Accounting made easier: Claudia Cervi’s tech solution

Claudia mixed her many talents to create the first platform of chartered accountants that also provides accounting experts with the right tools improve their communications strategy.

Simplifying and communicating red tape and tax regulations in way that is easy to understand. Matching people who are looking for an accountant with experts who are advertising their services are the two goals Claudia Cervi had set herself when she co-founded her studiocommercialista.com startup.

“When I was at university, I realized that one of the things I was really good at was explaining complex ideas and topics in plain, simple words. I was so good at it that at a certain point my charts and notes were being passed around the faculty.” That was the first sign of her budding passion but she still wanted to learn and this took her to other projects. So, after an internship with an accounting firm and a stint in England, she decided to work as a controller at an investment bank. “I was working with derivatives: it was complex, but very interesting. Unfortunately, I came up against a male-dominated environment that was often sexist and not very meritocratic either”.

Little by little, she started questioning her approach to her work and her life as well. “I felt that something wasn’t right. I often thought I was the problem, and pulled myself back, even if I knew I had the abilities. My work had taken over, there was no real balance with my personal life. I decided to take some time to think about what I was going through”. But in the meantime, she continued to try her hand at doing something new and decided to take on a new adventure by launching an educational startup dealing in financial markets: “It was fun, the work environment was stimulating, young and enthusiastic. But I was still looking for something that was more in sync with my values and what I was really interested in.”

She found out about the Women Will’s program through She Tech. “Their workshop on leadership taught me how to develop my awareness and assertiveness”. What she needed was a mission:” I was able to visualize it better and see what type of business I should focus on, so that it would express my personality, and reflect my identity and my values: respect for other people, ethics, curiosity, sustainability and inclusion”. She then set some must-haves and “acquired the tools to put them into practice”.

With her new skills, she put hands to her project and decided to launch her startup: “studiocommercialista.com was a big challenge that helped me innovate some of the typical procedures in this business and open it up to digital efficiency”. Claudia focuses on the marketing and communications. “Working remotely, I help chartered accountants and advisors to communicate by optimizing how they use social media and digital tools”. The goal is “to grow their strengths and make their uniqueness stand out”. At the same time, she helps users to find the accountant they are looking for. “From home, I can manage my work schedule better and source a team of expert advisors who can provide a quicker response to every client need”.

“Not having run a business before, when I launched my startup I couldn’t know which difficulties I would have run into. But knowing what her goal was, Claudia continued on her way:” When you have something burning inside you, you can find a solution. You try and try, you analyze and stop for a moment: which is when you have that light-bulb moment”. And this is what she keeps on doing: “You could say this startup is like a child that needs my constant attention and care”. Because it’s all about finding the right balance and adjusting it as you go on: “Now I have the tools to do that and I’m not afraid to try something new, doing my very best”.