CollectiveReviews of collective.com

Where do I even begin?! When I was let go in October 2023, I had one of those “well… now what?” moments. My gut (and probably a few too many YouTube videos) told me it was time to go full-time with freelancing. But then came the big question: How do I do this the right way? Enter the wild world of business structures. Sole prop? Too simple. LLC? Eh, maybe. S-Corp? Now we’re talking. I quickly realized an S-Corp was the best way to maximize my earnings and tax savings, so I dove in headfirst. I even hired a company to help me set it up—another swing and a miss! They got the paperwork done, but when it came to actually running my business? I was on my own. And then… the bookkeeping nightmare began. I tried Quicken, Xero, FreshBooks—heck, I think I even tried reading an IRS manual at one point (big mistake). Every tool had its perks, but at the end of the day, I had no idea what I was doing. Worse, I was spending more time wrestling with spreadsheets than actually working on what I love. That’s when Collective swooped in like a bookkeeping superhero. They didn’t just fix my mess—they held my hand through every step of running my S-Corp, handling payroll, taxes, and all the confusing financial stuff I had zero desire to figure out. And whenever I have a question (which happens a lot), their team is right there with clear answers, not accountant-speak. The best part? They keep making my life easier. New tools, better systems—it’s like they actually care about making this whole freelancing thing less stressful. If you’re thinking about an S-Corp but don’t want to spend your days drowning in tax forms and software you don’t understand, just sign up for Collective. Your future self will thank you.

Great first experience! Looking forward to working with Collective!

Even though right now wasn’t the right timing, Megan Avila went above and beyond to provide me with help and valuable resources. She took the time to understand my situation and offered guidance that was genuinely helpful. Her kindness, professionalism, and willingness to assist, even without an immediate commitment, truly stood out.

Their systems do not interface with a LOT of other systems, like STRIPE. Additionally, their "rules" for charting things regularly miss-fire so expenses get categorized wrong. Then there is no export from their system, so I can't even download to compare using spreadsheet functions. Their staff puts you through a round of a chasing your tail because you can only talk to random admin people, not actual accountants. And I've got massive discrepancies all over the place and it's a nightmare. Do NOT work with these folks unless you want to check absolutely every thing they do.

Not a great fit for my current situation but the initial call was very informative and Susana was very kind. Even made a few recommendations for who may work better for me.

I regret not listening to the bad reviews and just seeing the dollar signs. My first interactions with Collective went pretty well, so I thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I never enjoyed book-keeping or taxes, but I had no problem doing them myself and have managed for the last 4 years. Working with Collective has greatly increased my stress around taxes and accounting for my business and I spent $3000 more on accounting services last year than I ever have. Wow!!! It took nearly a year to get onboarded, as my account was passed around from person to person. Be aware, that after the initial on-boarding you will have NO ACCESS to the people in accounting. After hours of fixing the incorrect categorizations in my bookkeeping, I reached out for help with the rest - only to find that I only have access to one rep. She was very kind and apologetic, but not at all helpful. I was satisfied when she promised me a credit on my account for a free month and that I would be contacted by someone to help with the book keeping discrepancies - neither of which happened and I was charged another month. I'm now fearful that they won't file my taxes in a timely manner all while collecting $350 from me, and perhaps might keep charging me like all the other reviews (and comments on their Instagram ads) keep saying :(

Jordan Scott provided a very thorough overview of services and guided me at every step of my on-boarding process. After struggling to find a full service company to launch and manage my business, Collective saved the day!

Incredible service! Enrolling with The Collective was a seamless experience. Their communication was excellent, and Jordan made me feel like part of the family right away. The service provides real peace of mind, allowing me to focus on growing my business without the stress of backend operations. Highly recommend!