Client Profile – B&N Properties

By tasman. Posted in Accountants and Business Advisors, Business Growth, Clients, Xero.

This months client profile for Sidekick is on Brent & Nikki from B&N Properties who run a specialist property management company in Blenheim, Picton, Christchurch & Ashburton. It’s their goal to free up your time and distance yourself from any tenant problems. We’ll let Brent tell you more about B&N Properties, keep an eye out for a special deal for Sidekick clients.

Tell us a little about yourselves and what you do at B&N Properties.
We make rental property ownership stress free for the investors, we take care of every aspect of property management with emphasis on tenant selection and thorough property inspections

Where can people find you?
We operate from home to keep our costs down, we can be contacted on 0800 111 252 or brent@bnproperties.co.nz

How did you get into the Property Management industry?
Firstly by investing in properties ourselves, then we started managing other people’s properties, it grew from there

What is one piece of advice for business owners in your industry? Can you share any lessons learnt from business struggles or challenges that you’ve overcome?
Don’t be convinced to sell if things are not going as well as expected, tenant problems or maintenance issues can be resolved, you don’t want to be that investor that looks back 10 years later and says “I wish I didn’t sell that property” (when the value has doubled). Either educate yourself well to manage your own property or employ an independent property manager. Independent property managers have no ulterior motive, they don’t want to sell your property.

What accounting system (if any) were you using before moving to Xero? How did that compare to Xero?
MYOB. Xero is a superior product, easier to use, more functions.

Why did you choose our Sidekick service for your business?
Ric made me! Plus our old accountant wasn’t up to much.

We hope that with Sidekick on board taking care of your accounts, you have found more time to do the things you really enjoy. So what is it that you love to do with your spare time?
Boating and fishing.

Do you have any deals that you’d like to share?
Sign with us before the end of October and pay no advertising costs for the first 12 months.

There you have it! To find out more about B&N Properties go to bnproperties.co.nz

CrunchBoards – the Xero add-on we’re loving right now

By tasman. Posted in Business Growth, Clients, Cloud Software, Small Business, Solutions.

We sat down with Cameron Robertson, our Senior Manager at Sidekick Christchurch to learn more about a Xero add-on that his clients are loving at the moment called CrunchBoards.

CrunchBoards is an all-in-one forecasting and reporting engine with all the time-saving tools you need to grow your business. Features include business planning, budgeting, forecasting and real-time business intelligence.

So Cam, what are your favourite features of CrunchBoards?
“It’s a great forecasting/budgeting tool which incorporates directly into management reporting. The customisable management reports allow our clients to focus on particular areas of their business.”

What do your clients like best about using CrunchBoards?
“The way the information is displayed is the real upside of the software. CrunchBoards turns the numbers behind your business into easy to read graphs, that tell the true story.”

How much does it cost?
“It’s free in our Sidekick+ package, otherwise it’s only $25 per month plus a setup fee with our other Sidekick packages.”

Who is the perfect person to be utilising CrunchBoards?
“Anyone with particular points of focus. For example someone in hospitality may want to focus on % of food & beverages against sales, or wages against sales. This can all be displayed on one easy to ready graph.They also need to have good administration processes because CrunchBoards pulls data directly from Xero.”

How does it work in with Xero?
“It syncs daily with Xero. If your Xero is up to date, so is your CrunchBoards. It can be accessed using the browser on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or computer.”

Any final words?
“To me it’s a must-have tool for any business looking to grow and keep their business in check.”

The Surprising New Home of Tech

By . Posted in Business Growth, Startups.

The technology industry continues to strengthen as an increasing number of digital start-ups are created and grown. Despite many of these being based online, getting your physical founding location is still an important contribution to success. So, where is the best spot for a tech start-up? (more…)

How to Keep Investors on Your Side

By . Posted in Business Growth, Cloud Software, Contractors, Small Business, Solutions, Startups.

This is a featured Blog from our friends at SeederBoard.


Raising funds for any business is notoriously difficult. Any number of factors can slow things down or get in the way, preventing you from taking your business to the next level.

Once you have completed endless elevator pitches, a frantic search for due diligence paperwork, then working out a fair term sheet, you might finally close the fundraising round. (more…)

Good News for Small Business Owners

By . Posted in Business Growth, Small Business, Solutions, Startups.

Good News, Everyone!

According to this leading Business Index report, the small business output in Q1 of this year reached it’s highest point since 2008. They state “Small and medium-sized businesses in the UK enjoyed the strongest level of activity, year-on-year, for six years.” Essentially this means small businesses are performing better than they have in years.

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End of Financial Year – What you Need to Know as a Business Owner

By . Posted in Business Growth, Company News, Contractors, Small Business, Solutions, Startups, Tax Advice.

For most of us, the 31st of March will be the end of our 2014 financial year. We hope it’s been a successful, happy and profitable one for you and your business! Here are some tax tips and helpful information to ensure a smooth end of year process for you.

Need help getting your tax in order? Flick us a message, and we’ll be by your side in no time.

End of Tax Year Obligations – What do I need to do?

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Budget 2014 Key points for Small Business Owners

By . Posted in Business Growth, Small Business, Solutions, Startups, Tax Advice.

Last Wednesday, Mr Osborne unveiled the Budget for 2014. In case you missed it, here is a summary of the key information and important upcoming changes for small business owners.

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Don’t miss out! Get the Advice your Business Needs

By . Posted in Business Growth, Company News, Contractors.

Sometimes all it takes to give your business a boost is a pair of fresh eyes reviewing your business model. Throw in some key financial advice from a Chartered Accountant and the latest insight into cloud software, you might end up with a revolution on your hands!

Providing this kind of advice is just what we love to do. During the last week, we have been all over town helping out with several exciting startup programmes and accelerators. We’ve met some incredibly switched on business owners, and our team dished out some valuable accounting advice that will hopefully help them make a profit and attract investors.

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