Accountancy expertise in the sectors of Technology, Media and Entertainment is severely lacking, particularly to SMEs and start-ups.  Very few advisors operate in the right market position and have appropriate skills to service the multitude of truly innovative companies based here in the Midlands.

A gap in the market?

Big 4 accountancy firms may have appropriate knowledge and expertise in these sectors, but their market focus is to service the needs of global players.  Conversely, smaller and independent accountancy firms may operate in the right market space to service SMEs and start-up companies, but lack the knowledge and expertise to advise these companies correctly.

The pace of change in these companies is often very quick, and as such, accountants and advisors with SME and start-up clients in these sectors need to be pro-active in maintaining client relationships, and be able to react quickly and incisively to time-pressured situations.

The solution

At Friend LLP, we fill that gap in the advisory market.  We provide Technology, Media and Entertainment companies with high quality, sector-specific advice; adopting a holistic partner-led approach without costing the earth.

What sets us apart from other accountancy firms is not just our determination to excel in these sectors and provide quality advice to these companies, but our actual experience in the day to day operation of these businesses through our associated company Friend Media Technology Systems Limited (Friend MTS).

Friend MTS provides a variety of software-based services to companies (global and national) that operate in the digital media, security, marketing and entertainment industries.  Our close affiliation with Friend MTS means that a high percentage of our employees have a cross-section of skills and understand how these companies and these sectors work.

Not only are we market-leaders in our advice and thinking, but we have developed a trusted network of non-financial advisors (lawyers, funders, engineers, industry consultants etc) enabling us to assist companies at every stage of their development.

Recent experience

Over the last 18 months, Friend LLP has undertaken a significant amount of work in these industry sectors, and has seen considerable demand from both new and existing clients for knowledgeable, well-thought out advice.

We commonly assist our clients with issues such as;

• Company and share valuations
• Financial due diligence (vendor and acquirer)
• Monthly reporting to funders
• Forecast models
• Management of cash flow constraints
• Correct treatment of taxation (R&D tax credits etc)
• Capitalisation of Intellectual Property
• Availability of UK and European Government grant funding

If you have any questions or would like to enquire about our services and expertise, please contact Georgina Clark on 0121 633 2034 or georgina.clark@friendllp.com