Franchise Accountants
sharing that WINNING FEELING

Everyone loves a winner – just ask the clients of Franchise Accountants. In the 2011/2012 Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards, the specialist accounting company’s clients accounted for seven finalists, three winners and two highly commended placings then, to cap off a successful night, Franchise Accountants itself won the coveted Franchise Service Provider of the Year award.

‘They say success breeds success and that is clearly ringing true for our clients,’ says Philip Morrison, Franchise Accountants’ founder and principal. ‘Franchising is about using proven systems, adhering to best practice, developing profitable partnerships and having fun on the way. By taking the time to learn and understand how franchises work then build successful partnerships with franchisor and franchisee clients, Franchise Accountants has developed a specialised service with an award-winning culture.’

As the awards judges said, ‘Franchise Accountants is the only chartered accountancy practice in New Zealand that exclusively focuses on franchising and clearly showed strong results and solid trends. They have very good systems around customer engagement and support, evident in the volume of customer referrals.’

Customer Service Second-To-None

Franchise Export Award winners GroutPro are one of Franchise Accountants’ clients. Three years ago, Rob Howard and co-founder Joe Hesmondhalgh were just two Kiwis with a great idea they were developing in a Palmerston North garage. Now, their grout and tile restoration company is one of the fastest growing franchises in Australasia, with 37 franchisees in New Zealand and 20 in Australia. ‘It’s been a bit of a whirlwind tour for us in the last two years,’ says Rob, ‘and the recognition we’ve got has been fantastic.’ While other exporters struggle in a volatile export market, GroutPro is being flooded with overseas inquiries and already has a pilot programme underway in the UK.

The franchise awards judges commented that ‘GroutPro has become a very sound organisation with very good systems and represents an innovative NZ company which is clearly going places.’ GroutPro themselves are quick to point out that Franchise Accountants were instrumental in getting them to this stage.

 ‘Compared to previous experiences, where you’re allocated an accountant and the hierarchy or the structure of their business makes you feel like you’re tucked away in another corner, Franchise Accountants’ customer service is second-to-none,’ says Rob.

‘For example, we didn’t know all the rules and different legalities involved in exporting to Australia, so Franchise Accountants have been really helpful in advising on the most cost-effective and tax-efficient way to do business there. We don’t actually have a head office in Australia, so that made it a logistical nightmare tax-wise. Franchise Accountants researched it all for us and drew on their experience to show us the way forward. We have 100% confidence in them and have done from day one.’

Serving Franchisors And Franchisees

After-school care specialist SKIDS (Safe Kids in Daily Supervision) dominated the Lifestyle Services category for the second year running. ‘It’s really exciting to get some industry recognition,’ says SKIDS Chief Executive Dawn Engelbrecht. ‘It has been a lot of hard work – success doesn’t come overnight.’ That hard work has resulted in 75 franchised operations nationwide, with the judges describing SKIDS as ‘an impressive, well-run business with a focused system to provide support for their franchisees.’

Dawn attributes a lot of those systems to the specialist mentoring from Franchise Accountants and Philip Morrison. ‘We looked at several aspects of the business and said, “Right, are we really doing this the best way and how can we improve it?” We became more focussed on what we do and improving our systems.

‘Philip’s been our accountant almost from day one – he goes the extra mile. I guess he’s not your typical accountant who just looks at the numbers and says, “You’ve got to pay this much tax and off you go.” He really takes a genuine interest in what’s happening in your business.’

And the same service is extended to SKIDS’ award-winning franchisees, with Eugene and Clare Williams taking out the Franchisee of the Year title in the same category. Once again, Franchise Accountants’ assistance was key to success, with judges commenting on the Willams’ ‘robust processes across the board with strong results and a successful, innovative approach.’

Meanwhile, husband and wife team Colin & Serena Davids moved their business to Franchise Accountants to get the advice and support their thriving V.I.P. home cleaning business needs. The couple are consistently top performers in the Home Services category and were finalists again this year.

Putting Something Back

Franchise Accountants were also proud to be sponsors of the Business Services category, which this year was won by Paramount Services (Franchise System of the Year) and Spring Jiang of Paramount Remuera (Franchisee of the Year).

‘I love the franchise industry, and it’s good to be able to put something back in to encourage and support all the people who make it so successful,’ says Philip Morrison. ‘Franchising is so collegial, so immediate – everybody knows everybody else and everyone shares experiences and advice. It truly is a great way to do business, and we are happy and proud to be a part of it. Our thanks go to everyone who has contributed to our success: our clients, our professional colleagues, franchisors and franchisees. If you’d like assistance with your own business, please don’t hesitate to contact the Franchise Accountants team. We’re the specialists.’ 

This advertorial is taken from Franchise New Zealand magazine Volume 20 Issue 4 

Contact details for Franchise Accountants

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