The FreshBooks Story
Once Upon an Invoice…
Flashback to January 2003, Mike was running a four-person design agency and when it came to billing clients, Word and Excel were frustrating to use. They simply weren’t built to create professional-looking invoices. Then one day something happened that makes every small business owner cringe: He accidentally saved over an old invoice, losing hours of work in the process. Knowing there had to be a better way, Mike decided to create it himself. Over the next two weeks, he coded up a solution that became the foundation of what is now FreshBooks.
From Toronto Startup to Grown-Up
From humble beginnings, FreshBooks moved out of the basement (then moved 3 more times) and now consists of 500+ employees in offices around the world. More than 30 million people in 160+ countries have used FreshBooks to make things like invoicing, expenses, payments and financial reporting easier. Whether you’re just starting out or have been running an agency or firm for years, FreshBooks is designed exclusively for business owners, their teams and their clients.
FreshBooks Is Built for Business Owners
If you create value for your customers by applying your time and expertise to their problems, FreshBooks is built for you. FreshBooks helps you run your business more efficiently and saves you time every day (FreshBooks can save you 550+ hours a year). With 11 Stevie Award-winning customer support you’ll never be alone with your books.
2003-2007
The Basement
The first “office” was Mike’s parents’ basement and we made sure to fluff the pillows whenever we had meetings in the living room.
2007-2009
Bellini Office
The 4Es (Execute Extraordinary Experiences Every Day) mantra was born in our only meeting room at the time, “The Room of Secrets”.
2009-2012
Fashion District North
FreshBooks made the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine, ordered 2 pallets worth and shipped them out to customers in celebration.
2012-2014
Golden Office
We launched our first mobile app. We also made the list for the Top Employers in Canada 2013.
2014
Office Move to the Junction
Our move to the Junction spurred the opening of 4 coffee shops and 3 sandwich shops. We really (really) like food.
2016
New FreshBooks App Design
For the first time in FreshBooks history, we redesigned and launched a new version of the app.
2017
I Make A Living
With a kick-off event in LA to help business owners connect, network and build community, I Make a Living now has a global digital footprint.
2019
Global Office Expansion
We opened our first international offices. Amsterdam, Raleigh (US), and Croatia are now home to happy FreshBookers.
2020 – September
FreshBooks Acquires Facturama
Facturama helps businesses with digital invoice management, reporting and other services. Welcome to the family!
2020 – October
New Brand, New Logo!
After 15 years, we felt our hard-working green leaf, funky lettering, and playful tone needed a little freshening up.
A Few More Historical Tidbits About FreshBooks
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