This week on Behind the Scenes we're talking to Anita, Management Accountant in the finance team.
Anita moved to the UK from Australia two years ago, and Florence is the third start up she’s worked for. She’s always had interest in healthcare, having started a degree in physiotherapy before she moved into finance.
What do you do at Florence?
I work on the day-to-day financial activities. So that’s looking at anything to do with money in Florence, such as making sure all the budgets are met, money is spent responsibly and reports are capturing how we’re driving the business - and how we can continually grow and expand in the future.
My role is very different to your typical accountant role. A normal accountant would be looking at purely numbers, how they represent the company and how investors or clients see the numbers.
At Florence, I get to do more exciting things.
In my particular role, I’m hands-on with building the financial end of the business and capturing financial information that illustrates how well the business is doing, and how we can improve to meet the demand of the market.
Being part of a breakthrough company in healthcare, we have to be ready to transform with it.
I’m excited to be continually growing with Florence, especially with our recent Series B Funding, as the business scales and expands there are many new challenges and opportunities to take on.
What made you want to join Florence?
I do have a lot of experience in startups, this is the third startup that I’ve worked for. Other than having experience knowing how to grow a business, and I also have an interest in healthcare.
Back when I was deciding what to do at university I actually wanted to go into the healthcare sector, and I decided I wanted to do physiotherapy.
After a year of that I quit, because people in my cohort were taller, bigger and stronger - and me being petite and female it was like “What can I do that I’m also good at?” That was crunching numbers! That’s why I switched into commerce.
With accountancy it’s very fluid, you can work in different industries and have similar work if you just keep the same principles.
With Florence, the values really stuck out to me. One is “Care about what you do,” and another is “Put yourself in their shoes,” and that really resonated with me and the person I am.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
"Just go for it.”
I think one of the things that I’ve learnt through life is you should always try, even if you fail. Embrace the failures as an opportunity to learn, almost anything can be fixed, so don’t be caught up being afraid.
I feel like a lot of people are cautious in taking leaps, so one thing I’ve always said is “Just go for it!”. It’s really helped me in terms of my career and in anything I’ve set my mind to. When you go for it, you will be surprised how capable you are.
What’s your favourite thing about working at Florence?
The people, especially my team.
I notice that there’s a certain kind of person at Florence that you don’t see that often at other companies.
I work among people who genuinely enjoy their work and care about each other. I’ve been in previous companies that are very corporate and everyone is trying to be better, be noticed and unwilling to help.
One thing that sets Florence apart from other companies is the people, who are truly willing to grow and guide you. It is a welcoming difference to have a good support network in Florence, especially in a startup that’s fast-paced and quite demanding, I almost feel like I can do anything.
What’s the biggest challenge Florence is facing at the moment?
Having a startup mindset and wanting to scale.
I can see the business growing for a number of years. As Florence continues to drive change in the healthcare industry and reach other countries, it’ll face many challenges to transform with the demands of the market and to go beyond the startup mindset.
Something that started five years ago in 2017 has massively grown since then. I believe Florence is ready for the next step and to continue to lead as an example in the healthcare industry.
What’s a fun fact about you that might surprise us?
I recently learnt how to do the worm, so bring me a dance floor and let’s go!
What piece of advice would you give to someone thinking about joining Florence?
Florence is fast paced, hyper growth and you’ll get things thrown at you which you may not have seen before. If you’re ready for a fun ride and a good working culture then I’d really recommend joining Florence.
We’re all here, we’ve stayed here and so we’re definitely enjoying it!
Where do you see Florence in five years?
Taking over the world!
If you’d like to help us take over the world, you can! We’re hiring, check out our available roles here.
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