Awards recognise the strength of ATB’s expertise and service offering
In San Diego California, in front of a global audience of their peers, ATB Partners has just been awarded for ‘Best Client Results’ at the Penatlitix Awards.
The award recognizes an accounting business that has achieved outstanding results for clients. This is an honour that the ATB team is celebrating on the back of several other prestigious award nominations in recent months.
But if you asked any member of the ATB team what gets them up in the morning, the answer is not ‘winning awards’. For the ATB team, seeing clients less stressed … and empowering them to take control of their business growth are what really matter most.
SMEs are vital to the Australian economy
Australia is a land of entrepreneurs… Ingenuity and hard work run in our veins.
But what makes today’s small businesses different from those of previous generations who gave us the rotary clothes line, the first crank less car engine, the first mechanical ice machine and the Victa lawnmower, is that the business environment today is far more complex.
Tax rules and regulations, occupational and workplace health and safety laws, accounting, reporting, financial planning, fierce competition, digital marketing, increasingly savvy consumers and a global marketplace are just a few of the things that have impacted the way Australian small businesses operate.
Business owners are juggling a lot more responsibilities, and as a result, often find themselves overwhelmed, cash strapped and making day-to-day survival-based decisions, rather than taking time to plan out business strategy.
Recognising this, is what has made ATB Partners different. More than simply an accounting firm, this is an advisory firm, which offers its expertise as ‘business mentors’ to small and growing businesses.
ATB’s 5-Step small business process is a proven road map towards success, and many small and growing businesses have benefitted from it greatly.
“There’s no doubt that this kind of high-profile industry recognition gives existing and potential clients increased confidence in who we are and what we do,” says ATB’s Michael Mekhitarian.
“But as a firm, we measure ourselves by the success of our clients, so to be awarded for exactly that is incredibly powerful. It is an honour, and it keeps us as a firm, inspired, continuously striving to be the best we can be,” he says.
Quite simply, small-to medium sized businesses are the backbone of Australia. According to a survey conducted by NAB last year, SMEs account for more than half – 57% – of Australia’s GDP, and are responsible for creating 7 million jobs.
Furthermore, a 2016 report by the Federal Government found that SMEs are responsible for innovation, embracing fresh thinking and adopting new technology faster than bigger corporates.
Supporting small business
But this vital sector of our economy needs support – a specialist depth and breadth of knowledge to keep it moving forward. Small and growing businesses face a myriad of challenges, more often than not, competing challenges.
How they manage these can be the difference between success and failure. Many fledgling businesses are fragile, until they can get the help they need to ensure they achieve sustainable growth.
“This is such a fast-paced and exciting sector to work in, and when we partner with our clients, we witness so many businesses launching great ideas or filling important needs in the community. It’s incredibly rewarding,” says Jim Vass.
“As a company, we believe that we have a significant economic, social and moral responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of these businesses so they can continue to grow and contribute in the various ways that they do,” he says.
Industry awards promote continuous improvement
Because industry awards recognise the ‘best of the best’, they have a role in ensuring an informal programme of continuous improvement across the profession as a whole, that benchmarks for delivering client service and value remain high, and that all professionals operate within industry regulations, with integrity and accountability.
“We’re truly honoured that our peers and the wider industry has recognised our commitment and desire to contribute to the small business sector,” says Paul Rattray.
“We dedicate these awards our clients who keep us challenged, motivated, and, above all, in business, doing what we love,” he says.
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