The Taranaki farming community of the 70’s and 80’s well rememberthe fierce competition between dairy companies to top the payoutlist. One of the key levers available to company executives was costmanagement. It was during these years that I was appointedCost Accountant at Kiwi Co-Op Dairies (now Fonterra) and witnessedthe power that accurate regular monthly reporting provided tothe people who could use this information. Cost centre managerscompared results against a standard and anything outside theexpected range was noticed. During this time Kiwi Dairiesmerge with 5 other dairy companies as its ascendance accelerated.After recommendation from a close personal friend and businessadvisor, I saw how these core principles could be replicated insmall businesses to kick-start them on a road to prosperity and startedin public practice in October 1987. This background formed apassion for helping business owners to see the picture portrayed inthe numbers.I now specialise in business analysis and forecasting,demonstrating how historical reports should guide future actions.My personal satisfaction is being able to identify constraints in aclient’s business operation. Years of experience have refined a knackfor creative solutions.