Mytax.co.nz – New Zealand Wide

MyTax.co.nz’s Lester Binns says there is no reason why a business can't thrive in the smaller centres around New Zealand, such as his home in Nelson, and says that living in Nelson, rather than one of the larger cities in this country, hasn't stopped him from building several successful businesses. As Lester explains, “Something you may not know about the online tax-refund industry in New Zealand is that it sprang from the South Island. It's a phenomenon that might be observed in a number of sectors: in my industry, the largest players all started in the South Island and have grown far larger than our competitors have managed to do in the major centres of Auckland and Wellington.

“A recent report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research suggests the optimal population is 15 million, and to support this we'll need to make many centres as viable for business as the largest cities are now. But here's the thing: they already are. Living in Nelson hasn't stopped me from building two successful businesses.”

There are several reasons why Lester believes that others can do what MyTax.co.nz has done, and why his business is more profitable in Nelson that it could maybe be in Auckland. One of the most important is that retaining staff is easy. Everyone is in Nelson because they want to be here and have made the choice to come back after being educated elsewhere. As a consequence, turnover is close to zero. In general, staff are more loyal than in a larger job market, and it's easier to be a stand-out employer and accrue the right people;

Lester has also observed that lower overheads mean good rewards. Staff have individual KPI’s and there are group targets across the company. Managers have bonuses tied to performance, and other recent rewards include a company-wide weekend trip to Auckland and a team outing to a winery. Also, for those living in a smaller town or city, their work-life balance is not just a fantasy as they can usually be home in a few minutes as opposed to city-dwellers who will necessarily spend up to over an hour commuting each day.

Lester is correct in claiming that for the New Zealand economy to grow we need more business hubs around the country. Outside of farming and tourism, we are placing too much pressure on the Auckland economy, and it's time to recognize that there are other viable options.

For more information on MyTax.co.nz please go to www.mytax.co.nz .