Twyla Verhelst explains ‘collaborative accounting.’
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By Seth Fineberg
At Large for CPA Trendlines
FreshBooks is taking another step to evolve from being a cloud-based invoicing solution for gig workers to being more strongly considered a true accounting solution that accountants could use to collaborate with clients as their business needs evolve.
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“We are definitely in this flow of evolving the platform to support accountants better,” Twyla Verhelst, head of FreshBooks’ accountant channel, tells CPA Trendlines’ Seth Fineberg. “We now have an accountant hub, which we will continue to add to; and a robust roadmap, one in which we’re building from a place of [asking] accounting partners what do you need?”
The Collaborative Accounting program was developed in collaboration with accounting professionals who are part of its Partner Advisory Council (aka Fresh PAC). Moreover, it’s a move in which the company believes it will convince more accountants and service-based business clients to see it as a viable accounting solution.
FreshBooks began its journey 20 years ago as a simple, cloud-based invoicing solution for independent contractors. This was its core purpose for years, and while the company wanted accountants and bookkeepers to be aware of the product, there was not much for them. Around ten years ago, the company finally built double-entry into its platform and could function as a true GL, but it still did not quite have the collaborative or more robust abilities (on its own or through integrations) it does today.
Verhelst, herself a pioneer in the profession, is a former co-founder of an advisory accounting practice, and creator of the Women in Accounting Mentorship platform as well as the Video per Day Experiment.
Freshbooks hopes that through further evolution of the product, through the help of its accountant-centric PAC, the product can be a competitive alternative (for the right clients) to the likes of Xero, Sage One, Zoho and even QuickBooks.
