Can beautiful accounting software be a game changer for growing businesses in Vanuatu?
One year free subscription to Xero accounting software for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Growing businesses are vital to a thriving Pacific economy. Business Link Pacific is enabling SMEs to get their financial books on track with an innovative accounting assistance partnership.
Business Link Pacific and the accounting and financial service providers in Vanuatu, Barrett and Partners, AJC, and vSolutions are assisting eligible growing enterprises with a one-year free subscription to Xero accounting software.
“Small and medium enterprises can positively transform their societies by creating jobs and improving people’s wellbeing,” said Steve Knapp, Business Link Pacific, Activity Director.
“To grow and become more profitable, these businesses need the best tools they can get, such as Xero,” he said.
Lindsay Barrett from Barrett and Partners believes Business Link Pacific is removing a perceived cost barrier to accessing professional business advice and tools.
“Now it is the business advisers’ opportunity to demonstrate the value we add,” he said.
Accessing Xero is a step forward in the right direction. Martin St-Hilaire from AJC believes that Xero is simply the best accounting and reporting tool available nowadays. It is easy to use, yet powerful and can become the core system behind every small and medium-sized business.
“It is a beautiful accounting cloud-based software that helps you love accounting and business management,” Martin said.
“It is possible to learn how to use it completely online and for free. This is the democratisation of a really useful and powerful tool that was only accessible in the past to big companies that were investing large amounts of money in their financial management systems,” he said.
Enthusiasm for accounting and business management is catching on with growing businesses in Vanuatu as they realise the benefits that outsourced business services bring to their operations.
Trust and transparency are improved by robust accounting systems such as Xero, helping businesses at multiple levels. From paying and receiving bills on time, accessing finance, protecting information from natural disasters and fraud, minimising risks and increasing efficiency – to minimising the workload of business-owners and staff.
“Many small business owners spend their weekends and evenings trying to keep up with the never-ending administrative tasks that come with running a successful business,” said Brendan Toner, Managing Director vSolutions Limited.
“Tools such as Xero have been developed to help make those administrative tasks easier and free up time to focus on more important things – such as spending time with your family or grabbing a shell of kava after work,” he said.
These benefits are welcome news for the people behind the Xero software in the Pacific.
“Xero is a game changer for small business,” said Craig Hudson, Managing Director Xero NZ.
“The size of the small business market is second only to that of individual consumers, and it drives the economies of the Pacific. We are pleased that Xero can help small and medium enterprises and the growing business service providers in Vanuatu and across the Pacific,” he said.
Vibrant, sustainable and profitable businesses help to ensure the economic stability of Pacific countries such as Vanuatu and enable younger generations to access jobs and educational opportunities necessary to reach their goals.
“Small and medium enterprises are key in the development of the country, and helping them is helping economic development at the grass roots to increase their potential, leading to better education, improved health and quality of life—helping Vanuatu remain ‘the happiest place on Earth’” said Martin St-Hilaire, from AJC.
Business Link Pacific, a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade funded program, works in Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa to support business advisory service providers and empower small business to access relevant tools, develop and grow.
Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), supported by Business Link Pacific, has established a new service assisting small and medium enterprises to understand their needs and access professional advice. Now growing businesses in Vanuatu can access affordable and tailored support via the Business Link Pacific Subsidy Scheme.
Small and medium-sized businesses in Vanuatu interested in accessing the Xero 12 months subscription promotion should contact the above service providers or visit Kesha Licht at VCCI for a free business diagnostic.
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