When Becky Swain joined Clone in October 2021, she joined the colourful world of creative marketing! With solid attention to detail, she’s transformed from finance newcomer to someone the team couldn’t imagine being without. Now managing financial processes across Clone and Swagpack, Becky brings the perfect blend of precision and personality to the numbers game.
What does an average day look like for you?
I’m an early bird – you’ll find me at my desk around 8:00 am, starting the day with a cup of tea before tackling the overnight emails. Then my first priority is updating our cash flow records so we clearly understand where we stand financially.
No two days look the same here, which keeps things interesting. I spend my time processing sales and purchase invoices, cross-referencing details, and preparing reports for other teams. Fridays are dedicated to our payment runs, with the days before focused on making sure everything’s perfectly lined up and ready to go.
A big part of my role involves managing our delivery system. We were guinea pigs when we first started using it, so I got to help build and shape how it works. Now, I manage thousands of deliveries, matching supplier invoices with outgoing shipments and preparing reports for client services. I wrote the guide and created many of the current procedures, which feels really rewarding.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I absolutely love learning new things every day. When I started, I didn’t know a credit from a debit, but Julia has been amazing – she’s taught me everything I know with endless patience.
I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist – triple-checking everything and keeping things organised. In this job, that’s actually a good thing!
I’m particularly proud of the cash flow spreadsheet I built from scratch. It nearly broke my brain at times, but watching it come together was incredible. It’s packed with formulas that let me forecast and plan payment runs exactly how I want them. Simon and Joel had faith in me to create something useful, and now we use it every day.
Can you share a challenging project you’ve tackled recently?
Being thrown in at the deep end with our shipment software was quite the adventure! We were the test pilots for this new system, figuring out what worked and what didn’t while still managing all our actual deliveries.
I love problem-solving, so creating processes from scratch while everything was constantly changing was exciting. There were definitely moments when I wondered if we’d ever get it right, but seeing it all come together and knowing I helped build something that works for everyone is really satisfying.
What gives you insight into the creative side of Clone?
We have the best seats in the house in accounts. Everything that happens at Clone and Swag comes across our desks at some point. It’s like having a backstage pass to the whole creative process.
We see projects from the very beginning – just numbers on a purchase order – and then watch them transform into these amazing finished products. It’s magical.
Sophie’s Robinsons project was fantastic, and I love it when people bring over samples of what they’re working on. The exhibition stands are incredible too – seeing photos of these enormous, impressive structures and thinking, ‘We helped make that happen’ is brilliant.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I’m pretty busy studying for my AAT qualification and everything else! I started my accounting qualification in November and juggle evening study sessions with my full-time role. I have already passed the first unit of my level 2 exam.
I love crocheting; my younger sister adores Disney characters, so I make her little stuffed animals – Winnie the Pooh was my last project.
Some of my creations have found homes on colleagues’ desks too. I made little pumpkins that some of the girls here have adopted. It’s lovely seeing them around the office.
I try to hit the gym for classes three times a week. Weekends are family time – visiting my parents in Newbury or relaxing with my partner.
Fun fact about you?
My first time on a plane, I jumped out of it! I did a charity skydive in August 2022, proving there’s more to this accountant than spreadsheets and formulas. It was absolutely terrifying and completely amazing all at once. Just don’t tell my mum I’m planning to do it again!
