Our 2019 Young Guns Workshop features leading thinkers in the profession including:
David Smith Smithink
David Smith
Smithink
David Smith is Australia’s most experienced specialist independent IT consultant, having over 25 years involvement with accounting businesses. David was Managing Partner of PKF Sydney; President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2003; created PKF CRS and Superfund software; and coaches practitioners in practice strategy, management & process improvement.
Mark Holton Smithink
Mark Holton
Smithink
Mark Holton has more than 30 years experience as an Accountant and Tax Agent in practice. Mark is also the Managing Director of Dynamic Taxation and Training Services, as well as the founding CEO of 2020 Asia Pacific. Mark has developed specialised skills in the area of adult education and training with extensive experience in both private and public sector industries in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and North America. He is also a respected consultant in taxation and business management.
Cameron Lynch Etani
Cameron Lynch
Etani
Cameron is a Chartered Accountant and the founder of the Etani Business Platform. He believes he can help businesses survive and prosper in today’s disruptive environment.
Cameron is experienced with Business Intelligence (BI), Analytics, Big Data and implementing cloud-based solutions to streamline reporting systems.
Live data has a significant role to play in assisting businesses to make wiser decisions, both now and in the future. Cameron’s passion is driven by the concept of creating vehicles to help businesses and people prosper.
Kath Bowler Licensing for Accountants
Kath Bowler
Licensing for Accountants
Kath is recognised as one of Australia’s leading authorities on licensing for accountants. During her 20-year career in the accounting and financial services industry, she has remained passionately committed to assisting accountants to expand into licensed advisory work.
With a diverse financial services background, Kath has sat on all sides of the fence as a regulator, financial adviser, accountant, policy adviser, head of a licensee and consultant. With this deep insight, she has the passion and vision to bring these industries together and is dedicated to developing solutions that allow accountants to be active in the licensed advice arena.
Mandy Holloway Courageous Leaders
Mandy Holloway
Courageous Leaders
As a leadership trailblazer who put courage into action to achieve significant "firsts" in her career, Mandy now inspires people to be courageous in the way they lead themselves, others and their firms.
She blazed a leadership trail to become the first female partner in Australia at PKF (now BDO). Followed by partnership at KPMG and being the first partner to take paid maternity leave. She now inspires leaders in client organisations to lead courageously and transform cultures, like she did.
Mandy is an inspiring speaker who captivates audiences with her enthusiastic and vulnerable style of delivering intriguing, practical and realistic content. Her ability to intimately understand ongoing pressures faced by leaders is grounded in personal experiences.
Steven Allan Say A Few Words
Steven Allan
Say A Few Words
What does the NRL Grand Final, State of Origin, Canterbury Bulldogs, Greater Western Sydney Giants, and the New South Wales Swifts have in common? The unmistakable voice of Steve Allan on the microphone.
As a six-time Best Sports Presenter Provincial at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards, Steve adds exemplary sports knowledge to any event or broadcast.
Anita Wildman Cooper Reeves
Anita Wildman
Cooper Reeves
With over 18 years experience in public practice, Anita has developed skills not just for streamlining systems and processes but also for developing values that inspire greater levels of productivity, efficiency and personal fulfilment – she has done this for both her clients and at Cooper Reeves. Her projects are always varied, from large scale software implementations to business advisory and day to day compliance – each requiring a different approach to creating commitment, fostering teamwork and achieving results.
10 reasons to attend:
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Learn how to finally get business advisory services working in your firm in a systematic manner.
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Discuss the emerging technologies and how they impact on your firm
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Learn how Power BI visualisations can revolutionise your reports and dashboards
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Discover the benefits of doing charity work
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Learn lessons from fellow Young Guns who have succeeded in their firms
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Develop and enhance your presentation and questioning skills with clients
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Consider what the firm of the future looks like
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Work through the advice you really want to provide and what licenses and regulations you need to consider
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Learn the keys to great client service
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Meet likeminded young professionals - build a long-lasting network
Objectives and goals:
Unlock your potential to create greater personal and firm success in the future.
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Develop the skills and knowledge to become a future leader in the profession.
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Deliver exceptional client service unchallenged in the industry.
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Develop and enhance your presentation skills to get the right message across to clients.
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Learn how to leverage the latest technology in your firm.
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Develop diversified income streams in your practice that will really excite clients
Program
Get ready to spend two jam packed days developing the skills and knowledge that will help take your career to the next level.
Day 1
Monday
29 July
It’s all about TRUST
As we continue to experience the disruption of our status quo and an environment where societal trust is at an all-time low it is even more critical for you to build trust
as your foundation for internal and external relationships for your firm’s continued success. In this session you explore how to:
Mandy Holloway, Courageous Leaders
Morning Tea
How to Finally get Business Advisory Services Working in your Firm
Everywhere we look these days there is a new and innovative service or software program that will turn you into a Business Advisor overnight. I wish it was that simple. All Accounting firms deliver advisory services to differing degrees. The problem is that most are piecemeal services initiated by a third party such as a Bank that do not on-sell other ongoing services. This session will focus on how to deliver resilient and lucrative business advisory services using an annuity model that will closely replicate the model you have built for compliance services. See how to finally get this off the ground in a profitable low-cost manner!
Mark Holton, Smithink
Technology
Clearly technology will be a major driver of the future of practices and small businesses. In this session we will discuss the emerging technologies and the steps firms should be taking now to capitalise on the opportunities technology change will bring.
David Smith, Smithink
Developing your values
Anita Wildman is an associate at Cooper Reeves in Brisbane. She was instrumental in driving the development of the values for the firm as part of the firm’s strategic planning exercise. In this session Anita discusses why values are important, the process Cooper Reeves followed and the thinking behind the values adopted.
Anita Wildman, Cooper Reeves
Lunch
Scale Power BI in your Accounting Firm
Learn how to provide Power BI interactive visualisations and business intelligence reporting with a dynamic interface that accounting staff can use to create their own reports and dashboards.
Cameron will discuss the lessons he has learnt and demonstrate how to scale Power BI in your accounting firm including harvesting client data and the opportunities it can create.
Cameron Lynch, Etani
The benefits of doing charity work.
Often in the accounting industry, we are asked to sit on Boards of not for profit organisations. One consideration is "should I accept the appointment?" The other is the benefit of helping others, doing “your bit” for the community and growing your network of contacts. This session will focus on my experience and the personal benefits gained from working with charities and other not for profits.
Mark Holton, Smithink
Afternoon Tea
Advising in a complex regulatory environment
Accountants are in the box seat to provide holistic advice on all aspects of their business and their personal financial affairs. However, the regulatory environment creates limitations on those discussions. Where are the boundaries? What are your options? Using a case study as an example, this session will assist you in working out what advice you really do want to provide, and what licenses and regulations you need to comply with in offering that advice.
Kath Bowler, Licensing for Accountants
Firm of the future
Mark and David will get out their crystal ball and kick it around with the group to consider how firms may look into the future and how the next generation leaders should prepare themselves to take charge.
Mark Holton and David Smith, Smithink
Networking session with drinks and canapes, hosted by Mandy Holloway
In this “live” session you actually practice networking after being introduced to:
- importance of networking to your career and success
- critical inhibitors to investing in your network
- easy to use techniques to take the fear out of it.
Day 2
Tuesday
30 July
The Keys to Great Client Service
Great client service is an ongoing challenge for accounting firms. This session will focus on the hugely successful Disney management model of “on stage and off stage” service delivery and “over managing” through incredible attention to detail that drives ongoing success. Experiences will be shared from a very recent US trip to Disney Institute in Anaheim California to undertake the Exceptional Leaders, Recruitment, Selection and Training and Exceptional Customer Service training programs with lessons and systems that can be directly articulated to an accounting firm.
Mark Holton, Smithink
Team building exercise
Facilitated by David Smith, Smithink
Morning Tea
Feedback conversations - enhance or restrain career performance
Want to improve career performance then learn how to give feedback constructively.
In this session we answer three critical questions:
- what IS feedback?
- why doesn’t feedback translate into action and change, like I want?
- how do I give feedback constructively so it initiates and inspires change?
Mandy Holloway, Courageous Leaders
What’s next - buying into a firm or merging with another
David has assisted many firms in introducing new equity owners, dealing with succession matters and acquiring other practices. This session will outline the issues to consider when buying equity or another firm and the common mistakes that are often made.
David Smith, Smithink
Lunch
You’re the Voice
Winston Churchill once said.... “Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king. He is an independent force in the world.” In this one hour session, Steve Allan, The Voice of the NRL Finals and State of Origin for two decades, will share his knowledge and expertise so that you can speak confidently in front of an audience of any size. This is more than just a public speaking workshop; it’s a spotlight on great communicators and what makes them so effective....and it’s interactive - you could be selected at random to Say A Few Words!
Steve Allan, Say a Few Words
Messages from the scars
It’s 47 years since David started in the profession. In this session, he will relate what he’s learnt, what have been the keys to success, if he was starting out what he’d do differently and why making mistakes is a good thing.
David Smith, Smithink
Afternoon Tea
Open Forum
Who Should Attend
Young leaders looking to develop their management skills, understanding of the business of accounting and consider strategic opportunities for the firm and themselves.
Pricing
Early Bird Pricing before 28 June 2019
Smithink Members - discounted pricing
$995 First attendee
$750 Additional attendees from the same firm
Non-Member firms
$1250 First attendee
$995 Additional attendees from the same firm
Standard Pricing bookings after 28 June 2019
Smithink Members - discounted pricing
$1250 First attendee
$995 Additional attendees from the same firm
Non-Member firms
$1450 First attendee
$1250 Additional attendees from the same firm
"I have attended all of Smithink’s events and this is by far my favourite. Perfect timing for me as I head into becoming a partner and was fantastic information that will help me on my journey."
Amy Kickett
Needhams CPA's
"I had done manager training in the past and thought this would be the same. I was wrong. All young current and aspiring partners should attend the workshop as the content and presenters were second to none."
Clint Bourke
Roberts & Morrow
After Young Guns, what's next?
You'll emerge from the Young Guns Workshop will loads of ideas in relation to your professional development and the growth of your firm. What happens next? The challenge with any course, no matter how great the content, is failure to implement. Day to day matters get in the way. The Proactive Manager eLearning Course is designed to give you a clear structure and accountability around your ongoing professional development. Over 16 modules, you'll formalise your SMART actions around workflow, clients, team and growth. You'll implement your actions to get real results.
Register for the Proactive Manager eLearning Course and receive a 25% discount.
