I first interacted with Ben when I was in a partnership that was far from optimal. Ben was a sounding board for my exit and how to manage that effectively. Following that exit I went out on my own and now run a national medical distribution business. The support that I received from Roberts & Cowling was fantastic to the point where they are a considerable part to my business. Ben is the CFO and Roberts & Cowling are responsible for all sales, purchases and stock control. This role is vital and without the confidence in them I could not continue to aggressively grow my business.
I was meeting with Ben a few years ago as part of our annual review and asked him what
he thought was holding me back. He drew a structure diagram of different roles in a typical business and it was quickly apparent that the issue was that I was doing too many roles and was involved in far more detail than was required in a lot of areas in my business. It was then that I made Ben and R&C responsible for their roles and I was to have little involvement. As a result of not being involved in so much and the improvements that R&C has assisted me make, my net profit has increased 114%.
Roberts & Cowling is a key partner in my business, but they do far more than just the tax returns and bookkeeping. The business now utilises the following services:
– Monthly board meetings
– Cash flow projections
– Budgets
– Quarterly strategy days
Ben is a key part to my business in that he can help me analyse things to maximise my returns, he is such a valuable resource to my business that any supplier meeting in Australia or overseas he is requested to attend.
As part of my previous business we had the typical accountant that was seen once a year. I remember complaining about the $2,500 annual fee. In the last three years, I have spent in excess of $300,000 with R&C but this would have to be one of the best investments I have made.
David Fenech
Director - Medical Supplies
