Accounting For The Now

Raquel Dukić from Balance My Books:  "Let me ask you: why did you get into business? I can pretty much bet it wasn’t to spend time balancing your books, right? Why did I get into business? Because I saw friends getting frustrated with out-of-touch advice, unapproachable accountants and overwhelming administration you’re likely all too familiar with. There is awesome accounting software available out there that helps business owners better manage their accounts, but when it comes to actually making sense of them – that’s where you need someone approachable, proactive and forward thinking to help you. Someone like me! Why am I different to other accountants? Because I care – about your business success, and your sanity. I love to help people. Cheesy? Yes. But true? Also yes! I have a genuine drive to help other business owners succeed. Why? Because I know that like me, you want to have a business – and a life – on your terms. To give yourself the best chance of achieving that, you need a good financial foundation and some strategic advice that ensures your business reaches (and exceeds!) its potential. So, that’s where I come in. I’ve been crunching numbers for 15 years for businesses big and small. No business is the same, but over the years I’ve come to know what works and I have trusted systems in place to get you the best results. What these businesses do have in common though is that they’re all go-getters, entrepreneurial-minded and passionate about what they do. They’re determined to make their business work, but they’re also juggling work, home and family commitments while trying to keep customers happy. Sound like you, too? Then it’s likely I can help. Whether you’re new to business, or been around a while and it’s time for a fresh perspective, I’d love to chat. Get in touch to arrange a time for a FREE 30-minute consultation with me."

Kate Fraser Ltd is a boutique accountancy practice offering a full range of accounting services specialising in taxation advice, situated in Mt Albert, Auckland. Kate is a highly qualified accountant with over 15 years experience with a number of these as a tax consultant within a variety of accounting practices  through Northland and Auckland. In addition to her working career Kate has also been involved in her family's businesses allowing her an unique insight into the world of the small business owner. Kate holds the following qualifications: -Bachelor of Business Studies (Management)  - Massey University -Graduate Diploma in Business Studies (Accountancy) - Massey University -Master of Taxation Studies - University of Auckland - Member of Accountants and Tax Agents Institute of New Zealand When not busy working Kate enjoys spending time with her husband Matt and her three children.

Our Guest Angus Ogilvie: "I wasn’t going to be an accountant. I spent the first fifteen years of my career in the corporate world specialising in sales and marketing. I always knew that I didn’t want to be part of the corporate machine for the rest of my life but what to do? Leather doesn’t suit me, so buying a Hog was out of the question. So I retrained as an accountant. Which is not as much less “zoom-zoom” as you might think. I wanted to help small and medium businesses grow into bigger businesses like the ones I’d been running and accountancy allows me to do that. The corporate world gets blamed for a lot these days, but there’s no doubt that the systems and processes they use can have a really big impact on small businesses. After all, big businesses got that way because they were once really successful small companies. There was always one thing that bugged me about the traditional accounting firm model. Most accountants focus on compliance – that’s preparing annual accounts that tell you what happened last year and how much tax you owe. Yet most small and medium business owners I spoke to wanted to know what should happen this year. And next year. And the year after that. I figured that we should offer a partnership model. We would still prepare annual accounts and GST returns but we would also spend regular time with clients talking about building their business. That would mean regular meetings to discuss anything from tax planning to goal setting. We would help our clients select the best technology to really drive efficiency and become a trusted adviser in recommending the cloud based solutions to achieve that. To make sure that we were meeting the needs of a smaller firm we would offer monthly fees so there would be no nasty surprises. With all that in mind, I formed Generate Accounting Group. We’re a dedicated team of business specialists who have a vision of transforming businesses. So, if you are committed to growing your business and would like to work with an accountant who has got your back and understands more than numbers, I’d love to buy you a coffee and listen to your plans for the future so we can get your business running at full throttle. Zoom, zoom! We were thrilled to be recognised as the Small Practice of the Year at the 2019 Xero Awards. Oh, and the qualifications thing? I’m a Fellow of CPA Australia, one of the world’s largest professional bodies for accountants, a Chartered Management Accountant and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. I hold a Masters degree in Management, specialising in strategy and change, a BBS in Accountancy and a Graduate Diploma in Business (Administration). I also have a Masters in Politics, just to prove that I never thought I’d be an accountant!"

Nearly, half of all businesses fail in the first five years. Not the sort of odds you'd want to hear from your doctor. Yet many New Zealanders still blindly take their first step towards financial ruin without ever considering the possibility of a business plan. Murray Phillips, of www.insightca.nz and our first ever guest on the podcast, breaks down the fundamentals of what makes a good business great and the bottom line every owner needs to know before it's too late.

A holy trinity that incorporates letters from the Prime Minister, concerts for the elderly and a strong desire not to be in the circus. Geoffrey Hughes, the director of www.hughesjuddaccounting.co.nz, has lived a life of extraordinary variation but his fundamentals for running a successful business have always remained the same. Join us as we uncover the holy trinity of what makes a company great.

The Director of BetterCo, Peter Prema, shares his insights and learnings from building a book of 1500 clients. A natural salesman that’s leveraged the power of networking, authenticity, and outsourcing to bring his business to the forefront of what we know accounting today. A process of focusing on the person, not just the business, and a backend that has the efficiency to provide accounting for free. 

Peter Sumich the owner and founder of Best Tax, is a Chartered Accountant with a background in Information Systems, Technology Transfer and Financial Systems. In 2003, he was Young Chartered accountant of the Year for the Northern Region. Peter has a Masters in Commerce with Honours in Management Science and Information Systems and is doing his PhD in small business survival.  Peter has worked across a number of industries including multinationals, public and private companies, academia and charitable trusts. He has been a facilitator for New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accounts (NZICA) since 1998.

The Accounting For The Now podcast brings you real success stories and insights from NZ’s most successful accountants and industry leading bookkeepers, about how to take your accounting business to the next level. You’ll get a unique insights on what it's like behind the scenes building a successful accounting business, and how entrepreneurial accountants navigate the inevitable highs, and lows, of growing a firm. Whether you are just starting out, formulating a succession plan or hit a roadblock, we're here to give you the insights and inspiration you need to live the life you want both now and in the future. Subscribe to the show and check out my other podcast the ‘NZ Guide To Financial Freedom’ if you want ideas on how to fund the retirement of your choice.