About the Company
Heard is the financial platform built for therapist entrepreneurs. Today, they offer bookkeeping, taxes, and payroll to independent therapists. The company’s mission is to empower therapists to get back to the work they love, which is helping their clients, not managing their money.
The Challenge
As a rapidly growing fintech, Heard experienced significant success in user acquisition through their tax filing and bookkeeping services. However, they recognized that a portion of their customers struggled to see the ongoing value of maintaining an annual subscription after tax season ended.
Heard was determined to tackle this challenge and set out to enhance their product offering. During their search, two key factors guided their decision-making process: first, they needed to help users recognize ongoing value to boost customer retention; second, they aimed to create stronger incentives for therapists to choose Heard over competing platforms in order to support their growth objectives.
The Opportunity
Like many vertical SaaS companies serving small business owners, Heard understood that their customers' business and personal finances are closely connected. They recognized that their customers needed support with optimizing business taxes and planning for retirement.
Heard saw an opportunity to help their customers overcome these challenges but knew it required expertise in both business and personal finance for small business owners. As they brainstormed solutions, it became clear that building this in-house would be a complex and time-consuming process. This led them to explore more efficient ways to bring the solution to life.
The Solution
By partnering with Uprise, Heard was able to embed a private-branded financial advisory service that offers personalized financial planning for their customers, supporting both their business and personal goals.
The Result
Test pilot with an NPS of 88
After identifying a need for financial planning support among their customers, Heard sought to understand how this would impact customer retention. Specifically, they wanted to gauge whether customers would see ongoing value in the offering.
Uprise offered a no-commitment pilot program, allowing Heard to test customer interest in the offering, as well as gathering real customer feedback. After engaging with 10 customers and conducting in-depth post-session surveys, the pilot earned an NPS of 88.
Heard not only confirmed the need and ongoing value perceived by their customers, they also gained insights into how Uprise would help improve the customer experience in other areas of their platform—exceeding their initial expectations when launching the pilot.
These insights paved the way for an official launch of the partnership between Heard and Uprise, embedding a private-branded financial advisory service for Heard’s therapists.
Private-branded advisory for business and personal finances
As discussed, Heard’s main goal is to position itself as a long-term financial partner for therapists. This means a consistent effort to level up the value customers receive, and to make sure customers understood that value. They quickly learned that Uprise was able to support them in multiple ways, far beyond enhancing their service offerings.
Deep product and customer insights
Through the deep relationships built between Uprise advisors and Heard customers, customers opened up about their experiences and feedback for the Heard platform. Overwhelmingly positive for the deep care Heard has for its customers, the customers also had lots of suggestions for additional products and improvements for the core Heard platform.
These insights contributed directly to Heard’s roadmap. This constant improvement and sense that customers are being listened to also solidifies Heard’s position as more than just a financial tool—they are a trusted, long-term partner for therapist entrepreneurs.
Increased customer confidence and product utilization
One key insight Uprise was able to help with immediately. Customers shared that, although they’ve followed the recommended practices for Heard’s existing tax and bookkeeping services, they often felt disconnected from the reasoning behind those decisions.
Uprise advisors were able to immediately bridge this gap, explaining the nuances of the products on Heard’s platform and the rationale behind tax and bookkeeping practices. Customers gained a clearer understanding of both the new financial advisory services and how Heard’s existing offerings—like tax and bookkeeping—supported their overall financial goals. This increased their confidence in the overall platform and deepened their engagement with the full suite of services.
Flexibility to grow with customers through their business journeys
Heard’s collaboration has expanded their services and solidified their position as a long-term financial partner for therapists. By integrating personalized financial advisory services, Heard provides tailored support that addresses both business and personal financial needs. This approach ensures therapists are supported at every stage of their financial journey.
Through this commitment, Heard is now seen as the go-to platform for therapists seeking more than basic financial management. They’ve become a key partner in helping therapists achieve both immediate and long-term goals.
"Uprise’s human-centered approach has helped us establish Heard as the long-term partner therapists need."
— Victoria Li, Co-Founder at Heard
Unique differentiation compared to other platforms
As a back office platform specifically tailored for therapists, it was important to Heard that they offered services consistent with the unique needs of their customers. Unlike traditional advisors, Uprise specializes in solopreneurs and small business owners.
In addition, as part of the integration process, Uprise took the time to deeply understand both the needs of Heard’s customers as well as Heard as a company. Today, Heard stands out not only by offering a custom bookkeeping and tax solution for therapists, but also by having advisors who are aligned and knowledgeable. This human-centered approach builds a level of trust that other platforms can’t match.
For therapists, financial advisory means working on business growth strategies, tax optimization, retirement planning, and overall financial health. The ability to offer tailored financial advice for small business owners, covering both business and personal finances, all under one platform, gives Heard a distinct advantage in the market.
This unique blend of expert guidance and holistic financial support is why customers choose Heard over other platforms. It’s not just about managing finances, but about shaping their financial future with confidence.
Future
Looking to the future, Heard’s vision is to "build a world in which every therapist uses Heard to start, manage, and grow their business." They are committed to supporting therapists at every step of their journey, ensuring they have the tools and advice they need to succeed. And as Heard continues to grow, Uprise will be working closely alongside them in achieving that vision.
"I couldn’t be more excited to offer financial planning and advising for our therapists, in partnership with Uprise. This marks a huge leap forward in expanding the financial services we offer, empowering therapists to achieve true financial freedom—both in their businesses and personal lives.”
— Andrew Riesen, CEO at Heard
