Grace Hardy started her accounting practice ‘Hardy Accounting’ at 21 years old after gaining her qualification during her apprenticeship. She now advocates for financial education and speaks about her journey on social media to inspire other young people to start their own businesses.
How did you get into the profession?
It was by mistake! I was originally looking at economic apprenticeships but unfortunately, I didn’t get them so very naively at 17 I thought what is the closest thing to economics – TAX! So I started applying for tax apprenticeships but it was too late in the year they were all getting filled up, so the employer said to me would you be open to doing an accounting apprenticeship and I said yes and that is how I joined the industry!
What’s been your biggest achievement this year?
It’s difficult to pick just one as my first year of business has been more amazing than I could have ever dreamed. But my biggest achievement is going from a nobody into a somebody. I am so proud of the personal brand I’ve built this past year, it has allowed me the best opportunities like having my face on a bus stop, going on TV, being invited to podcasts and starting my own podcast!
What trends do you think we will see a lot of next year?
I think we will see accounting firms becoming more personable, the rise of young accounting business owners, EGC which is employer generated content and of course improvements in AI.
What one person or business in the industry do you really admire and why?
For me both Bev Flanagan and Alex Falcon have been some of the most supportive people on my journey. They are always there for me at every menty b, every silly question or when I just need some time to relax and have a chat up. They are both so selfless and encouraging, they are one of the reasons I love the industry so much.
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is teaching, whether that be to young business owners about finance and watching them become less stressed after having a call with me, or spending time talking about social media and how to grow and gain clients. Or making time for one-on-one sessions for aspiring business owners to ask me all of their questions.
