Client Profiles
Our clients come from many industries and every single one requires a unique approach.
Red Dirt Personnel Group
We’re proud of the longevity of our business relationship with Red Dirt Personnel Group (Red Dirt), and Greg and Lesley Hobbs.
GeersSullivan has worked alongside Red Dirt from when it first launched and it’s been very rewarding to see the business flourish over the years.
Background
Red Dirt is a recruitment company that specialises in supplying temporary and permanent labour to the resources sector. Amongst Red Dirt’s clients are Barto Gold Mining Pty Ltd, St Barbara Limited, Millennium Mineraly Pty Ltd, Regis Resources Limited, Wiluna Operations Pty Ltd and Steinert Australia Pty Ltd.
A family-owned business, Red Dirt was founded by Greg and Lesley Hobbs in 2002 and they’ve been personal and professional clients of ours since GeersSullivan was established in 2003.
Our Approach
GeerSullivan is always available to act as an honest sounding board for Greg and Lesley, offering proactive advice and working with them to maximise the financial and tax outcomes of any decisions they make for themselves and the business.
Our role has evolved from when we were first engaged to produce Red Dirt’s quarterly accounts and provide financial and tax advice as they needed.
In 2004, Greg started looking into purchasing the office that Red Dirt operated from. Through a considered process, Managing Director Andrew Sullivan determined that the most financially beneficial method was to establish a self-managed super fund and purchase the property via contributions to the fund.
To this day, Andrew remembers the exact sizeable sum that this approach saved Greg and Lesley in taxes both immediately and annually. It also marked the point at which GeersSullivan began advising on Red Dirt’s broader structure, including the financial systems and self-managed super fund.
Nowadays, Greg and Lesley’s son, Justin, and daughter, Nicole, take care of Red Dirt’s day-to-day operations while Greg oversees the finances.
Our personal work with Greg and Lesley has also transitioned towards retirement planning, superannuation and investment advice.
Outcomes
GeersSullivan has worked with Greg and Lesley throughout the lifecycle of their business and careers – from initially setting up Red Dirt to creating financial stability and, more recently, transitioning into planning, preparing and funding their eventual retirement.
The longevity in our business relationship, as well as our expert teams for business-related finance, taxation, superannuation and systems advice, has meant that GeersSullivan has:
- Advised Greg and Lesley on the best structure for establishing the business
- Ensured a significantly favourable tax outcome at the time the office was purchased by advising Red Dirt to form a self-managed super fund
- Continued to maximise the tax benefits of managing investments through the self-managed super fund (especially when considering the accumulative impact over more than 15 years)
- Transitioned Red Dirt to Xero, which enables a much more efficient and comprehensive snapshot of the business’ financial position
- Helped contribute to the success and increased financial stability of the business from when it started to now
“GeersSullivan are approachable forward-thinkers who have given us excellent advice during Red Dirt Personnel Group’s different business phases. They always put things in layperson’s terms, so we know we’re making informed decisions about what’s best for us and the business.
“We’ve built up a lot of trust with GeersSullivan over the years, and Andrew is even the executor of our estate. GeersSullivan is the all-round package for personal and business advice – and I sleep a lot better knowing things are taken care of!” – Greg Hobbs, Director
Perth Gourmet Trader
GeersSullivan has helped Jonathan and Kirstie Kemble to grow their wholesale business and pursue exciting new opportunities.
Recently opening two retail outlets at the newly developed Yagan Square, Perth Gourmet Trader has joined the vibrancy of Perth’s food and wine landscape. GeersSullivan is proud to have contributed to this success.
Background
In 2010, Jonathan and Kirstie Kemble established Perth Gourmet Trader, a wholesale fine food and wine company. Though originally the business was the Western Australian franchise of a national company, in April 2017 the husband and wife duo branched out on their own.
Known as the ‘curators of flavour’, Perth Gourmet Trader carefully selects each premium product to ensure an exceptional culinary experience for their clients, who range from Optus Stadium to Petition and Deli Divine.
Since then Jonathan and Kirstie have expanded Perth Gourmet Trader into two retail ventures at Yagan Square’s Market Hall that showcase their high quality products – Perth Gourmet Trader Deli and Wheat St, a European inspired restaurant that serves pasta, bruschetta and salads.
Our Approach
Coming from a chef and banking background respectively, Jonathan and Kirstie were new to business when they started Perth Gourmet Trader. Therefore, at first our Associate Director, Ashley Dawson, assisted them with their cash flow, pricing, lodgements and so on with the ultimate goal of profitability. Later, Ashley and the GeersSullivan team provided strategic analysis and advice regarding taxation and financial planning.
When the opportunity arose to open two retail outlets, Ashley assisted Jonathan and Kirstie with their application to the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA). The tendering process was very comprehensive and included anticipating the foot traffic from various points in Perth and Northbridge and the amount of coffees, alcoholic beverages and food that would be purchased.
Once Jonathan and Kirstie were successful in their application, Ashley and the GeersSullivan team began the process of helping to secure financing. After the building and fitout at Yagan Square was finished, Perth Gourmet Trader Deli and Wheat St opened on 28 February 2018.
We have also assisted Jonathan and Kirstie with how to structure the businesses to operate side-by-side in the most tax-effective manner possible, with Perth Gourmet Trader providing stock to Wheat St and the Perth Gourmet Trader Deli.
Outcome
Jonathan and Kirstie are both hands on and, as proactive business owners, like to understand GeersSullivan’s financial strategies. Over time, this has meant that they’re in a better position to plan, anticipate potential issues and address them.
Over the years Ashley and the GeersSullivan team has helped Jonathan and Kirstie to:
- Source financial software that is better suited to Perth Gourmet Trader’s needs and volume of business
- Manage cash flow and increase overall financial stability and profitability, which allows them to grow their business and pursue lucrative opportunities
- Engage a bookkeeper to monitor their weekly and monthly finances, which has freed Kirstie to focus on their core business activities
- Successfully complete the tender process for Yagan Square
- Establish two new retail outlets, including securing finance for the fitout
- Structure their businesses to maximise profitability
“GeersSullivan has become part of the Perth Gourmet Trader family. We couldn’t imagine running our businesses without them. They really ‘get’ what we do and who we are as people. The GeersSullivan team has empowered us to grow and expand, and are so supportive of what we want to achieve. In fact, they regularly check in with us to see how we’re going. We wouldn’t trust anyone else with our finances.” – Jonathan and Kirstie Kemble, owners of Perth Gourmet Trader, Kemble Foods and Wheat St.