Hi, I’m Clare.
I’m the founder of Her Business Counts, an accountancy firm I’ve built specifically for women in business. I bring something a little unusual to the table, the warmth, approachability and be yourself energy of who I am now, combined with over a decade of experience at one of the ‘Big Four’ accountancy firms. In a lot of instances you’d have to choose between the two, with me, you get both.
“At its core Her Business Counts is about disrupting the patriarchy by offering something different to the often masculine feel and delivery of accounting services.”
Clare Marsh, Founder Her Business Counts
I created Her Business Counts because I saw an industry that has largely been built by men, frequently for men, and often delivered in a way that makes it feel very inaccessible to women. I’ve heard of women business owners being made to feel small, stupid or simply not worth the time of their accountants. Women build incredible businesses. They deserve an accountant who gets that, who takes them as seriously as they take themselves, if not more so. Her Business Counts exists to disrupt that old model completely. No jargon, no judgement, no fancy suits. Just a brilliant service, built for women in a way that actually works for them, by a woman who sees you.
The back story
I started my career training with a small firm of accountants, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes, from the ones where the receipts arrived in a carrier bag to larger family-run businesses. After qualifying as a chartered accountant I joined one of the Big Four accountancy firms, where I spent over a decade working across some of the UK’s biggest businesses, household name retailers, pharmaceutical companies, private equity backed businesses and more. I also trained everyone from fresh graduates to partners, regionally, nationally and internationally. I was always great at making the complex feel accessible and, dare I say it, fun.
Eventually I left the corporate world, took time away, ran my own small business, and discovered what it actually feels like to be a business owner from the inside. Everything except the accounting was new to me, and that experience gave me something no amount of corporate training could, real life understanding of how overwhelming it can all feel when numbers aren’t your thing.
Building the business
Her Business Counts wasn’t an accident. It was a deliberate choice, to take everything I’d learned and build something the way I wanted to. So I created an accountancy practice that puts women first. Not as an afterthought, not as a niche, but as the whole point.
And whilst I bring all the corporate experience, the Clare who built this accountancy firm for you, isn’t the Clare who spent years in corporate. I used to be polished; suits, heels, the full professional armour, growing within a brand that wasn’t mine. That’s not me anymore, and I don’t want you to feel it needs to be you either. These days you’ll find me on Zoom in a hoody, make up free, probably with a coffee in hand. What you see is what you get, every single time. I’m not presenting the face of Her Business Counts, the two things are one and the same.
In the corporate world, all my personal development was focused on growing within a system that wasn’t built for me. When I left, I started developing myself as a person rather than as a professional. I’m a Reiki level two practitioner, not something I use explicitly in my work, but something that brings a calm, grounded energy to every interaction. Women often tell me they feel safe with me. Maybe that’s why.
Along the way so many things have happened that tell me I’m on the right path. The artwork you’ll see behind me on Zooms, “Gold and Delicious”, two women arm in arm, was created by Mr Her Business Counts years before Her Business Counts existed. It’s always been there, quietly saying everything the brand stands for before I even had the words for it.
It’s not just about the numbers
When you work with me, I’m not just looking at your numbers. I’m looking at your business, how it makes money, whether there are better ways for it to make money, and whether there are opportunities you might be missing. I can’t promise I’ll have ideas for every client every time, but it’s naturally how I think and how I work. I also love connecting my clients with each other where I think there’s something in common or mutual value. Not selling, just people who might genuinely benefit from knowing each other. It’s all part of seeing you, not just your accounts.
Away from work you’ll often find me out in nature, walking my dog. She’s a big part of my life and occasionally makes an appearance in my work too, sometimes joining me on a zoom, or even a trip out to see a client in person.
For those who like to know the details although I qualified as a chartered accountant I am now supervised by the Association of International Accountants (AIA) and I sit on their Members in Practice Advisory Panel. I’m also a Xero Certified Advisor and a FreeAgent Accredited Partner.
Finally I’d like to make a dedication to my Dad, who would have been so proud of what I have built. A quote I keep with me is “You can only work from where you are.” It never mattered what I went to him with, this was always part of the solid advice he would give, and with it came no judgement about how I had got to the point I was at, just a calm reflection of where I was, and that the next best step was what I should take. And so I pass that advice onto you, take the next best step you can.