Earlier this year the Federal Government announced new requirements for businesses in the Building and Construction Industry that pay contractors.
Airlie Beach, Queensland, is almost 5000km away from Joondalup, Western Australia, yet two businesses, one in each town, are now working together more collaboratively than ever before.

Prima Sailing Adventures is in Airlie Beach. The business is run by Kerry and her husband who made a sea change last year, moving from Perth, Western Australia. The business takes small groups on two day, two night trips on board the Prima, a custom-made sailing vessel, to experience the natural wonders the region offers.

Reckon Accredited Partner (AP) Sharon McKellar operates her bookkeeping business from Joondalup in Western Australia. She’s been training people how to use QuickBooks for well over a decade, so when her friend Kerry moved states, Sharon started working with her to get the bookkeeping set up, from the other side of Australia.

Getting to know the ropes

Toward the end of 2012 Prima underwent a major transformation being given an entirely new interior design as the new owners worked to improve the business. At the same time Kerry began to get a handle on bookkeeping before they started taking passengers.

“I got them set up on QuickBooks Hosted straight away. The distance hasn’t been a barrier. Despite being thousands of miles apart I’ve been able to work with Kerry to check the set up, fix templates, provide her with training and generally answer her questions,” said Sharon.

“Over the last 8 months there have been many phone calls and text messages between us, and it’s been easy for me to jump on my iPad from where ever I am and log onto QuickBooks Hosted to see if there’s a problem.”

It’s now smooth sailing

Prima Sailing Adventures is now taking passengers and the bookkeeping is working well. Sharon says working with Kerry from thousands of kilometres away to get her business bookkeeping set up has been no different to working with a business in her own home state.

“QuickBooks Hosted is very sophisticated and very flexible and I look forward to having more of my clients using the program so that we can operate together more effectively and efficiently,” says Sharon.

“Helping businesses is what I do. Whether I am being asked software questions or helping sort through a bookkeeping issue, it no longer matters how far away I am, I can get in there when I need to which saves a lot of time, I love it!”

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