ONSIDE / PROFILE
in Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester city centres and
around hubs such as MediaCity at Salford Quays. It’s an
arrangement well known and well established in the film
and television industry, amongst IT contractors and in
construction, but it looks to be expanding into many creative
and digital sectors too.
In February 2015, the government convened tech
entrepreneurs to launch the ‘Tech Nation’ report, which
revealed that over 170,000 people are now working in
digital business in the North, many in rapidly expanding
tech clusters, and many working as contractors and
freelancers.
To accelerate this growth, the government pledged to
support the development of innovative businesses across
the North through an £11 million investment in tech
incubators based in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield. These
tech incubators will create thriving local ecosystems by
nurturing start-ups, fostering collaboration, and providing
mentoring, learning and business support.
But as the costs of running businesses in London soar,
many technology businesses have been born in the North,
so now 74% of digital and technology driven firms are
now located outside of the capital. Opportunities for IT
contractors are as high as they’ve ever been in the North,
which is a drastically different picture than a decade ago,
often IT contractors would have had to travel if they wanted
to work.
The North is fast becoming a tech hub for digital contractors
and freelancers, a vision of London becoming the only
‘Tech City’ is slowly being replaced by the recognition that
digital opportunities should not be focused to one city. With
further development, innovation and investment, Britain as
a whole could be on its way to becoming a ‘Tech Nation’,
with the dynamic work force to deliver it.
All of this has created the opportunity for a new type of
business servicing this growing trend. Seneca is backing
a new business, Gorilla Accounting, which understands
how a contractor or freelancer can often be overwhelmed
by compliance and has developed an efficient, technology
driven, simple accountancy package.
Gorilla will offer an accountancy service to contractors
and personal service companies and anyone who is selfemployed providing those services through a limited
company.
As Seneca director Dan Fallows says: “Gorilla has been
formed to offer a simple, competitive and slick offering to
contractors and the self-employed. There is a real demand
from busy contractors for a simple, slick and non-baffling
accountancy service. There are no different packages, or
gold membership for higher premiums. Gorilla is simple,
to the point and highly efficient. As more and more people
become self-employed, there is a strong market for a
product like Gorilla.”
Dan Fallows
[email protected]
0330 024 0406
Dan Fallows is the founder of both Gorilla Accounting and
Seneca Banking. He qualified as a corporate lawyer.
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