Rachel Harris launches her 2024 Bursary scheme with the help of FreeAgent

Meet Rachel Harris: accountant, entrepreneur, and all-around industry disruptor. As the founder of Accountant_she and striveX, Rachel is on a mission to change how people see accounting. She’s not just crunching numbers—she’s breaking the mould and proving that you can build a seven-figure business without losing yourself along the way.

If her schedule wasn’t already packed enough, Rachel has also established the first corporate bursary scheme of its kind. With the help of FreeAgent, the scheme will fully fund 5 students through twelve months of their AAT studies and cover their training costs, study materials, AAT membership, and exam fees. It will also include 1:1 mentoring, a buddy scheme and ongoing support. FreeAgent and Rachel joined the bursary recipients, training providers and industry experts - who will be acting as mentors - at a fabulous launch event at the Roseate Hotel in Reading.

At the event, Rachel sat down with us for a Q&A to share her journey, her thoughts on the future of accounting, and how she’s turning stereotypes upside down.

What do you think is contributing to the talent gap in the accounting industry?

We're about ten to fifteen years on from the large increase in university fees, and we're now starting to see the economic impact of that gap in further education. A big misconception in the accounting industry is that you need a degree; prospective trainees can be put off by the idea of taking on large amounts of debt. The school-leaver careers advice needs to highlight more accessible options like apprenticeships, especially for people who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

The second is the stereotype that accountancy is boring. I was told by a careers adviser at school not to become an accountant for that reason. That's really the driving force behind my personal brand. My aim is to change the image, perception, and the stereotype of being an accountant.

How could this affect the industry in the medium and longer term?

We've seen a lot of outsourcing in the accounting industry, which is a problem, especially when businesses pay corporation tax in the UK but send the economic benefit overseas.

However, a positive is that we will likely see more accountants and bookkeepers adopt AI sooner. They can use it to speed up that bottom twenty per cent of bookkeeping, like automating bank reconciliation and using bots to crawl through people's accounting software.

What’s the secret to retaining top talent?

What do you think is the secret to your firm’s success?

What’s your biggest lesson from setting up your own business?

You don't become poor by giving. I think there are lots of accounting firms that try to cut corners, whether that’s by paying the minimum wage or outsourcing. I built a seven-figure firm in my twenties because I did the things that lots of businesses aren't prepared to do: paying people what they're worth, paying above market rate, investing in a benefits package that offers private medical, all-inclusive holidays, and an opportunity to grow and learn in a way that other firms don't.

What experiences, positive and negative, have you had as a woman in accounting?

I have been passed drinks at networking events because men assume I'm working as a waitress, not as someone who deserves to be in that room. I’ve also been asked on a livestream what grown-ups do after I finished speaking as a young person.

But, by default, I’m a very positive person. I have a disabled identical twin, so for my whole life, I've watched someone I love push past any barriers they’ve had in front of them. That energy is very contagious to me. I've seen people I love overcome things so I just try and leave the entire industry better than I found it. I could write endless LinkedIn content about all of my negative experiences, but I think focusing on the good, not the bad, will get us to where we need to be.

What drove you to set up the bursary scheme?

What do you enjoy most about mentoring?

I’m quite a pushy person, and mentoring allows me to push people to see themselves in a different way, they way that I see them. I’ve fallen in love with that aspect of it.

What advice do you have for someone thinking about a career in accounting?

It’s not what you think it is! If you love true crime and solving problems, if you’re nosy and want to know what successful people spend money on, if you want to use your social skills, then accounting is for you. You get to make friends, and you get to tell stories of people's lives through numbers.