“This funding arrives at an important period of momentum for FreshBooks,” said Don Epperson, CEO of FreshBooks. “We want to seize global growth opportunities and continue scaling our operations to support more business owners than ever before, with our easy-to-use accounting software and locally relevant integrations.” 

“This increase to FreshBooks’ debt facility strengthens our balance sheet and gives our team the financial flexibility to move efficiently and with confidence,” said Michael Washinushi, Chief Financial Officer at FreshBooks. “Working with partners such as BMO and JPM, further enhances FreshBooks’ ability to support small business owners globally.”

“We’re proud to continue our support of FreshBooks, a partnership that helps to drive progress for both our teams and customers,” said Christopher Jackson, Director, Technology & Innovation Banking Group, BMO Financial Group. “FreshBooks’ mission-driven team continues to accomplish great things in service of the growing small business and self-employed market. This debt facility will boost the team’s ability to move efficiently and capture more market share around the globe.”

“J.P. Morgan is delighted to be part of FreshBooks’ growth story and have a role in supporting the company’s continued global expansion,” said Richard Zeni, Relationship Executive at J.P. Morgan. “Empowering small businesses is a shared priority between our two companies, and we’re excited that more small businesses will be empowered to achieve their goals and dreams.”

In August, 2021, FreshBooks announced that it had secured $130 million USD. Over the last two years, FreshBooks has acquired Germany-based, invoicing and financial management software company Fastbill, and Mexico-based, e-invoicing company Facturama. 

Learn more about FreshBooks here. 

About FreshBooks

FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 160 countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payments, and client engagement. Known for its 10x Stevie award winning customer support, FreshBooks serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands and US. FreshBooks has been recognized as a Top 10 employer by Great Places to Work for seven of the last eight years.

About BMO Financial Group

Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $1.04 trillion as of April 30, 2022, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets

Contact

Lindsay Lapchuk

FreshBooks

pr@freshbooks.com

The post FreshBooks Secures Up to $100M USD Debt Facility to Support Global Growth appeared first on FreshBooks.

Most (67%) self-employed singles in America are entirely committed to their careers versus the pursuit of a relationship. Many self-employed singles (59%) actually think it’s easier to run a business as a single person, despite the financial and/or emotional support they might get from a partner. The exchange to have the freedom to pursue their careers free from guilt is more desirable (59%).

“Our report uncovers that while singles have more freedom in their life choices, they often feel burdened by rising costs and the emotional toll of pursuing their dreams without a partner,” said Damona Hoffman, celebrity dating coach. “Not only does the lack of a stable second income make supporting yourself harder, but it also makes it more challenging to take risks in your business — whether that’s investing in a new product or service launch or taking time off when you’re feeling burned out and need some time off.”

Key findings in the study include:

• Self-employed singles struggle with financial stability. Forty-six percent said not having a second income for financial stability was a major challenge (women, at 52%, were more likely to see this as a challenge than men, at 40%).
• Financial instability keeps many self-employed singles from pursuing relationships—particularly if they’re on the younger side. Twenty-eight percent of self-employed singles said they aren’t interested in pursuing a relationship, in part because their financial situation is too uncertain—and at 35%, that number is higher for self-employed singles 35 and under.
• Limited free time and strange work schedules contribute to self-employed singles’ relationship status. Twenty-two percent of self-employed singles reported not having the time to devote to a relationship because of work—and 18% said their unusual work schedule makes relationships difficult.
• Despite the challenges, many self-employed singles actually think it’s easier to run a business as a single person. Fifty-nine percent said that it was easier to run a business as a single person—while 42% said it was easier to grow a business while single.

Even with the roadblocks outlined above, most self-employed singles are single by choice—and despite the challenges, prefer it that way. For example, when asked about their relationship status, 48% of self-employed singles said they’re single by choice and are not interested in or actively seeking a relationship.

“Despite the growing number of singles, life in the U.S. still caters to the traditional family unit,” said Paul Cowan, Chief Marketing Officer at FreshBooks. “Single entrepreneurs are a growing demographic and we must learn more about their needs and challenges as an opportunity to continue supporting small businesses.”

Since 2004, FreshBooks has helped more than 30 million people, establishing itself as one of the leading accounting platforms for small businesses. To shed light on the experiences of those who work for themselves, FreshBooks’ produces a series of research reports in its Research and Data Reports Library.

To read FreshBooks’ Self-Employed Singles Report report click here.  

*For the purposes of this study:

• Someone who is not single is someone in a long-term, committed relationship (dating, engaged, partnered, common law, married)
• A single person is defined as someone who is funding their own lives, not in a long-term committed relationship.

Survey Methodology 

FreshBooks designed and executed research for this report in collaboration with Centiment. More than 1000 single people—who are either self-employed or own a small business—were surveyed online in April 2022. The study’s margin of error is +/- 3% at 95% confidence. The data collected here was used in collaboration with Damona Hoffman and FreshBooks to create this report.

About FreshBooks

FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 160+ countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payments, and client engagement. FreshBooks, known for its 10x Stevie award winning customer support, serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, and the US.

About Damona Hoffman

Celebrity Dating Coach Damona Hoffman has been coaching singles on how to find love online and offline for over 15 years. Her articles appear regularly in The LA Times and The Washington Post. Plus, she’s a regular on-air contributor to The Drew Barrymore Show, NPR, and NBC’s Access Daily. Damona also starred in two A+E Networks’ TV shows: #BlackLove and A Question of Love. Her weekly podcast Dates & Mates has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Huff Post, Bustle and tops the charts in the Relationships category on the major podcast platforms.

PR Contact

Sajni Khera

PR Manager

FreshBooks

sajni.khera@freshbooks.com

The post FreshBooks Report on Self-Employed Singles, Highlighting the Barriers to Entrepreneurship appeared first on FreshBooks.

“FreshBooks recognizes the depth and breadth of small businesses across New Zealand. We’re excited to help local owners impress their clients and get paid faster with our competitive new starter plan and invoicing software,” said Dragana Ljubisavljevic, SVP of International Markets at FreshBooks. “FreshBooks is listening to the passionate small business owners in New Zealand by making it easier for them to digitize their invoicing.” 

The expansion in New Zealand arrives as small business owners look for invoicing software that is intuitive and simple to use. FreshBooks is different because it’s built exclusively for small businesses, making it easier to stay on top of invoicing. The company’s new starter plan in New Zealand lets businesses: 

• Send 2 invoices per month to up to 2 clients
• Collect online payments without invoicing 
• Track unlimited expenses
• Get paid with credit cards via Stripe & PayPal
• Access their account from anywhere on iOS and Android devices

All pricing packages are being offered at new competitive rates: 

The expansion in New Zealand builds on FreshBooks securing $130M in funding, bringing its valuation to over USD $1 Billion. With a mission to reach more customers in more countries around the world, FreshBooks also acquired German-based FastBill to strengthen global expansion plans. 

Learn more about FreshBooks here. 

About FreshBooks

FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 160 countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payments, and client engagement. FreshBooks, known for its 10x Stevie award-winning customer support, serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, and the US. 

Contact:

Sajni Khera

647-985-0486

sajni.khera@freshbooks.com

The post FreshBooks Expands With Invoicing Starter Plan for New Zealand Small Businesses appeared first on FreshBooks.

“As a proud Canadian company, it’s important to us to ensure the future success of Ontario small businesses who serve as an engine of our economy,” said Levi Cooperman, Co-Founder and Government Relations Lead at FreshBooks.“Their success is vital to Ontario’s prosperity, so we’ve written to each of the party leaders with our study to consider policies that can help small businesses and their owners thrive and grow digitally.”

FreshBooks’ analysis shows that: 

• Owners in Ontario are thinking ahead about becoming more digital. Most (~60 per cent) will adopt at least one new digital solution in the next 12 months;
• Owners are equally interested in specific digital solutions such as mobile applications, search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, digital storefronts and/or online billing/accounting (~20 per cent interest per solution); and,
• Significant barriers include lack of resources (financial and/or time), lack of knowledge or skills, and/or a lack of confidence that digital initiatives will result in positive ROI.

The study also revealed that small businesses owners would most likely take advantage of the following policies:

• Free training for owners to transition to and leading a digital small business (35 per cent);
• Grants to offset the cost of implementing a specific digital solution such as selling online, search engine optimization and digital supply chain/inventory management (36 per cent); and,
• Tax incentives to offset ongoing costs of digital solutions like software subscription fees and high speed business interest (39 per cent).

This isn’t the first program FreshBooks has launched to reduce barriers to success for small business owners in Ontario. Last year it announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ontario government to share data and insights regarding small business recovery trends related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

About FreshBooks

FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 160 countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payments, and client engagement. FreshBooks, known for its 10x Stevie award winning customer support, serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, and the US.

Contact:

Sajni Khera

647-985-0486

sajni.khera@freshbooks.com

The post FreshBooks’ Study Shows That Over 80% of Small Business Owners in Ontario Have an Interest in Government Aid to Become More Digital appeared first on FreshBooks.

Toronto, Canada – February 16, 2022 – FreshBooks, a leading cloud accounting software with paying customers in 160+ countries, announced today that Renee Pianka joined the company as Chief People Officer. Located in Boston, Pianka brings over 20 years of international human resource management expertise and will take FreshBooks’ talent strategy to the next level. 

“Renee is joining FreshBooks at a pivotal moment of global growth and expansion,” said Don Epperson, CEO of FreshBooks. “FreshBooks has grown from a three-person startup to having offices in six countries and talent working from almost anywhere in the world. Renee’s leadership will advance our talent strategy, development programs, and guide our team through our next stages of growth.” 

Pianka has managed Global HR organizations of every size and scale, driving organizational growth through thoughtful HR planning and management. Before joining FreshBooks, she was Chief Human Resources Officer at Acacia Communications (NASDAQ:ACIA), which was acquired by Cisco. In addition, Pianka worked at Dell EMC for over 15 years, holding a series of senior, global leadership posts within its human resources function. 

“I’m thrilled to be joining FreshBooks because it’s a company rooted in strong values committed to helping small business owners grow,” said Pianka. “I look forward to ensuring our team is supported by attracting and fostering talent so that we can unlock our growth goals together.” 

Last year, FreshBooks announced that it had raised USD $130M in funding, bringing its valuation to USD $1B. With a growing workforce, FreshBooks is always looking for talent to add to the team. Click here to learn more about job openings at FreshBooks.

About FreshBooks

FreshBooks is changing the way business owners manage their books. Its owner-first accounting platform, loved by businesses in over 160 countries, takes an easy-to-use approach to managing finances, billing, payments, and client engagement. FreshBooks, known for its 10x Stevie award winning customer support, serves customers of all sizes from offices in Canada, Croatia, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, and the US.

Contact:

Sajni Khera

FreshBooks

sajni.khera@freshbooks.com

The post FreshBooks Appoints Renee Pianka as Chief People Officer appeared first on FreshBooks.

A FreshBooks plan of this kind is typically £228 per year, so this partnership offers direct savings for all small businesses who bank with Barclays or have a Barclaycard Business product. 

The timing couldn’t be more ideal – starting in April 2022 the ‘Making Tax Digital’  (MTD) initiative requires all VAT-registered businesses in the UK to digitally submit annual returns using compliant software. FreshBooks is an obvious choice to support this transition because small businesses can work with their accountant to facilitate VAT return filing in the platform. 

FreshBooks’ Senior Director of Partnerships, George Kyriakis says: “We’re delighted to partner with Barclaycard to ensure business owners in the UK have the ability to grow and embrace digital transformation. It comes at a great time with MTD requirements on the horizon, meaning more small businesses need to transition to digital.” 

How FreshBooks Support Business Owners

At its core, FreshBooks saves small businesses up to 550 hours a year on accounting and business admin^†. With the plan, business owners can send unlimited invoices to up to 50 clients, automatically track expenses on iOS and Android, and easily track mileage on the go.

FreshBooks x Barclaycard means businesses can accept payments via the Barclaycard Smartpay Fuse online payment service. This enables payment via a variety of methods. On top of that, businesses get access to the funds with next-day settlement, low transaction fees (from just 1%)*, and automatic reconciliation – with no manual intervention.

Clive Impey, Director of Integrated Payment Partnerships at Barclaycard Business, says: “MTD is a huge opportunity for businesses. It makes doing taxes very straightforward and can drastically reduce the time businesses spend on admin tasks. And, by partnering with FreshBooks, our customers get those benefits free, plus the ability to accept payments online.”

Barclaycard Business and Barclays Business customers can apply for a free FreshBooks account here. 

† Source: FreshBooks, https://www.freshbooks.com/en-gb/about/ourstory

* Transactions need to be taken before 6 pm to ensure next-day settlement. Transactions taken Friday after 6 pm, Saturday or Sunday will be paid on Monday. Qualifying customers only, additional credit risk terms may apply (i.e. some applications will be declined or approved on delayed settlement terms).

The post FreshBooks, Barclays Partnering to Offer Free FreshBooks Accounts to Help Small Business Survive Tax Season and Beyond appeared first on FreshBooks.