Hugh Caddick
Date of Interview: Mar 8, 2015
In a workplace as hands on as a building site, the need to get everything done efficiently is particularly pronounced. Small business owners in the sector will typically want to spend most of their time getting the job done, rather than pouring over a raft of financial figures and statistics.
For Hugh Caddick of Caddick Fowlie Builders, that is very much the case. While Mr Caddick's primary trade is as a carpenter and builder, he actually has over 25 years experience in using CashManager from Accomplish across a few different sectors.
"I'm not necessarily an IT guy, but I felt it was really simple and easy to use."
Stable footing
Mr Caddick was first presented with CashManager from Accomplish when he was doing the bookkeeping for his wife at the time's pharmacy business. Naturally, when he got back to his main passion and set up his own business around a decade ago, there was only one accountancy software package he was going to choose.
The thing that shone through most for Mr Caddick was the sheer ease of use that is inherent in CashManager.
"I went straight to CashManager when the business got up and running as I'm not necessarily an IT guy, but I felt it was really simple and easy to use," he explained.
Time for expansion
In its early days, the carpentry and building firm was simply known as Hugh Caddick Builders. However, over the past few years Mr Caddick saw the need to expand, and brought his nephew on board to grow the business.
Now, Caddick Fowlie Builders consists of two partners and an apprentice, and all of them have a handle on CashManager from Accomplish. Sharing the use of software packages around a business of any size can be difficult, but Mr Caddick maintained that CashManager has been easy to stay on top of.
"We've expanded again and my nephew's gone into partnership with myself. So there's now three of us - two partners and an apprentice - and we operate the system between us. I actually find it really user-friendly, especially because I've known it for so long," he surmised.
"It's so easy to use that it only takes me five or 10 minutes to get transactions processed."
An essential part of the day
The nature of the building business means that it's incredibly important to be aware of finances as and when jobs come in. In fact, Mr Caddick estimated that even a relatively modest business will have to process as many as 20 supplier orders per month, which could include 10 jobs or more in total.
Consequently, having accounting software that's usable from day-to-day and not just towards the end of the financial year is invaluable.
"I tend to work on the finances every single day, doing around an hour in the office every night. That includes pricing as well, but for the most part, CashManager is so easy to use that it only takes me five or 10 minutes each night to get transactions processed," said Mr Caddick.
A cost saving exercise
Ultimately, many small businesses simply have to keep a keen eye on their finances, especially when capital is stretched. Some may seek to make sweeping changes to their processes in efforts to save costs, when it's the little things that can actually make all the difference.
Using Mr Caddick's example, not only has CashManager from Accomplish proved invaluable throughout years of service, the business has also managed to save on the costs of employing professional accountants.
"It keeps the accountant fees down as we code everything, which saves them time - and they only get a complete set figures once a year. I'd say that we save around $1,500 - $2,000 a year by doing things the way we do in line with our competitors," he explained.
Ultimately, software packages that are long lasting, money saving and easy to use seldom come along often. Fortunately, CashManager from Accomplish is here to help.