Client Spotlight: Gillian Clarke, Accounting Clarkes Ltd

Client Spotlight: Gillian Clarke, Accounting Clarkes Ltd

At UBC and Inigo Business Centres, we celebrated International Women’s Day on 8th March by championing some of our incredible female business leaders.

With so many female trailblazers in our business community, we’re continuing with the celebrations this week by taking a closer look at Gillian Clarke, who is currently based in Hampshire at UBC Fleet, which is managed by Magda Bogusz.

Gillian Clarke - Accounting Clarkes Ltd

Gillian Clarke – Director, Accounting Clarkes Ltd

With three dedicated accountants and two amazing support staff based in the UK, Accounting Clarkes Ltd is a family run accountancy practise based in Hampshire.

In the late nineties, after working in the accountancy world both in the profession and in commercial organisations, Gillian wanted to provide an accountancy practice that supported the setting up of management information systems for business owners, so they could make informed decisions regarding their businesses.

On the challenges surrounding the industry and running a business, Gillian says “the whole landscape in which we operated has changed with the Covid Pandemic.” The challenges faced by accountants and their clients have required extra time and support. In a post-Covid landscape, Gillian says “it is no longer sufficient to only supply statutory services. An accountant must now provide advisory services also and work as an extension to their business.”

Female entrepreneurship in the Start-Up space

While we’ve come a long way in terms of gender equity in business, other factors still act as obstacles for women when it comes to starting a business. Despite there being more opportunities available, Gillian says “it is not always easy for new female entrepreneurs to take those opportunities because of family commitments and have the time/resource to find the right support”.

When looking to the future of female-led business, Gillian’s one key piece of advice is to “get an understanding of what you need to run your business outside of your skill set. Then, outsource those skills from professionals who are qualified in those areas of expertise you need to help run your business successfully” so that you can concentrate on getting your business up and running.

The future of Accounting Clarkes

We asked Gillian what the next 5 years have in store for Accounting Clarkes, and growth and development are the core goals for the business going forward: “we use our continuing professional development to enhance our skills to adapt to the changing economic world”. 

As we celebrate the female-led businesses in our centres, we asked Gillian how UBC have played a role in the set-up, growth and day to day running of her business:

“Magda and Elain at UBC Fleet have provided us with the home for our business, where our team can work together successfully with the support services we need, so we can deliver the service our clients expect.

“They are a very effective team and make the difference to our business’ operation. From the very beginning we had assistance and help with getting the office set up. With every stage of our growth UBC have helped us with the practical things you need to run a business.

Even running networking events and seminars on relevant small business subjects. Being a busy, small, business owner I do not always have time to attend events, so having them onsite is very much appreciated” 

Accounting Clarkes Logo

Gillian and Accounting Clarkes Ltd are located at UBC Fleet. Discover more about Accounting Clarkes Ltd and their services at www.accountingclarkes.com

A huge thank you to our wonderful clients who have taken part in our special female entrepreneurship focus.

We’re continuing to highlight some of the many talented women at UBC and Inigo over on our social media channels. Why not join the conversation and share your stories with us?

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