Member Article

Start-up Coventry business signs up first clients after receiving support

A start-up accountancy business in Coventry has already signed up its first clients after being given support to get the firm off the ground.

Jay Gosal, who has more than 15 years of experience working as a qualified accountant for major multinational corporations such as Boots and Thorntons, decided to start her own venture in 2019.

She wanted to follow in her family’s footsteps of running a small business and came across the opportunity of running a TaxAssist franchise to help other companies in the city and region to grow.

The business, which is based in Cheylesmore, assists companies and individuals with tailored tax, accountancy and advisory services.

Jay was supported with advice and mentoring by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce as part of the Coventry & Warwickshire Business Support Programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

That support included everything from workshops on marketing and social media through to one-to-one mentoring support from Hardeep Sandhu, the enterprise coach team leader at the Chamber.

Part of the support was introducing Jay to other businesses which were just starting out on an online networking session - which led to the firm landing its first clients. Jay said: “Coming from a small family which owned its own business, at a young age I was given the responsibility for sorting out the receipts before passing them onto the family accountant.

“So, I have always had an interest in starting my own business, but was not quite sure what that looked like until 2019.

“After years of working in the corporate world, my passion to help SMEs and new business owners was re-ignited after realising I was a trusted source of advice amongst the corporate community, as well as my friends and family when it came to business advice. “I decided to return to my ambition of having my own business and being back in full control of my own destiny - and that’s right here in my shop in Coventry.

“I came across the TaxAssist franchise and I was really impressed with their offering and the journey they have come on. They have been established for 25 years and have helped over 71,000 clients nationwide.

“After finding out online about the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce during lockdown, I immediately received a warm welcome and an invite to workshops on marketing, social media and even finance.

“In my first encounter with Hardeep, I found her to be very inquisitive, insightful and supportive. She arranged to introduce me to the business community during a group Zoom call.

“Since then, I have built relationships with a diverse group of people who, like me, were starting up their own business. As a result, I have manged to successfully sign up some of these new start-ups and help them on their journey to achieve their goals.”

Hardeep Sandhu, of the Chamber, added: “We are delighted to have supported Jay in the early phase of starting a business and it’s great to see that already paying off. “We’d urge anyone in the Coventry and Warwickshire area who is starting or has just started a business to get in touch with us to find out how we can help them.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .