Oldham accountant eyes expansion after buying office HQ.

An Oldham based accountancy firm is set for expansion after buying its permanent base thanks to a commercial mortgage of nearly £88,000 from property lender Together.

Freeman Accountancy has bought its office in High Street, Lees, after company director Rachel Freeman, set up her own firm 18 months ago.

The 43-year-old, who has over 25 years’ experience in tax, accounting, and business advisory services had been working from her home as her fledgling business took off.

The accountancy firm now has a permanent home, thanks to the loan from Cheadle-based property lender Together – and Rachel has plans to expand further in the future.

She said: “We now have a base where we can all work together, which is great. Now, as we continue to grow we have the space to expand-something which when I started the business, I could never have envisaged.”

Rachel, from Shaw, set up on her own in April 2022, after a long career working at an accountants and tax consultancy firm in Oldham.

After growing Freeman Accountancy’s clientele from her home office, Rachel employed members of staff and realised she needed a hub in her home town of Oldham to operate from.

Since moving to their new headquarters, they have seen an increase in business – with a majority of referrals coming through word of mouth.

Rachel said: “I got to a point where there was too much work for one or two people and needed to employ additional staff – there are currently four of us with plans to take on more staff in the New Year. When I started out, I was just looking to cover my salary really as I was unhappy in my previous role’’.

“I was just looking to do something a bit different with a real focus on customer service. But we’ve kept growing and really surpassed any expectations I ever had. It’s been an absolute whirlwind, but an amazing experience and one I am grateful for every day.”

Rachel began looking for the finance needed to realise her ambitions, and was introduced to Together, which has a loan book of £6.6bn, through a commercial finance intermediary.

The finance group agreed a commercial mortgage of £87,750, allowing her to purchase the office. She has now completed its refurbishment, with help from her husband, Ray and brother-in-law, Mark Bennett. She said that he was a huge help and support with the office refurbishment – heartbreakingly, Mark passed away suddenly, aged 40, before the office was finished.

Rachel said: “Throughout this entire process, Together have been amazing. It has been a tough few months for us as a family, but every question I had, no matter how basic, or any set back we faced, Together were there with answers and solutions. I can’t speak highly enough of what they have done for my business.”

Gordon Spotten, Business Development Director at Together said: “Helping small businesses to meet their ambitions by growing and developing is exactly what Together is all about. We were not only able to support Rachel with the finance for the purchase of her office, but our person-centred ethos meant we were by her side though the entire funding process.

“We’re pleased to support Rachel’s exciting venture and look forward to seeing her grow her business in the future.”

Clare Coria, of Coria Commercial Finance, said: “As a family run local business, it was a pleasure to help Rachel achieve her dream of owning her own office.

“We have worked with Gordon and Together on a regular basis and after having known Rachel for a couple of years we knew Together would be the right company to help her realise her goals.

“It’s lovely to see her business thriving as it continues to grow.”