Hello
My name is Claire Owen-Jones and I am an AAT licenced accountant. I also have a first-class Fine Art degree, which is nice.
I work with freelancers across the UK and if you are not based in Cardiff, I am happy to jump onto Zoom (which is like Skype) to have a face to face meeting.
If you work at home with your children, I am happy for them to join us on our calls. I set up Loud and Clear Accounting when my son was 18 months old, so I fully understand the unpredictability of running a business around young children.
I wanted to create an accountancy business that was a little more informal. I work from home. I wear jeans and trainers. The 9 ‘til 5 doesn’t exist here. I like cake. I spend too much time on social media. The normal freelancer things.
Meet the team
Xero Trainer
If you would like to move over to Xero, arrange a training session or simply have a query answered, Claire is a certified Xero advisor and will be the person to help you. If you are local, Claire can come to your office or she can jump onto Zoom so you can screen share.
Bookkeeper
Bookkeeper Claire loves a T account. Which is traditional, pre-computer style bookkeeping. She also loves Xero and Receipt Bank so if you have fallen behind with, or just need some bookkeeping assistance, Claire will be happy to help.
IT Support
Claire helps me to run a paperless office. Everything is signed electronically. Claire uses DropBox to share documents and will send you explainer videos using Loom. Claire likes tech but cannot fix things if they go wrong. Claire does not understand coding.
Marketing
Claire can often be found chatting away on social media. I am currently trying to pull her away from writing blogs and moving more over to video. But she is some-what reluctant due to messy hair and having to tidy the office.
Credit Controller
To remove the risk of surprise fees or the uncertainly that comes with charging per hour, my fees are fixed and paid by monthly direct debit. Claire oversees this and will be your main contact. She doesn’t like getting the bad debt twitch.
Receptionist
Claire doesn’t work 9 ‘til 5 and chances are that you do not work 9 ‘til 5, so let’s start with email and we can then book in a time to chat. Claire’s good at email. Not so good at answering the phone. A little head’s up there.
Answers to common questions
Do you only work with freelancers who use Xero?
No. I can only provide bookkeeping, technical support and resale licences for Xero and now FreeAgent. However, I can still help you with your annual accounts if you use Quickbooks or Excel. If it suits you, then I will not get you to change.
Do you only work with freelancers?
I would say that I work best with one person companies and partnerships. However, quite a few of my freelancer clients have grown their businesses so they now have employees, and they have stayed with me which is really nice. If you work in an industry that I am unsure of, I will always recommend you to someone else.
Do you do any bookkeeping onsite?
I do all my work remotely. However, if you need a bookkeeper to work on site, let me know and I may be able to recommend someone.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. Instead I charge by the job as I believe it makes things clearer and it means you will not get charged extra if I'm having a slow day. You can find out more about my accountancy packages on my services page.
As it’s just you, what would happen to my accounts when you are on holiday or was off sick?
I rarely take a spontaneous holiday so if I’m going to be on annual leave and this will impact on any deadlines or regular work, then I will always let you know.
If I am off on short term sick leave or need to take a day off due to parenting issues, most of the time I will simply catch up on the work myself. Should I be off for a longer period, I do have a couple of accountants and bookkeepers who can jump in to help.
If I had a tricky or unusual tax situation, what would you do?
I will never take on work that makes me uncomfortable or that I don’t think I am the best fit to do. For this reason, I have a network of other accountants and bookkeepers to refer you to. Even if it’s just for a one-off piece of work or advice.
