Success Story - The Hearing Suite
Financial clarity for growing audiology business
After building her career in the NHS and private practice, audiologist Emily Balmer decided to launch her own audiology business The Hearing Suite in Harrogate in 2018. Based originally at the Mowbray Square health centre, she quickly expanded and moved into her own dedicated premises next door. She now has a team of 5, with three audiologists and 2 people front of house, one of whom is her mum. She specialises in micro suction wax removal, tinnitus and discreet, top of the range hearing aids.
Emily’s vision was for a Harley Street style service that combines high quality customer experience with expert healthcare. Understanding that many people are reluctant to consult a professional about their hearing, Emily has created a clinic with a hospitality feel that gives clients access to specialist audiology treatment and premium hearing aid products that are very different to those available through the NHS or on the high street.
Finding the right financial support
When she launched her venture Emily was using a large city accountancy firm. She quickly realised that she needed a more personalised approach and after meeting Liz Wild at a networking event in Harrogate, she felt an immediate connection and started working with Wild & Co.
“It felt like talking to a real human being when I was dealing with Liz – I found her to be knowledgeable but also relatable,” Emily says.
How Wild and Co have helped
Emily works closely with Liz and Tasha using Wild & Co’s FD On Demand Service. As a clinician, Emily was conscious that she needed support to help her understand her numbers well so that she could make business decisions strategically, based on solid data and forecasting.
Liz put Emily in touch with a good bookkeeper to take care of the day to day transactional information and make sure that her online accounting systems were always fully up to date. Liz then took Emily through the financial data to make sure she had complete clarity and could easily access accurate information whenever she needed it.
“I have a very entrepreneurial streak and am excited about the direction my business is going so it is wonderful having Liz on hand to keep my feet on the ground and help me structure my decisions based on the numbers,” says Emily.
Emily is looking forward to the future as The Hearing Suite grows and she now has confidence in her decision making, plus a thorough understanding of what plans she can push ahead with now and what she should keep until the next financial year.
Emily says: “Working with Liz and Tasha has made such a difference and I feel I can call them up any time to talk through decisions. They always make themselves available and are great sounding board.”
