My Accounts Version of Doing a Factory Reset

With a young family, I didn’t want to be that Dad who left home at 6:00am and returned home at 6:00pm from work. I am a very active parent and not only want but need to be there for my kids. I wanted to be there for my kid’s first words, first painting, the first race at school. I need to be a dad first and an employee second.

Finding a boss to give me the work-life balance I wanted was the next problem. How many business owners in IT were going to give me a job where I worked 9:00am to 2:30pm most days. I can tell you, next to none.

So, I started my own business, and this is where Justin at Clear Vision Accountancy Group (CVA) came in. 

I needed my taxes done and business advice, but what I really needed was someone to guide and help me. 

The first question Justin asked me after my taxes were paid was. “What do you want Chippy?” 

I had just worked my butt off and it felt like I had just handed it all over to the taxman! Don’t get me wrong I was still grateful that I had been able to run with my son and daughter at the school cross country and have my younger daughter bang my finger at kindy with the Father’s Day toolbox she was making for me, it’s just that the amount of tax I had paid felt unfair. 

So, my answer to Justin was, “I want to be there for my kids.”. I was not a person that set personal or business goals, but Justin had me doing it without me even realising. He commenced my tax planning and had a crystal-clear vision for my business.  Justin didn’t muck around he gave me targets to hit and he told me he would always be honest with me even if it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. 

The following meeting with Justin was about what I wanted again, and we celebrated the $100 profit I had made. Yes, I have a profit! I would have been happy with a $1 profit. My bills were paid, my family had food on the table, and I had a new phone, but I was struggling to find time for myself. 

Justin asked again “What do you want?”

“I want a day off”; I want a day a week for me’. I was doing 8 days a week, and everyone was happy, but I was feeling the effects of working so hard.  “What else?” He asked. I didn’t understand at the time, but Justin wanted more goals from me, he wanted me to have more reasons for being in business. We started to talk about the CFO Now programs he offered. 

I asked myself with $100 profit can I afford this? The question I needed to ask myself was can I afford to not have this. I needed to invest in someone who was going to help me make my business a success. 

“Get back to running your business, NOT your IT” is what I tell our clients. I needed to take my own advice. I needed the CFO Now program so I could get back to doing what I was good at. 

I needed someone available to answer my business questions when I needed them answered not just when I had a meeting booked. I wanted someone with the ability to see what I couldn't see and who had their finger on the financial pulse of my business. Someone who could make business decisions without being affected by emotion.

I hired more staff which allowed me to have my day off a week, but I stalled on the CFO Now program.

I had another scheduled meeting with Justin. At this time, I had a client bleeding me dry, I had doubled my team and I had another team member on the way. Justin asked me again, “What do you want?” 

I knew what I wanted, “I want a Mini, servers in a Data Centra, a holiday, and not to be scared to fail.” 

Justin spent 3 hours with me that day, and I didn’t get a bill. I got a beer and a steak and I made the most exciting business decision I have ever made. 

I signed my business and myself up for CFO Now. 

 
It was like moving from JetStar Coach to Qantas Business class; everyone worked for me, including the plane's captain. Don’t get me wrong; CVA had always treated my business and myself with total respect. I never felt like I was missing anything, I just didn’t know what I was missing.

My business changed for the better when it was upgraded to CFO Now.

Out came a blank One Page Business Plan and Justin explained in detail where I was and more importantly where he wanted me to be. I think we spent 5 hours together that day, paying for that level of advice and 5 hours of his time was not in my budget but it was part of the CFO Now package I had invested in. It felt like CVA had moved from being a service I paid for to a member of my team and a big part of my business. 

Justin and the team filled in the gaps that I could not see as a business owner. Justin delivered the facts, where my business was and what would happen if I kept heading in the same direction. He told me the truth like he promised he would, but he always showed me the light at the end of the tunnel light up by my personal goals and business targets. We got rid of the client who was bleeding me dry and replaced them with ones who would give me the profit I needed and wanted. 

In the past, my children needed quantity time, and I was able to give them this. Now they are older; they need quality time, and they are getting this thanks to my decision to be part of the CFO Now service. 

We have our Mini, Data Centre and time for holidays. We are a trusted name in Medical and Business IT and the business can pick and choose its clients. Our business has its own goals along with our personal goals we want to achieve over the next 1–3 years, 5 years, and 10 years and beyond. 

Thank you, Justin, for seeing what I couldn’t and helping my business be what it is today and into the future. 

CVA driving your business toward your future 

CVA the best staff member you will ever have 

CVA taking the next step in your business with you 

CVA making your future a reality 

CFO NOW with CVA is where your business starts 

CVA + CFO Now is a solution for success 

CVA help you take the emotion out of your business decisions. 

CVA sees your future before you can. 



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