Holvi Blog for Makers and Doers

How Holvi helps sole traders succeed

Written by Ella-Roosa Koivupuro | 10/09/18 08:55

Entrepreneurs from around the world are using Holvi to help them in their daily business tasks and routines. Read on to discover the challenges Holvi has helped users solve, and find out what our customers have to say about Holvi.


Traditional banks are too old-fashioned – and expensive

Many small businesses look to traditional banks for banking services, but these institutions can be expensive and rarely include extra tools or features. Hjalte Karlsson, a street food business owner and founder of Gorilla BBQ, soon discovered that a traditional business account was too expensive for his small business.

“I opened an account and money was charged immediately. I asked: what does this fee get me? A bank statement. Is that free of charge? It costs extra.”

Hjalte started to look for alternatives and soon found Holvi, a banking service that helps entrepreneurs run their businesses and automate their daily routines. As many Holvi employees are freelancers and entrepreneurs themselves, they understand some of the most difficult parts of running and operating a business.

“This is something you don’t get from traditional banks. When I go to my summer cabin, my finances come with me. I can even send invoices when I’m relaxing at my cabin,” says Hjalte.

Stefan Walcz, founder of the digital company roqsta GmbH, is a modern entrepreneur who values banking services that can meet his unique needs.

“The simplicity and clarity of Holvi shows what modern banking can be. Uncomplicated and with everything a modern entrepreneur needs. Traditional banks can’t do this.”


Managing your money – at the office and on the go

Even if you’re not thinking about escaping to a summer cabin, you probably won’t work exclusively from your office. Holvi users can store receipts digitally, send invoices and keep an eye on their finances easily with the Holvi mobile app.

Hjalte often works remotely and wants to stay on top of his business in his free time.

“I like that in Holvi I always have full control over my finances. I always see on my phone, in real time, what’s happening with my business.”

Holvi Business Mastercard® is integrated with the app, which means that every time you use your card you get a notification on your phone. You can then save the receipt and attach it to the transaction right away. Bookkeeping has never been so easy!

Timo Liespuu, Uber driver, knows that running a business comes with expenses. Before using digital tools, keeping tracks of receipts and expenses was a monthly headache.

“Storing receipts and papers was annoying. Slips and notes filled my wallet and the receipt hunt at the end of the month was nerve-racking. Now I can send all bookkeeping material digitally to my bookkeeper and say goodbye to paperwork.”

Blogger and entrepreneur Hanna Gullichsen didn’t even know the total monthly cost of all the tools and services she used to manage her business. Signing up for Holvi didn’t just lower her overhead – it also saved her time and energy.

“Where I used to spend a couple of hours agonising with receipt management and writing down details of every expense, I now do it digitally the moment I make the transaction. When you use your Holvi card, you get a notification to your phone asking if you’d like to take a picture of the receipt. I write down in the app who I had lunch with and what the meeting was about. A summary of all expenses and my finances are on my phone.”


Creating and sending invoices is a pain

Many entrepreneurs and freelancers are wondering how to handle invoicing with minimal trouble. Getting the correct format right, including adhering to government regulations, can be daunting. Plus, asking for money from clients can feel uncomfortable. That’s why so many of us put it off until the last minute, and send invoices only when it’s too late.

Many business owners don’t keep track of payments at all. Kaisa Kärkkäinen, yoga teacher and founder of Heartful Yoga, was one them until she found Holvi. With Holvi, she can send invoices with just a couple of clicks and easily keep track of payments.

"Holvi has solved my problem of unbilled work. Before using Holvi, I couldn't keep track of incoming payments on my bank account and thousands of euros were left unbilled. With Holvi, I can quickly see who has paid and who hasn't, making it easy to categorise payments."


How to stay organised and keep your bookkeeper happy?

In a digital world, a shoebox filled with receipts is still a surprisingly common sight in an entrepreneur’s office. Holvi helps entrepreneurs stay organised in a more modern way.

With Holvi, entrepreneurs can save and store their receipts digitally. Make a payment with your Holvi Business Mastercard, take a picture of the receipt with your phone’s camera and save it in the app. Payment details are saved, categorised and ready for bookkeeping. Holvi then automatically creates bookkeeping reports based on your account transactions to make accounting easier.

Tom Vaillant, a filmmaker and adventurer, sees Holvi as “a huge timesaver”.

“I think having a platform like Holvi can solve a lot of problems for an entrepreneur. It allows you to keep track of your company’s expenses, be organised on the financial side of things, stay in control and be able to access all this information very easily.”

When everything is stored and in order in Holvi, you can either give your bookkeeper access to your account or export bookkeeping reports directly to your Dropbox. For example, Kaisa wants to focus on yoga and her customers, so she’s chosen the easy option and shares her account with her bookkeeper.

"My bookkeeper uses Holvi and pays my VAT directly from my Holvi account. It's easy and I see directly in my account when payments have been made."


Holvi is more than your average business current account

Holvi offers you more than any traditional bank: get a powerful business current account plus a complete set of tools to manage your business – from the Holvi Business Mastercard to digital invoicing. Plus, Holvi’s flexible pricing allows you to pick the tools and the subscription plan that best fits your business’s needs.

Choose the right tools to help your business grow and become more efficient. Time is a valuable asset for entrepreneurs – don’t waste yours on routine tasks that can easily be automated! Learn more about Holvi and focus on what matters.