Harris was 18, she was warned off becoming an accountant by a careers adviser because he said it would be “too boring”. Now aged 30, she runs a thriving accountancy business to celebrities, business owners and influencers, is a regular guest on TV and radio, and manages a team of 20.
“At the age of 17, going to university was not an option for me. I was a free school meals kid and I had a disabled twin sister, so it was not possible,” she explains. “At school, I had always loved maths and I did some online personality quizzes that told me I would make a great accountant. I did maths, German, economics and further maths for A-Level, but I was actually told by a careers adviser not to become an accountant, because ‘being an accountant is really boring’.”
Undeterred, when Harris left school she took a business administration apprenticeship in the finance department of Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire because she wanted to get the practical experience of working and studying. She self-funded AAT Level 2 then worked in industry while being funded through her AAT Level 3 and 4.
Building a strategy
In January 2020, Harris began studying for an MBA at Cranfield School of Management but was forced to switch to studying online when the Covid-19 pandemic struck two months later.
“I'm a very busy person, not a huge fan of travelling and quite introverted. So, while some people were upset about the switch to online, remote studying worked well for me,” she says. “Studying for the MBA was a big turning point for my career. I always thought that because I didn’t go to university at 18, that meant I never could. In fact, I was able to use my AAT qualification to get on to the Masters course.”
She loved the MBA and used it to create and research her strategy to build a dream accountancy business that disrupted traditional models.
TOP TIPS
Harris’s tips for success
1
Put in the graft
Getting up early in the morning to clear your inbox and work on strategy is not always glamorous, but it pays dividends.
2
Focus on your strategy and goals
You’re creating a business and building an asset, not just taking out revenue every month.
3
Understand your client base
Harris takes on clients and recruits team members with shared core values.
“The MBA made me realise I’m not just an accountant and that I love wider business,” Harris says. “With every module I did on the MBA I was able to build my business plan, which involved analysing the market, seeing how people were being furloughed, how they were choosing to become self-employed, or setting up a business because they needed the money.
“These accidental business owners needed content on running a business that would appear in their news feed, on TikTok and social media. That’s when I came to the decision to create an Instagram account and platform to capture that market, educate them, and really bring them through that journey.”
The strategy was a great success, and Harris has grown her business to a £1.5m turnover.
“I began four years ago in July,” she recalls. “It was just me and my laptop on the dining-room table. Now we have just hired our 20th member of staff.”
It was just me and my laptop on the dining-room table. Now we have just hired our 20th member of staff
Disrupting the accountancy world
At the same time as setting up striveX, Harris created a brand called Accountant She (@accountant_she), which builds her personal profile, attracts new clients and delivers business growth. She creates regular content for her Instagram channel and works hard on her PR, marketing and strategy to drive new business.
“We have now carved a niche where, when people leave shows like Love Island and Love is Blind, they come straight to us for financial advice. For some of these people, they might have changed from being a self-employed plumber to becoming a media personality overnight. I think stereotypical accountants with brown carpet who deal with tradesmen and love paper wouldn’t know what to do with a client like that.”
Harnessing power of technology
Another innovation at striveX is that it is a completely paper-free and cloud-based business. This means clients can communicate in their own way and gain access to their accounts whenever they wish.
“We are a 100% cloud practice,” Harris says. “We don’t own a printer. We always knew that through social media we were able to reach lots of people, but that would be pointless if they had to physically come to us.”
The practice has an app designed to lower the barriers to entry for people who are self-employed and have different communication preferences. This enables those who are neurodivergent or who have a disability to keep in touch in the best way for them. Harris is deaf and wears two hearing aids, so is mindful of the different needs of her wide client base.
Giving back
Coming from an underprivileged background, Harris is keen to support similar students and now provides a bursary for five people going through their AAT studies. She works with the National Deaf Children’s Society, mentoring and creating content, and is on the AAT board of directors and a trustee at AAT.
“I prioritise a lot of volunteering in my life,” Harris says. “Because of my caring responsibilities for my sister, I feel I have always allocated time to help other people. My mantra is that you don’t become poor by giving.”
TOP TIPS
How to succeed in running your own business
1
Don’t be afraid of AI
Being an accountant is something that people will always need. Your people skills will always be needed to support clients on a human level.
2
Find a mentor
Is there somebody that you work with, directly or indirectly, that you look up to? Surround yourself with people you wish to be more like, or those who have a business you aspire to.
3
Be consistent
It takes time to grow a business, create a following on social media and build up a client base. Keep working away and don’t give up.
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‘AAT helped me achieve my dreams’
Rachel Harris, director of striveX and @accountant_she, ignored a careers adviser’s words before going on to build a £1.5m business
