Beany Brings its Leading Accounting Service to Australia

New Zealand’s leading online-only accounting firm launches in Sydney and announces Australian GM; set for hiring spree to cater to local demand among SMEs​

Launch comes amid lockdowns and need for small businesses to access various pandemic-led government payments and schemes​

Sydney, Australia – New Zealand’s leading online-only accounting firm Beany has launched in Australia, bringing its easy access to market-leading accounting experts, its proactive approach to adding value businesses, and its stable fixed monthly fee to small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) across the country.​

The company also announced that Julian Hutabarat CPA has been appointed General Manager, Beany Australia, as the company looks to hire local staff immediately to cater to the demand for its services, particularly among professional services and tradespeople.​

Launched seven years ago in New Zealand, Beany is a unique online-only accounting firm which now counts nearly 2,000 enterprises in New Zealand as clients, positioning it among the top two per cent of accounting practices across the Tasman.​

Beany leverages a team of experts working remotely to deliver a proactive service to its clients. The firm developed a unique and world-leading software solution which, during the onboarding phase, collects all the necessary information required by accountants to undertake compliance, forecasts, budgets and more for SMEs. Once this online onboarding is completed, Beany appoints a personal accountant – who has all the necessary information required to begin work immediately – to the client within minutes, with clients also having access to support and advice from Beany’s wider team of experts for a fixed, monthly fee.​

Sue de Bievre, CEO and founder of Beany, said the seamless process and unique software enables efficiencies which allows Beany’s team of experts to spend more time proactively catering to client needs, and the software also identifies when and where a client needs assistance.​

its team of accountants to work proactively to advise clients of how to enhance their small business, such as advising on and assisting in the application for various schemes or benefits the business owner could avail of.​

“We’re seeing interest among professional services and tradies for our services, as we can come in and deliver value for them rather than just being a cost to help them with compliance,” she said.​

“Amid a protracted economic downturn, SMEs such as those in the trades, for instance, often don’t have the time in the day to invoice on time, let alone register for and access schemes as disaster payments, keep up with updated taxation rates and undertake financial health checks.​

“We provide that to all of our clients for a stable monthly fee, which is why we’ve seen such quick early traction in Australia.”​

Joseph Lyons, Xero Managing Director, Australia and Asia, said “Beany’s team of specialists provides a great foundation for any new business, but also is ideal for established businesses looking to use accounting to forecast and plan ahead.”​

The company has already signed a number of customers in Australia, including Angela Loucks Alexander, Director at the Auditory Processing Institute.​

“I moved to Australia in November 2020 after using Beany extensively while in New Zealand, and immediately I reached out to Beany to see if they were operating here,” said Alexander. “It’s the most proactive thing I can do for my organisation.​

“When I first started my business, I was getting massive bill shock and I wasn’t getting the proactivity I needed from a service for which I was paying a premium. So I found Beany and I was up and running within an hour. Having the team of experts at the ready to assist if I have any questions provided peace of mind – particularly as the cost was stable and I knew I wasn’t going to get a huge bill at the end of it.​

“In addition, they’ve been on the front foot in providing guidance, such as advising me of amended taxation rates or benefits, a proactive service which I hadn’t experienced before.”​

Julian Hutabarat brings a decade of experience in leadership roles to Beany, having most recently worked as a manager for BPI Accounting Services. He holds a CPA, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) Degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of New South Wales.​

“I’ve always worked with firms that had the traditional accounting process: hourly billing and a lot of compliance work,” said Hutabarat. “But I always found that the traditional accounting process didn’t add long term value to a business; it wasn’t able to help a business project into the future.​

“Beany has a huge opportunity to help Australian SMEs and sole traders both in the future and today, amid the latest lockdowns which are causing undue stress to companies across the country. Not only do we reduce the burden of accountant bill shock through a stable monthly fee, but we help people apply for disaster payments quickly and without hassle at no additional costs.”​

De Bievre said Beany is looking to hire more accountants immediately to cater to rapid interest in its service locally, but added the company was ready to hit the ground running by leveraging its existing network of experts under the guidance of Hutabarat.​

“While we’re keen to add staff quickly to help us expand more rapidly, under the leadership of Julian and with the backing of our team of accountants we’re ready to hit the ground running for clients in Australia,” de Bievre said. “He’s driven to provide value for clients beyond compliance, and that makes him a perfect fit with our ethos here at Beany.”​

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Originally Published by Scoop – 24 August 2021​