Browse through articles RAN ONE has released to the press, or have been written about RAN ONE and its network firms.

Wally Flies in Cornwall

July 28, 2005

Lisa van Egmond, our Business Development Manager in RAN ONE UK, sent us an article from the July edition of ‘B2B magazine for Devon & Cornwall’ that gives ‘The Wally Seminar’ a glowing report.

The magazine story began with a seminar presented by Paul Miller of RAN ONE firm Cornish Accounting Solutions in Bodmin, Cornwall.  Whenever Paul invites someone to a Wally seminar he says “bring a friend along” and in this case the friend happened to be the editor of B2B magazine, Richard King!

‘B2B’ is published by Richard King’s company Trading Pages, a publishing firm specializing in door to door advertising and distribution. The magazine reaches the decision makers, proprietors and managers of over 15,000 businesses across Cornwall and Devon.

In the July issue of the magazine Richard King writes: “A recent video seminar featuring a character called Wally, the great Australian birdman, presented by Paul Miller of Cornish Strategic Solutions Limited proved to be a thought provoking evening.

“The key question – Are you working ON rather than IN your business? – is something that I feel we are all guilty of.”

Richard King repeats the Wally message that a business should be viewed as a means of achieving the owner’s personal goals rather than as ‘a job’, and notes that “Most companies never reach their full potential because the owners spend too much time doing the work rather than managing and growing it.”

He concludes his article with “I would recommend the seminar to everyone in business...For me it is now back to working ON my business.” A great story and a pat on the back for Paul Miller and Cornish Accounting Solutions.

> Are You Working ON Rather Than IN Your Business?

RAN ONE’s high-profile marketing campaign in UK

May 24, 2004

RAN ONE has launched a major high-profile marketing initiative by joining the prestigious list of Corporate Partners of the UK ’s leading accounting website, AccountingWeb.

The special relationship with AccountingWeb includes a microsite for RAN ONE’s UK office (http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/members/ran_one) that contains detailed information about RAN ONE including product offerings, events, editorials and media releases. The microsite went live on May 1.

The forthcoming annual conference is extensively covered. There’s also a separate section for members of the RAN ONE Consulting Group. In addition the AccountingWeb site will also carry news and current events from RAN ONE and banner advertising with the other Corporate Partners.

AccountingWeb’s UK site reaches around 70,000 accountants in the United Kingdom and is viewed by thousands more from around the world.

Other Corporate Partners include Cognos, the PTP Group, SWAT Ltd and APS (Advanced Professional Solutions).

http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/members/ran_one

RAN ONE acquires CCH Business Solutions Team

May 20, 2004

This news article about RAN ONE was recently published on the AccountingWEB business newswire website in the UK, which reaches 90,000 UK accountants.

A SME focused software development team from CCH recently joined RAN ONE, bringing a significant level of experience with them. CCH is a world leading provider of information services, software and workflow tools for tax and accounting professionals. RAN ONE is a world leader in providing business consulting solutions, performance management, and coaching tools.

While with CCH, the team developed over 40 applications for the international SME market. Many of these applications are in use in the UK including Master Plan, KPI and MAUS Project Planner.

The exciting new suite of business development products that will be unveiled at this year’s RAN ONE International Conference in June are largely the results of the accounting and consulting network’s acquisition of this talented team of product developers and software engineers.

Collectively the team has over 18 years in developing software applications for SMEs. Team leader Pedro da Palma Rosa is the Director of Software Development and Technology. He is ably assisted by Peter Busfield and Troy Wilson who bring with them a wealth of experience in their field. The team works on product development directly with Jim McKerlie, CEO of RAN ONE.

Since joining RAN ONE the team’s focus has been on designing a new, robust suite of SME tools and implementing a stringent quality control program. This has significantly enhanced RAN ONE’s product development capability and reinforced the network’s commitment to quality assurance.

Products developed by the team include an outstanding business monitoring and coaching tool in the RAN ONE Navigator™. This product provides the means to monitor and coach clients by collecting their financial and non-financial information. It builds superb graphical reports, features digital dash boards, has a drill down capability and a great deal more.

Also being launched is Business Diagnostics™, a practical and robust strategic and operational analysis and planning tool.
Strategic Advantage™ is a powerful strategic planning tool that will support the process of crafting a vision and strategic business plan that can be used by the business.

The proven Customer Advisory Board and Team Advisory Board programs are now in robust electronic versions that provide an understanding of a company’s key stakeholders and create visually pleasing reports that are rich in content.

CCH Business Services in Australia recently discontinued its Coaching College and Business Coaching Network, and invited RAN ONE to offer its former members the means to continue their coaching businesses.

RAN ONE has already welcomed 12 former CCH Business Coaches into their global network and several other applications are pending.

http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/members/ran_one

> RAN ONE acquires CCH Business Solutions Team

Accountants move from the backroom to the boardroom

Apr 29, 2004

This news article about RAN ONE was recently published on the AccountingWEB business newswire website in the UK, which reaches 90,000 UK accountants.

RAN ONE examines the changing role of accountants as they become more involved as non-executive directors.

Accountancy, long thought by many outside the profession to be immune to change, is about to be transformed.

The changes are so great that some even believe the word "accountant" might disappear from job titles.

These are the findings of a report entitled Next Generation Accountant, released by Robert Half International (RHI).

The report determines how today's trends will shape the future of accounting and finance professions, and identifies the skills which future accountants will need to be successful.

It asked questions along the lines of: "What will the accountant of the future be like?", "What will he be doing?" and "What skills and competencies will she need most to be successful?"

To find the answers, researchers interviewed 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs) in the US, as well as a wide range of accountancy experts and academics.

Historically, accounting has focused on the traditional audit and reporting roles, but in the future the respondents believe its role will increasingly be to transform information into knowledge and share forecasts with senior management.

Rather than being statisticians, accountants will become strategic partners and help position organisations for future success.

This move towards being providers of knowledge rather than relayers of information will see CPAs move from the backroom to the boardroom. They will assume more consultative roles, combining traditional services with more modern ones such as technology consulting, assurance services and e-commerce consulting.

Those accountants specialising in consulting will find that in-demand specialties include: supply chain management and business-to-business integration; resource planning; staff training and mentoring; financial systems conversion; reengineering and e-commerce.

Rather than working in a corporation, an increasing number of accounting and finance professionals will choose to work for themselves rather than a corporation.

Not only will accountants' functions change, so will the areas in which they specialise.

When CFOs were asked "Which areas of specialisation would you recommend to someone just beginning their career in accounting?", 23 percent said personal financial planning; followed by tax accounting (21 percent); e-commerce strategy (17 percent) and assurance services/auditing (12 percent).

However the chief executive officer of RHI, Max Messmer, said: "Regardless of specialisation, their success will be founded on core competencies such as strategic thinking, technology expertise and communication skills".

The CFOs also predicted that issues and responsibilities outside of traditional accounting functions would account for almost 40 percent of a senior accountant's time five years from now.

Apart from financial expertise, they forecast that the important knowledge areas would be technology skills (ranked first by 44 percent); strong communication skills (24 percent) and general business knowledge (16 percent).

This increasing emphasis on strategic thinking, technology and communication skills is perhaps the report's most important findings.

Director of Consulting Services for RAN ONE Europe, Michael McKerlie, whose organisation provides business solutions and training for accountants and business advisors working with small to mid sized businesses, commented that his company was not all surprised by the report's findings.

RAN ONE had taken the strategic view back in the year 2000 that the future for accountants in the 21st Century lay outside the traditional accounting compliance roles, he said. "Our company began at that time to invest heavily in developing a range of products and resources that allow our members to work with their clients as business coaches, mentors and advisors."

The report claims that 82 percent of CFOs said their accounting departments have become more involved with their companies' technology initiatives in the last five years, and 53 percent said IT training will be their first priority in supporting professional development for their accounting staff in the next two years.

A telling summary of the changes facing accountants comes from Mr McKerlie who said: "Accounting, as perceived today, will go away.

"Less than 25 percent of accountants will actually provide traditional corporate accounting and auditing services.

"The majority [75 to 80 percent] will perform technology, management consulting, coaching and personal financial planning services. The profession is changing and evolving more into knowledge services."

Mr. McKerlie went on to say, "We see our accounting network members in the role of Business Navigators with their clients, and at our International Conference to be held in London on June 7-8, 2004 we will be discussing with members their role as management consultants and business coached/mentors".

> Accountants move from the backroom to the boardroom

Positioning your business to use the Internet
July 2003

“While many SMEs have embraced the Internet, businesses which do not utilise this medium risk losing market share”. This is RAN ONE CEO, Jim McKerlie’s opening gambit in this full-page article in the National Australia Bank’s Business Focus Issue 2, 2003 newsletter to clients.

The article goes on to discuss recent surveys and statistics on Internet usage by SMEs. The US SME market leads the world in the use of business application, 11% of Australian small businesses have moved into the arena and even less in the UK.

Surveys demonstrate actual increases in profitability as a direct result for SME businesses that use the Web, McKerlie points out, however it is also clear that many SMEs “either aren’t using it properly, or are not aware of what the Internet can do.”

McKerlie advises that websites have now become simpler and more affordable for non-technical people and these can showcase the business. The Web allows electronic shopfronts, cost effective export marketing outlets, and marketing opportunities. “However this is just the start,” he comments, other eBusiness applications will support purchasing, payments and banking, and marketing campaigns.

The net itself does not provide any competitive advantage explains Jim, “the advantage comes for harnessing its capabilities and fulfilling its potential.”


> Positioning your business to use the Internet

Are Service Trusts Losing Their Appeal For GP's?
May 2003

Greenwood BKT, our Australian tax Center of Excellence firm and regular contributor of articles for KnowledgeONE, was recently interviewed by leading medical industry magazine, Medical Observer.  This is the same publication that RAN ONE CEO Jim McKerlie provided comment for an article on Medical Service Trusts (See Medical Service Trusts Questioned May 2003 in Press Office).

Medical service trusts were again the hot topic, this time with a focus on the impact that legislative changes and court decisions have had on the effectiveness of trusts in general practice.  

Jim Richardson from Greenwood BKT provided the following comments:

“Unfortunately, there are so many different decisions with conflicting results, “ says Jim Richardson, a tax consultant at Greenwood BKT Services (of accounting network RAN ONE, which specializes in small and family-owned businesses).

“There is definitely a need for more consistency and clarity in the way these laws are applied, “ Mr Richardson says.

...

[However], Mr Richardson believes the outlook is positive for practitioners using trust structures.

“Practitioners could be reasonably confident that properly administered trusts would continue to be accepted by the tax office.

Value of Service Trusts Questioned
May 2003

In a recent edition of Medical Observer, RAN ONE CEO Jim McKerlie was interviewed regarding the impact of changes in tax laws on the value of service trusts. The Medical Observer is the leading Australian publication for the medical industry catering primarily for GP’s and family owned practices. Here is an excerpt from that article:

Changes in tax laws continue to strangle the flexibility associated with service trusts, says Jim McKerlie, CEO of RAN ONE, a Sydney-based accounting network that specializes in family-owned businesses including medical practices.

“Professional service businesses have used a trust structure in the past to pay people who were providing employee-like services to the trust,” Mr McKerlie says.

“This was popular as it allowed some flexibility in income distribution, but … much of this flexibility has been lost. The introduction of this payroll tax law is really the nail in the coffin.”

Leaders Speak
April 2003

A very weighty 2nd issue of ABIE (Australian Business & Investment Explorer) is hot off the press and we are delighted to report that RAN ONE CEO Jim McKerlie was selected as a contributor to the 2003 issue. This thought-provoking ‘coffee table’ business publication reports on innovation across fields as diverse as finance, management, education, human resources and information technology.

Jim joins distinguished international company which includes prominent writers and thinkers such as Peter Drucker and Robert Gottliebsen, eminent professors Michael Porter and Deryck Schreuder, internationally renowned novelist Thomas Keneally and well-known economist Dr Don Stammer.

Here is a snapshot of Jim’s thoughts…

In the world today where the tyranny of distance is being conquered by the Internet and technology is commoditising many products and services, the competitive dynamic is changing…the bigger operators have a price advantage through economies of scale… Where does the small business find its source of competitiveness? The answer lies in superior customer service and constant innovation. Using innovation to ‘delight customers’ may just be the saviour of small business.

We are very pleased that Jim has been included as part of this illustrious group and hope that some of you may have the opportunity to take a look at this impressive publication.

ABIE, Australian Business & Investment Explorer, is Australia’s annual journal of business, technology and innovation and is published by Business Explorer Press,
© 2003 ISBN 0- 9580207- 1- X

RAN ONE Member Firm Graham Mathew & Partners Ranks In Top 35 in Canada
April 2003

The numbers are in – RAN ONE firm, Graham Mathew & Partners LLP has just been ranked one of Canada's top 35 accounting firms by The Bottom Line.

The Bottom Line is Canada’s premier newspaper for accountants. It bills itself as “The independent voice for Canada’s accounting a financial professionals.” Established in 1985, it has achieved distinction as the journal of record for the accounting community. The Bottom Line is the only publication to serve the memberships of all three major national accounting bodies in Canada. The Bottom Line is part of the Butterworths/LexisNexis Group.

Some of the key performance indicators used include the number of partners, number of offices, number of professional staff, revenue per professional staff, revenue splitting and the dollar value of gross fees, with firms ranked according to their gross fees.

This speaks volumes for Graham Mathew & Partners LLP, a member of RAN ONE since 1997, where in Ontario alone they compete with 3,470 other public accounting firms.

Fourfold Approach to Business Growth
April 2003

Shelly Smith, RAN ONE Consulting Group member and a partner at Papillion, LLC, has published an article in the premier issue of Women's Business Minnesota. Her article, titled “Fourfold Approach to Business Growth” is based on a RAN ONE Grow Your Business™ article and is one of the first featured in the issue. Shelly will be an ongoing contributor to the publication. The publication establishes her in the marketplace as an expert in business development and consulting services.

Member Firm Writes For Bank of Montreal Newsletter - Domain
April 2003

RAN ONE member firm, Lemoine Hyland & Grover, LLP in Toronto, has developed a significant relationship with Bank of Montreal’s MasterCard group. The relationship has resulted in a RAN ONE article and a Business Diagnostic and Performance Improvement contest (with a testimonial provided by one of Lemoine Hyland & Grover’s clients) appearing in the Bank’s spring quarterly newsletter, Domain.
The Bank of Montreal has 60,000 MasterCard holders across Canada who receive the Domain newsletter, one third of which are corporate cardholders. This group represents an important market for RAN ONE firms – established privately owned businesses.
In the coming months, Lemoine Hyland & Grover will provide the Bank of Montreal future articles for their newsletter – in return for generating awareness for RAN ONE member firms in Canada. We are optimistic this relationship will grow into additional marketing opportunities for firms in the Network.
This is an excellent example of a RAN ONE firm using Grow Your Business™ newsletters to generate publicity that will not only benefit their firm but also has the potential to generate opportunities for other RAN ONE members and the Network at large. Well done!

Return of the Suits
September 10, 2002

RAN ONE CEO Jim McKerlie was featured in an article about the future of the consulting industry that appeared in both the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, leading Australian newspapers. The article discussed the new consulting environment with predictions from key players in the field that the industry is set for some fierce competition with consolidation between the major players to continue.

One consulting firm suggested that "just two or three global players, along with several mid range firms that will really struggle, and many niche players offering specialist skills…who can charge a very good price".

The established large firms are reacting to the increased competition by "seeking new opportunities and reinventing themselves…which often involves partnerships with IT vendors". Following the issues facing the big audit firms, consulting firms need to be more vigilant with ensuring that they avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

Today's competitive market and the "sluggish business environment" mean "clients are demanding better value for money from consultants". Deals are now "value based, where the consultant shares in the risk of an overall project and is remunerated accordingly." Consultants now have to be more focused than ever before. However, "there will always be a demand for consultants who understand the business well and who offer strategic and creative thinking."

Following is an excerpt from the article:

Jim McKerlie was the consultant you wanted on your team in the early days of Australia's telecommunications deregulation. And many companies were happy to pay his daily rates, which ran to thousands of dollars.

"In the technology area I made very, very handsome profits. There's no doubt about it," says McKerlie. Times have changed and consultants today are under financial pressure, he says, adding that the going rate for implementation work would now be down to $120-$250 an hour. Double that for strategic consulting.

Until 1992, McKerlie was managing partner of Deloitte's Australian consulting business. Stifled by the bureaucracy, he left to put up his own shingle, only to sell in 1998 to another big firm - this time KPMG.

Today he lives and works in San Francisco, where he is chief executive of the international accounting firm network RAN ONE. Six months ago he started yet another consulting business, this time within RAN ONE, and claims $15 million of revenues thus far - revenues he believes come from a middle business sector seeking an alternative to the big consulting firms.

> Return of the suits

Local CAs Win Int'l Competition
31 July, 2002

A copy of articles appearing in the business news section of several Canadian newspapers, the British Columbian Comox Valley Record, on July 31, 2002 and the Comox Valley Echo on July 30, 2002. The articles featured members of a Canadian firm, Presley & Partners who teamed up with another Canadian firm, Dorrance & Wyngaarden, to deliver the award winning consulting proposal plans at the recent BCP in Florida.

> Full article

RAN ONE Consulting Group Plugging The Gap Left By Major Consultants
31 July 2002

The RAN ONE Consulting Group announced today it now has 100 members around the world specializing in providing strategic consulting to the middle market. RAN ONE Consulting is the offshoot of the major accounting network RAN ONE.

RAN ONE Consulting was formed in February 2002 to fill the hole being left by major consulting firms amidst an uncertain corporate climate.

In the past five months, 100 accounting firms have joined the Group which has already generated over $10-14 million in fee revenue.

Within Australia, the RAN ONE Consulting Group has had major wins with clients in manufacturing, hardware, retail and government contracts.

CEO Jim McKerlie said, "I see real opportunities for us as the consulting industry consolidates. Today's news of PWC/Monday being bought by IBM takes another major player out of the general strategy consulting area as they will certainly focus on systems integration work.

"Andersen's have broken up and almost all of the other major consulting firms are tied up with software or hardware providers. Ernst & Young are with Cap Gemini, KPMG with Cisco, and Deloitte/Braxton will certainly get into bed with someone as they will not want to be left out. And McKinsey has worked closely with the major corporate failures in the United States. Users of consultants are now standing back from the old school."

This is evident in the progress of the RAN ONE Consulting Group which has grown significantly in a short time. Mr McKerlie said companies are refocusing on their core business. "The flow of work over the last quarter has definitely swung back to basics - companies want to get their house in order and make traditional businesses work better.

"There is a now a huge hole in the general strategy consulting market and the RAN ONE Consulting group, which has representatives around the world, is very well placed to take advantage of this opportunity."

RAN ONE is the world's leading network of professional accounting firms. CEO Jim McKerlie is a former partner of two Big Five accounting firms in Australia.

For more information or to interview Jim McKerlie, CEO or Colin Dunn, Vice President - International Consulting Services, contact: Valerie Khoo: 0410 587 687

RAN ONE Firms Feature on Top 100 Accounting Firms for Australia
July 2002

Last week leading business magazine, BRW (Business Review Weekly) launched its inaugural list of the top 100 accounting firms in Australia. We were very pleased to see that 3 RAN ONE firms made this respected list.

Ranked at number 44 was Sydney based firm Greenwood BKT, up from a ranking of 45 last year. Greenwood BKT are our resident tax specialists with their own Centrex of Excellence on the RAN ONE site. In addition to the monthly and quarterly tax newsletters they provide, the Greenwood BKT TaxNOTES series, which are in depth technical papers, are also being accessed by our members globally. Topics to date have included Employee Shares And Options, Trust Deeds: What To Do, And What To Avoid, and Attracting Overseas Employees To Australia. Congratulations to Vanessa, David, Jenny and the team!

Congratulations must go to LambertsBRS in Adelaide who were ranked number 63 out of the 100 top accounting firms and also came in at number 2 in the fastest growing firms. As first timers on the list, this is a fantastic achievement for this 5 partner, 28 team member firm and we would like to offer Managing Partner John Tsoulos, and his team, our congratulations. LambertsBRS are active RAN ONE members, John is a member of the Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Board and also the coordinator of the Adelaide Member User Group.
We believe further national press coverage might be wending their way!

Bendigo based firm Richmond, Sinnott & Delahunty were also newcomers to the list and came in at 90 out of the top 100 firms. Warren Sinnott, along with partners Philip Delahunty and Ken Richmond, first attended Boot Camp in 1994. It's tremendous and encouraging for firms outside capital cities to see a regional based firm achieving success on a national basis.
Well done team!

Risky Business, Hand on Retail
June/July 2002

Increases in public liability premiums are having a huge impact across a range of industries in Australia. Jim McKerlie, RAN ONE CEO was featured in the most recent issue of hands on Retail, a magazine for aimed at retail businesses, commenting on the importance of budgeting for increased premiums.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Jim McKerlie, CEO of leading accounting network RAN ONE, says it's important to plan for the premium increases. Accounting firms within the RAN ONE network specialise in small to medium sized businesses and cater to many clients within the retail sector. "Don't wait for premiums to appear in the mail. Retailers should be actively enquiring with brokers and insurers so they know what to expect," says Jim. "Incorporate these costs into your financial forecasts and work out with your insurer and your accountant the best ways to minimize expense without compensating on cover"."

Backing the BAS, Dynamic Small Business
June/July 2002

Sydney based RAN ONE accountants, Wilson Maynard Kearns were recently featured in an article in Dynamic Small Business on how they helped their Chiropractor client deal with the potential 'nightmare' of BAS for a small, one person business.

Chiropractor Sam Dona says his accountant, Steve Wilson of Wilson Maynard Kearns made a big difference in streamlining the process. "He sent me a step-by-step system of how to do my BAS and was always on hand if I had queries," says Steve.

Sam says that he now spends half as much time administering and calculating his BAS then when it was first introduced and he actually prefers the new system. Discussing business strategy has been an invaluable part of their check up at BAS time. "Steve's like a business doctor," says Sam. "And every three months, when I do my BAS, it's just like going for a check-up."

Wilson Maynard Kearns are a member of RAN ONE, a network of professional accounting firms that specialise in SME clients and focus on business growth as well as accounting advice. Steve Wilson says, "Many of our clients now find it's much easier dealing with their accounts on a regular basis. It's also useful to serve as a regular progress check for clients. We work with them to see how their business is going and if there are areas we can work on to improve or grow."

Great to see RAN ONE firms getting featured in the public press - congratulations Steve and the team at Wilson Maynard Kearns.

Boom time for small accounting firms
April 2, 2002

Andersen’s troubles are leading to a restructuring of the accounting industry. In addition to the emergence of the Fat 4, the changes are also leading to a boom time for the smaller firms.

> Full Article

The changing role of accountants
September 28, 2001

RAN ONE member Greg Valentine, principal of Valentine Business Development in Newcastle, Australia, has been featured in an article in the Australian accounting news portal eccountancy.com.

Greg discusses the strategic decision they made to expand their services and the effect it has had on their business.

> Full Article

Inside the Minds: Leading Accountants
September, 2001

RAN ONE's CEO, Jim McKerlie is one of the leading partners and CEOs whose knowledge and vision for the future of the accounting industry, the issues facing it, and how best to take advantage of the professional or personal opportunities on offer, is canvassed in a book Inside the Minds: Leading Accountants Industry Leaders Share Their Knowledge on the Future of the Accounting Industry & Profession.

> Full Article

Making the most of your customer database
August, 2001

Customer expectations of service have risen dramatically - and they will continue to rise. And in an arena such as accountancy, where the service offering is based on knowledge and expertise, and is therefore, intangible - service levels are the only means a client can truly evaluate a practice. Michelle Davies of RAN ONE wrote this article published in Accountancy Ireland.

> Full Article

RAN ONE Heralds new era for accounting practices
June, 2001

Press release announcing the launch of the RAN ONE network.

> Full Article

RAN ONE Firm Joins The Ranks Of The Asia Pacific Fast 100 List
February 21, 2002

Brisbane RAN ONE Member, Specialised Business Solutions made its mark on the BRW Fast 100 List, rocketing up from 94 to 50th place on the list. The BRW Fast 100 List is an annual recognition of companies that have less than 200 employees and have shown a high rate of growth in previous three years.

Now Specialised Business Solutions are in the spotlight once again having being featured in the On Track section of the leading Australian business magazine BRW, February 21-27, 2002 edition.

> Full Article