An international business with foundations at home

Sharing Experience: Holly Tonge, Brightfinch

Full of wanderlust from a young age, travel was always my passion, so while I didn’t leave school with a particular career mapped out, it was perhaps inevitable that it would be something international.

What was less obvious was my eventual journey as an entrepreneur.

The future is Brightfinch

My main speciality is customs authorisations and procedures, or, to put it simply, getting goods across borders – which can actually be far from simple. The whole industry is unregulated, and while anyone can start moving goods in and out of the country, there are many potential pitfalls around HMRC and declarations. For example, the uninformed might think that the cheapest clearance fee is best, only to find a large tax bill comes back to bite them!

That’s where Brightfinch comes in.

Seeing the need for professional support, I founded the business in 2018. Starting in Sheffield, it began as a consultancy and has since grown to work with companies including wholesalers, manufacturers, freight forwarders and custom agents, helping clients to not only navigate red tape and achieve compliance, but also, wherever possible, release cashflow and reduce import taxes. Later, in partnership with another consultant and born from the changes during Brexit, we also started Avocet Clearance which specialises in transmitting customs declarations.

Today, with offices in Manchester, Belfast, Dublin and more recently Felixstowe, we offer clients a fully rounded, import/export service.

Service is key

A lot of companies we work with will have initially gone to a large accounting firm and been charged thousands for a piece of paper to tell them what they should do. We’re more fairly priced, yes, but it’s about more than that. We will work side by side with our clients on applications and draft procedures, and provide bespoke training. So, if they want to make the customs declarations themselves in the future, they will understand how to do it. And, once they are confident enough to move forward alone, we still have a help desk service available for any troubleshooting.

That kind of facilitation means that people trust us to work with them now and into the future. For us, a simple truth lies at the heart of our success: offer good value, great service and establish a trusted relationship with the client so they stay.

Most recently, I’m excited to have opened a Brightfinch office in Felixstowe, and I hope it will create opportunities for young people to progress within the industry. It’s tough out there, and though I had to carve my own path, hopefully I can pave the way for those that follow.

I want Brightfinch to be at the heart of our Suffolk community, because it is about more than just good business for me – it’s about coming home.