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As the director of Acumist, an award-winning cloud accounting firm and a Xero Gold Partner, I had the pleasure of attending the 12-week VFD Mastery Programme. With over 35 years of business experience, I was searching for a solution that would bring more structure to our methods, and VFD Pro exceeded all expectations.
The platform is truly exceptional, offering shortcuts that save time and enhance our work processes. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and am confident in the positive impact it will have on our clients at Acumist. We pride ourselves on combining outstanding service with automated accounting to help businesses bring their future into focus.
The FIMBO programme is a valuable addition and will serve as an educational platform for our clients and prospects. Increased knowledge and awareness will undoubtedly lead to them seeking additional support.
Regular check-ins and the supportive VFD community will be invaluable assets as we continue to develop our client offering. With VFD Pro's structured approach to financial management and business performance forecasting, I am certain our clients will achieve even greater success, enabling us to continue delivering top-notch accounting services. The approach VFD takes, along with the incredible people involved, has made this experience truly outstanding.
Name:Chris Gascoyne
Job Title:Director
Company:Acumist
Date:27/06/2023
Service(s) Provided:
As a client manager at Anthony Russel, I am constantly on the lookout for innovative ways to enhance the value of our advice to clients. That's why our investment in the VFD Mastery program has been an absolute game-changer for our team.VFD Pro has not only exceeded our expectations but has also outperformed other tools we previously considered, thanks to its comprehensive guidance and unparalleled support. Utilizing the VFD reports, we have been able to increase our clients' awareness of potential issues surrounding their breakeven position and overall cash flow. Moreover, the reporting suite comes in handy for exit planning when the timing is just right.The mastery training provided by VFD Pro has been exceptional, and it was truly inspiring to collaborate with a group of like-minded peers, each at different stages in their advisory journey. This experience has further cemented VFD Pro's place in our toolkit.What sets VFD Pro apart from other applications is its ability to cover the entire business lifecycle, from start-up to exit. Many alternative solutions require significant configuration and only focus on standard management reporting. In contrast, VFD Pro offers a seamless, holistic approach that has greatly benefited our clients and empowered us as advisors.In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend VFD Pro to any organization seeking to elevate their advisory services and deliver exceptional value to their clients.
Name:Chris Metcalf
Job Title:Client Manager
Company:Anthony Russel
Date:12/04/2023
Service(s) Provided:
I recently completed the FiMBO programme - a 12-session journey designed to help business owners like me better understand the financial planning to help grow and eventually sell your business. Out of all the sessions, the one that truly stood out was number 10, Exit Planning expertly delivered by Cliff Spolander and the most impactful takeaway for me was learning about the two crucial numbers that can make all the difference in the success of my exit strategy. This eye-opening experience taught me the importance of planning five years in advance if I intend to sell my business.The stark reality of how few people actually sell their businesses for their desired price was a sobering revelation, thanks to the often-repeated message in every session.The FiMBO programme is not only worthwhile but also essential for anyone considering growing or selling their business. If you're ambitious and envision retiring in the next 10 to 20 years, this programme is incredibly useful. But for those, like me, who are developing an exit plan within the next five years, FiMBO is almost indispensable.It has equipped me with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complex process of ‘business exit’, and I could not be more grateful for this transformative experience.
Name:Paul Lawton
Job Title:Business Owner
Company:Chat Heroes
Date:12/04/2023
Service(s) Provided: Training
I cannot recommend VFD Pro and their 'Growing Your Numbers' Mastermind groups highly enough. As a part time finance director focused mainly on the service sector, it is crucial for me to have a robust and reliable reporting suite that helps my clients make informed business decisions. VFD Pro has proved an indispensable tool in my practice, enabling me to work closely with business owners and help elevate their performance as they prepare for future growth or exit strategies. To be working with the team behind the reports and understand their full value is amazing. Its not just the quality of the reports, but also the support provided through the Partner programme that has impressed me so much.The 'Growing Your Numbers' Mastermind groups have exceeded my expectations with their well-structured approach. These sessions have not only helped me better understand the client value of VFD Pro but also taught me effective ways to engage with businesses of the right scale. The knowledge I have gained from attending the Mastermind groups has been invaluable in enhancing my services to my clients. The support from VFD Pro and the rest of the Mastermind group delegates has been truly overwhelming. It has inspired me to deliver part of the FiMBO webinar program, which aims to support business owners in better understanding their financial information and making better decisions.Being part of a like-minded community of accountants and advisors who not only want to help businesses succeed but also offer moral support to each other has been an incredible experience. The power of the VFD Pro reporting suite lies in its ability to provide comprehensive and accurate financial information. This will be a game-changer for my clients in the £1m to £5m turnover range who understand the importance of reviewing and utilizing financial data to improve their decision-making processes.In summary, VFD Pro and their 'Growing Your Numbers' Mastermind groups have been an invaluable asset in my practice, and I wholeheartedly endorse their reporting suite, exceptional support, and well-structured educational sessions. Accountants and business advisors looking to take their client performance to the next level should seriously consider partnering with VFD Pro.
Name:Margot Clarke
Job Title:Management Accountant & Business Advisor
Date:11/04/2023
Service(s) Provided:
As a dedicated business advisor in the US, I work with ambitious business owners seeking to elevate their performance and ensure they are exit ready when the time comes. My clients typically have a turnover between $2 million and $20 million, and they recognize the crucial role that financial data analysis plays in making informed decisions for their businesses.
VFD Pro is an invaluable tool for business owners who want to truly understand and harness the power of financial data. Not only does it provide comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and actionable insights, but it also helps me work with the business to identify their key issues and establish the right KPIs to make progress toward their goals. This targeted approach allows the business to focus on the most critical aspects of their businesses and drive real results. VFD Pro's key attribute is translating financial data into decision making information.
One of the standout benefits of VFD Pro is their 'Mastery Programme,' developed specifically to support accountants and advisors in achieving positive outcomes with clients and prospects. By equipping me with the knowledge and tools needed to deliver impactful advice, the Mastery Programme has truly set VFD Pro apart from other financial data solutions.
Using VFD Pro, my clients will be able to make better strategic decisions, improve their operational efficiency, and ultimately maximize their business value as they prepare for their eventual exit. The platform will empower them to take control of their financial data, enabling them to set and achieve milestones that are aligned with their long-term objectives.
In today's competitive business landscape, gaining an edge is more important than ever. VFD Pro offers exactly that – a competitive advantage for advisers working with business owners who are ready to take their performance to the next level. With its unique combination of data analysis, issue identification, KPI tracking, and the exceptional training provided through the Mastery Programme, VFD Pro is an indispensable asset for those serious about unlocking a business's full potential and streamlining their exit process. I cannot recommend VFD Pro highly enough.
Name:Steve Duke
Job Title:Business Advisor
Company:Duke Business Advisors
Date:11/04/2023
Service(s) Provided:
Both Mark although it's mainly always Steve I/we deal with, make a v v concerted effort, going way beyond the extra mile to understand our business, immersing himself in our USP's, our features, benefits and SME "you appeal" to ensure he can continuously refer relevant clients and customers to both Know-it and Darcey Quigley. Steve has literally gone out of his way to support our businesses with v relevant and extremely good opportunity referrals, thank you. He has a tremendous work ethic, lots of energy to make things happen and is extremely thorough and his attention to detail is excellent and he tries always to make things v clear in his communications, particularly to the working group he chairs. He is proactive and has been the glue within setting up and maintaining the support of the working group. Steve proactively reached out to us to offer support as we visited Accountext, London and also was exceptionally supportive of me personally as I visited The Digital Accountancy Show and supported his live presentation session. I have personally built up a v close relationship with Steve which I'm extremely grateful for and this is not lost on me in the slightest, thank you so much.
Name:Gordon Merrylees
Date:30/08/2022
Service(s) Provided: 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
What stands out about the service is the visualisation and setting up is really very good. And the reporting features which are so valuable are good.
The fact that this enables me to do so much more with my clients and the support I get from VFD for me to do this is second to none.
Name:Gavin Jones
Job Title:Client Manager
Company:Lewis Ballard
Town:Cardiff
Date:05/08/2022
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy
I am a massive advocate of VFD. Helping clients to go on a journey from compliance driven to value adding. Accountants have access to everything from credit, funding options through to exit planning.
Their responsiveness, openness and honesty stand out for me, those are the three things you need in a relationship and we have got them.
I would happily recommend VFD pro training and support to colleagues and have already recommended to other accountants.
Name:James Piper
Job Title:Managing Director
Company:Lightbulb Credit
Town:Nottingham
Date:04/08/2022
Service(s) Provided: 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
I think VFD's technology is brilliant, I have learnt so much on financial management.
The exit planning was definitely very useful, in fact its been brilliant.
I would say its been invaluable training for a non financial manager like myself.
Name:Neil Campbell
Job Title:Commerical Director
Company:Risk Dashboard UK Ltd
Town:Corby
Date:03/08/2022
Service(s) Provided: 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 5. Online workshop series for your clients and prospects, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
VFD are very innovative, very advanced with their software. With other companies you have to manipulate it and with VFD its great. You can produce easy to read reports and the range of reports are always growing. They have recently improved the way some of the reports look making them easy to read. This is saving so much of the accountants time, it really is great.
Name:Kim Lanighan
Job Title:Owner
Company:Optics Accounting
Town:Oxford
Date:09/06/2022
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy
VFD Pro are just so proactive: I think they go over and above. They're a software provider and the service they offer , and the advice they offer as well, is just brilliant. My business has benefitted very much from working with VFD Pro; they've run webinars I've gone on, and they train you how to use their software. I use a lot of software and you're certainly made to feel, not like you're a client, you really are treated well. VFD are by far superior to other service providers, and I'm talking big, global companies; they just do not offer the support that VFD Pro do. I mean how often do you get to speak to directors at other companies. I've never received this level of support from a supplier before. I keep looking at the stuff they're doing and they just seem to be going over and above and for me, and I'm probably one of the least qualified people with their software, I'm a book keeper not a Financial Director or an accountant, so for me it's been so beneficial.
Name:Stewart Brown
Job Title:Owner
Company:Stewart Brown Bookkeeping Services
Town:Purley
Date:26/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
Everything is geared to what a Part Time Finance Director needs and you listen to the users.
Name:Richard Holder
Town:Chichester
Date:20/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 5. Online workshop series for your clients and prospects, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
I like that VFD are willing to adapt, and willing to listen, and to improve their software. Some of their offering is a lot more detailed than anything we've used previously.
Name:Mike Ogilvie
Job Title:Managing Director
Company:X5 Chartered Accountants
Town:Eastbourne
Date:19/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 5. Online workshop series for your clients and prospects, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
VFD are always there if you need them; we've been using the VFD product for most of lockdown, and if there's ever a problem you contact them and they put themselves out to make sure they address that problem for you. VFD Pro has made our advisory services better; we've been able to be more transparent with clients in terms of the data we provide on a more frequent basis, and we've used VFD for our weekly workshop, and we've had rave reviews on that from our clients. We use other apps within Xero but we advise clients use those themselves where we use VFD as a platform that we assist clients with.
Name:Emma Whitehouse
Job Title:Director of accounts and business services
Company:Barringtons
Town:Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Date:15/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
The software is very good, very flexible, and allows us to look at things in different ways. As for the rapport we have with the people at VFD; it's very good. We can pick up the phone and ask a question at any time, and we will get a proper response without waiting for ages. VFD allows us to give our clients a more compact form of documentation. It opens more doors to allow us to provide initial information which we can then discuss with the clients.
Name:Chris Marshall
Job Title:Managing Director
Company:CVK Solutions Ltd
Town:Southampton
Date:08/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
VFD Pro are so attentive and reactive. The training that they're giving at the moment is spot on, exactly what I need; their regular webinars are brilliant, it's just the right timing or me. Product wise; I like the flexibility, and the reporting function gives my clients the ease of use as setting it up and using it has just been so straightforward. I've only just started using VFD Pro but it's given me flexibility and more reporting functionality for my clients. I've used Futurly for a few years and I'm not sure VFD replaces it but it certainly compliments it brilliantly. There is some cross over between the two. I'm quite vocal in my recommendation for VFD; I brought it up on a 2020 webinar I did the other day, and I've mentioned it on a few Facebook groups I'm part of. I'm quite supportive as I think its a good product.
Their emails are very tiered, upcoming webinars are highlighted down the side, it's very very helpful.
Name:Sharon Broer
Job Title:Founder
Company:Argus Accounting
Town:Romford
Date:06/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
I love the feeling that it's a personable service; I feel I can pick up the phone at any time of the day to Steve or Mark with any questions or queries. The product is fantastic. What I love about the software is that Mark and Steve are so approachable if I have any problems with the software; they're really forthcoming with advice and that's key for me. VFD Pro has given an extra layer to our advisory section, so we're now able to offer our clients monthly, or quarterly, management reports using the VFD suite of services, as a minimum, and in terms of the cashflow forecasting within it; that's given an extra angle, so it's increased our service offering for our clients in a good way.
If I compare it to, say, Xero, then our account managers are usually quite hard to get hold of, you'll call, send an email and someone will get back to you in 48 hours, but with VFD there's nothing too big or small that they can't help with, and the extra is that they want to help you promote the service; for example, Steve has given us content to add to our site about the VFD services. They're doing a sterling job.
Name:Joanna Drinkwater
Job Title:Managing Director
Company:Grant McKnight Ltd
Town:Birmingham
Date:06/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 3. Interactive Business Intelligence Dashboard, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports, 5. Online workshop series for your clients and prospects, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
The service provided by VFD Pro is personal, tailored, and practical, and their communication is outstanding. It's enabled me to show the figures in a graphical and visual way. Some people understand figures better visually than numerically; a picture paints a thousand words, and VFD Pro produces pretty pictures. What I want is a simple way to communicate what's happening in the business without spending hours doing it. Most management accounting software produces detailed reports, and pages of it. The Business Overview software is a simple visual tool to express what's happening in the business, and it's easy to email the report with a video, or some information that says "I've looked over your business and 3 things stand out" . If I come to you with a dozen things to do you won't have enough time, or attention span, so if I can come to you with laser focus and a few critical areas, you act on them and see the effect on your business, you'll be back for more.
Other accountants and professionals tailor reports; I don't have the knowledge, understanding, or time to do that, so I want something that will cover most bases, and VFD Pro does that without any real tweaking from me; it's a straight out of the box service.
They're nice guys and a pleasure to deal with. Their workshops are really good; You 're given practical guidance on how to use it and what to do.
Name:Paul Miller
Job Title:Managing Director
Company:Cornish Accounting
Town:Bodmin
Date:02/10/2020
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 2. Business Growth Planning and other FD services, 5. Online workshop series for your clients and prospects, 6. VFD Pro training and support Academy, 7. Marketing collateral for use on your website, social media and email communications
I like the personal touch; the way that they were so friendly and forthcoming with wanting to give a demonstration, and I was really impressed with the software itself; I haven't seen anything like it. I heard about them via the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) of whom I'm a member, at one of their conferences called 'Power your Digital Practice'. Sean Farnell of Burgis & Bullock did a demo of VFD during the conference. There was about half hour to an hour demo of the VFD software. I haven't used it yet as I only launched three months ago, however I've got a large tender coming up at the end of this month and I'm going to use the demo to show the client as I believe the software wouldn't be beneficial to this potential client. This is a fantastic piece of software. The customer service has been excellent; Steve Darnell even put me in touch with other people that he believes will be beneficial to me.
Name:Joanna Drinkwater
Job Title:Director
Company:Grant McKnight Ltd
Town:Birmingham
Date:03/02/2020
Service(s) Provided:
What stands out is the fact that VFD Pro does so much of the analysis; picking up the key headlines and the main issues that come out from the numbers. I was looking for a reporting tool. I didn't know that vfd existed so when I came across it I thought VFD Pro might be the tool for me, but it's more than that; it's an analysis tool as well which is better as there's so much more that it does plus the report.
Name:Avi Smith
Date:19/12/2019
Service(s) Provided: 1. Enhanced Management Reporting, 4. Supplier partner introductions for client Exception Reports