Edward became an official Partner with Tidy in 2017. This was an integral part of his consultancy business, 5e Management Services, where he offers consultancy services covering, effective strategy, innovation, productivity and sales, marketing and analysis advisory, and board advisory. Edward started his career as an engineering designer and installed automation systems for large industries, such as mining, petrochemical, power generation, manufacturing, and food.
He then moved to into CEO roles with automation, manufacturing and switchgear companies and also chaired an ASX listed healthcare company. Edward specialised in lean process development, helping companies become more competitive.
When asked what changes he has seen in businesses in the past ten years, from a consulting point of view, Edward said,
“Since I started my business, there has been a distinct shift to, and acceptance of, cloud computing as its capabilities, reliability and performance has improved. This, in turn, has made in-house server-based systems redundant.”
The success of Xero in penetrating the SME market has also grown the demand for Xero marketplace partners such as Tidy. The price point for a Tidy - Xero combination is approximately one-fifth of a mid-tier system with an arguably, comparative performance.
In the project management, manufacturing and logistics market segment, a company is not restricted to an integrated package (perhaps with various add-on modules) of accounting, sales, logistics and manufacturing/job costing. Now, it can use a hub and spoke model, using Xero as the accounting hub, with third-party applications such as Tidy to suit its operational needs.
Edward also explains,
“Software subscription is now the dominant commercial model. Cloud-based systems roll out updates to the entire user base. The previous model of a software licence fee with annual support charges and charges for version upgrades, is rapidly becoming obsolete.”
Edward became a Partner of Tidy after being tasked with the practical financial training for a heavy metal fabricator that produced a highly engineered bespoke product to end-client specifications. When looking for a suitable platform to help their business grow, Edward noticed they were using Xero, installed by an accounting firm. They were using a Xero marketplace app to handle their job costing and project management, but it soon became evident this app, while suitable for service work, was not able to cope with the detail and complexity required by the company. Edward researched what was available and that's when he came upon TidyWork.
Seeing Tidy, offered a powerful package for this client and, in turn, his general client base. He called Kevin, (Tidy's Founder and CEO), to introduce himself and the mutual opportunities that would likely transpire once a partnership was cemented and the rest is history. He particularly liked that Tidy is a company that he can talk to, and know who he is dealing with, rather than a script-driven help desk.
There has been a learning curve along the way, but Edward found Tidy has always fixed bugs and been responsive to client needs and this is a major benefit.
Edward says he has a ‘whole of business' approach, not an ‘accounting only' approach. He wants to be able to show clients how to streamline their business to improve quality, delivery, and costs. Fundamental to this, is the ability to see relevant performance indicators in real-time.
Usually, this involves changing from an accounting-centric perspective with a complex chart of accounts (COA), to a streamlined COA, using a combination of Tidy and Xero reporting.
He expressed that a good onboarding process is critical, including:
Businesses that are adding to an existing Xero platform or converting to Xero at the same time, struggle to do this on their own, as typical SMEs don't have the extra resources, skill sets and time necessary to implement new systems as well as they'd like.
TidyWork offers proper ‘Work in Progress' (WIP) reporting. Easy and timely WIP reporting replaces a time-consuming struggle with spreadsheets, because good WIP accounting, materially helps with bank reporting and relationships. There is a much faster onboarding system to help the business ‘hit the ground running'.
For those considering becoming a Tidy Partner, Edward said they will get much better support and system insights for their clients.
Feel free to contact Edward here through his LinkedIn Profile or you can call him on one of these numbers M +61 407 074 028 or P +61 2 9825 2731, if you would like to discuss any of these topics in more detail.
If you are interested in becoming a Tidy Partner and building your Consulting/Advisory business, Tidy is always keen to talk. Take a look at our website information on becoming a Tidy partner or contact our team partner@tidyint.com
