Client Experiences

Business Kept Running Amid Restructuring

Hood Sweeney Technology Services assisted in a move to a serverless environment for Hender Consulting following a major ICT restructuring of the Hender businesses.

After a period of business growth and the development of different technology needs, our Technology team worked with the organisation’s Finance and IT teams to find the optimal way for the businesses to stay connected to vital systems and information during an ICT restructuring.

The decision was made to move, or migrate, part of the business - Hender Consulting, Hender Careers, and Entrée Recruitment - to a 100% cloud or serverless environment utilising Microsoft 365 / Azure services.

The Hood Sweeney team moved about 40 staff to the cloud, with no interruption to business.

Hender Consulting is now set up for flexible workplace arrangements including staff working from home, as there is no reliance on the office space. Security and automation and process streamlining was also a key part of the migration.

Having a more consistent and centrally managed environment also has reduced the need for first level IT support, freeing up resources to work on other projects.

Says Brad Weight, ICT Leader at Hender: “Hood Sweeney’s expertise not only made this entire restructure possible but also a very smooth transition.

I don’t believe it would have been as successful, or even possible, without the support from Hood Sweeney Technology.”

Hood Sweeney Technology Services has supported Adelaide Festival’s technology needs since 2016, getting to know the behind-the-scenes, business side of the state’s standout arts and cultural festival, which runs annually in so-called Mad March.

Our services include helping set up more than a dozen temporary sites with computers and connectivity, given festival events are presented at multiple locations across the city; upgrading the phone system to 3CX to facilitate mobility; and upgrading systems’ security to mitigate risks to festival data.

We also upgraded infrastructure to a mix of Hybrid and Cloud Technology to improve the user experience when working remotely and in the office.

Adelaide Festival said the Hood Sweeney Technology team is “skillful and dependable”.

“We find Hood Sweeney’s team to be reliable in handling issues that arise and able to react on their feet during our busy period. The team listens to our needs closely and is super responsive.”

‘They Always Have a Solution’

TMK Consulting Engineers has provided design and documentation services to many commercial and residential developers, government departments, councils, and builders on construction projects for more than 35 years.

When it comes to internal office hardware and software support. TMK have chosen Hood Sweeney Technology Services as their trusted supplier since 2009. This has included filling in for the IT Manager when on leave, procuring software & hardware and support.

Hood Sweeney Technology has also assisted with the major office relocation project providing both planning and hands on support to make this as smooth a transition as possible with minimal downtime for their large busy team.

Stuart Anson, TMK Information & Communication Technology Manager says: “The Hood Sweeney team have provided excellent service to TMK over many years. Quick to respond, they always have a solution no matter the size or complexity of the task. An ongoing fruitful partnership, keep up the great work.”

Helping Tailormade Tours on the journey to financial resilience.

Tailormade Tours is an experiential based tour, catering and venue hire company operating out of Alice Springs. The business has been in the Brennan family and operating since 1965.

Leeann Scholz and Danny Brennan were introduced to Adelaide-based Hood Sweeney in 2005 by a friend who ran a successful business in Alice Springs.

“We were in our late 20s and our dream was to purchase the family tour business from our parents. We wanted to transition from working in the business to becoming first time proprietors,” said Leeann Scholz, who runs Tailormade Tours with her partner Danny.

“Hood Sweeney provided us with the confidence needed, and helped us to find the direction to navigate through the succession planning.”

Based at the Old Quarry in the East MacDonnell ranges, just out of Alice Springs, Tailormade hosts unique Bush BBQ Dinner and Show experiences in spectacular bushland settings, as well as conferences and events in collaboration with the Alice Springs Convention Centre.

It’s no surprise that their bread-and-butter offerings were affected when local and international travel was halted during the global pandemic. But Leeann said the longstanding relationship with Hood Sweeney, led by their accounting adviser, Managing Director Marisa Riccio, held Tailormade in “a good financial position and made financial resilience possible”.

“It has been amazing how we have found ways to overcome obstacles. With Hood Sweeney by our side we have overcome challenges on the journey to financial security. Hood Sweeney really is an extension of our business - a part of our team,” said Leeann.

In addition to providing accounting services to Leeann and Danny, Hood Sweeney advisers, led by Marisa Riccio, have assisted them to purchase their business, sell a part of the business, purchase other properties including applying for finance, apply for grants and government funding, their Self-Managed Super Fund, and financial planning services.

With the recent easing of travel restrictions and the resumption of international travel, Leeann and Danny are optimistic about the future opportunities for their business. Conferences are being booked ahead again, and music events are also in the works for later in the year.

Whatever the business needs, Leeann said she is confident that Hood Sweeney is just a phone call away.

“We don’t have to go through phone menus and automated chat bots to speak with a person at Hood Sweeney.

We’ve witnessed first-hand the team’s dedication to the services they provide their clients. We have always felt valued as individuals and as a small business, and the advice is always tailored, relevant and personal to our needs.”

“We have decided that it does not matter what we ask of them – they always come through,” said Leeann.

If you would like to speak to Hood Sweeney Accounting & Business Advisory, please ring us on 1300 764 200 or email info@hoodsweeney.com.au, and we will be in touch.

Sound Advice, Strong Advocacy Help our Clients Succeed

Finding the right adviser for your situation can make the world of difference.

Dr Kara Johns, a General Practice Registrar, has been a Hood Sweeney client since 2015, working with both Accounting & Business Advisory and Financial Planning* service offerings.

She said she received ‘sound advice’ each year from her advisers. But in the past 12 months, when her circumstances unexpectedly changed, she found out that the advice wasn’t just sound, it was life changing.

As a medical practitioner, Kara was encouraged years ago by, Director and Senior Financial Planner | Life Insurance, Mark Mullins, a Representative of Hood Sweeney Securities Pty Ltd AFSL 220897 ABN 40 081 455 165, to take out an income protection policy.

Income protection, like an insurance policy for your car or your home and contents, is there in case something goes wrong.

The hope is that you never have to activate it: and if you do, you want it work. In the case of income protection, that means providing an income stream in the event that you are prevented, through injury or illness, from continuing to work and draw your full income.

When Kara unexpectedly faced some physical challenges and wasn’t able to continue to work as she had, Mark was there to assist.

“The major support came when I needed to claim on my income protection insurance,” said Kara.

“Mark was a strong advocate once the insurer became problematic. He and the Hood Sweeney Securities team have had ongoing input to hold the insurer to account.”

Kara’s initial insurance claim was declined by the insurer, but it didn’t end there.

“We add value throughout the whole process, from initially recommending and guiding Kara on her income protection needs and an appropriate policy to cover this, to helping her get her policy in place through the underwriting process and reviewing the policy as required to ensure it continues to meet her needs,” said Mark Mullins.

But the greatest value we add is at claim time. “We are our client’s advocate through that process to make sure the insurer is held to account. Clients like Kara are facing significant challenges due to the health event that has occurred and work changing: they’ve never been through the claims process and don’t understand how it works. We hold our client’s hand through this process and make certain the insurer is holding up their side of the bargain,” he said.

In this case, the claim went through an internal dispute process with the insurer and then to AFCA, the independent body that manages and mediates financial services complaints.

“Mark coordinated and submitted the application and attended the hearing, actively advocating for me through the whole process. He still oversees all correspondence and steps in when needed. It’s unlikely I would have succeeded with this claim application without his input,” said Kara.

Just over one year on, Kara’s claim was approved.

*Hood Sweeney Securities Pty Ltd. AFSL No. 220897.
ABN 40 081 455 165