SOLICITOR turned investor Dan Fallows says clients are going bananas for his latest venture, Gorilla Accounting.

The three-year-old company is now the number one nationally ranked accountancy business in the UK on Trustpilot.

The firm’s rise to success has been so meteoric that Trustpilot worried it was fake and checked it out by calling Gorilla clients to ensure they were genuine.

Farnworth-born Dan, aged 32, said: “We are very niche and are constantly being nominated for awards. We have 40 staff all based at our Lostock office. Our growth over the last few years has been incredible.”

The company, set up by Dan with fellow Bolton professional Tim Murphy, and based at Lynstock Way, Lostock, specialises in offering full accounting packages for freelancers and contractors with a flat rate of £89 plus VAT a month.

Dan, at former St James’ High School pupil who did A-levels at Turton College, then a law degree at Manchester University, said: “We were concerned that we would be seen as being too cheap. A traditional accounting form would offer an accounts package for £150 a month.”

However the firm has worked hard to counteract that image, promoting itself as a serious but modern alternative to a traditional accountancy firm.

"We put in hard work and give an incredible service," said Dan.

The majority of its clientele is high-end clients earning in excess of £100,000 a year. Dan says they are attracted by the company’s high-tech service which has been digitally marketed, especially on social media. He explained: “Everything is instant, in real-time. The package includes book-keeping, accounts returns, invoice management.”

With its five managers and two directors, Dan says Gorilla generates millions in fees annually. He moved into finance after training as a solicitor with Napthens in Preston.

After two years there, aged 25 he branched out on his own with the backing of clients whose confidence he had gained while working as a corporate finance solicitor. With four other partners he set up private equity investment company, Seneca, out of which the plan for Gorilla grew.