SEAPAA pearler of an idea that grew Seapa.12

connect explore serveTelstra Fleurieu teams ring in success with Performance Coaching.6

hustle & VineAndrew Fantasia is blending food, wine and family into an entrepreneurial business brew.16

ISSUE SIX An advice, news and lifestyle magazine for clients

Hood Sweeney Serving South Australians

for more than 40 years

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Disclaimer This magazine is intended as general information only. It does not purport to be comprehensive advice. Readers should seek professional advice before acting in relation to these matters.

TECHNOLOGY 4Don’t get caught off the hook when the NBN comes to your neighbourhood.

connect explore serve 6Telstra Fleurieu teams ring in success with Performance Coaching.

Disclaimer This magazine is intended as general information only. It does not purport to be comprehensive advice. Readers should seek professional advice before acting in relation to these matters.

Hustle & Vine 18Andrew Fantasia is blending food, wine and family into an entrepreneurial business brew.

PROFILE Jaime Aplin 22Five minutes with … Jaime Aplin.

PROFILE Marisa Riccio 8Get to know Hood Sweeney’s newest Managing Director.

Front Cover

Andy Will Seapa

Risk Insurance 16Betting on the worst case scenario put Craig Bennetts in the best possible place.

Seapa 12A pearler of an idea that grew Seapa.

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One story that combines longstanding and new is a piece about me, as the newest Managing Director of Hood Sweeney. I’ve been with the firm since 1999, beginning as an undergraduate studying at the University of South Australia, and almost two decades later, becoming the first woman in the top job.

I’m incredibly proud to lead our team and serve our clients.

Our cover story this edition features a client of Hood Sweeney’s Consulting & Performance Coaching arm. The family-owned and run Seapa, an offshoot of parent company Garon Plastics, has made significant inroads into international markets with their innovation of a range of plastic baskets and clips used for growing oysters and other shellfish.

Andy Will, Group General Manager of Seapa and Garon, says even though the company is focused on using technology and automated systems to work efficiently, it will never be at the expense of the 30 or so people employed at the Edwardstown facility and around the world.

We also take a look at some work our Performance Coaching team has done with a trio of Telstra stores in the Fleurieu region of South Australia. When Stuart Wells took on the franchises for Colonnades, Seaford and Victor Harbor, he wanted to breathe some fresh life into the way the staff approached their roles and helped customers.

WelcomeWelcome to the sixth edition of Life + Toil, our magazine for clients – and about many of our clients, both long-term and

established and some new to the Hood Sweeney family.

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Marisa RiccioManaging Director

Representative of Hood Sweeney Accounting & Business Advisory

AFSL No. 485569

Hands on, in-store coaching from our team is already reaping rewards, with a bump in performance at the stores and inspiringly, an increases in the confidence and individual performances among the staff.

Performance Coaching is one of Hood Sweeney’s newer services and it is great to see the team expanding and the diversity of the clients they are working with.

As you will see, this issue is packed with stories about people and the businesses they run. We take pride in helping businesses every day, but also in getting to know the people who start them, run them and make them their livelihoods.

If we can assist you in anyway or if you would like more information on any of the services we’ve mentioned in Life + Toil, please do make contact with us. Meantime, we hope you enjoy reading.

Disclaimer This advice is general advice only and has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs; and because of that you should, before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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The National Broadband Network (NBN) is being rolled out across the country, with about 10 million premises already connected, and hundreds more homes and businesses being added every month.

Already some of our Hood Sweeney clients have run into many service issues with their phone systems, internet and faxes – and that’s just the beginning. Your alarms, security cameras, elevator phone, EFTPOS and much more may also be affected!

We want to address your questions now, so that when the NBN comes to your premises, you know exactly what you need to do.

For starters, one of the best resources is the NBN Co Check Your Address website. Type in your address to see when the NBN is scheduled for your area, the type of technology to be provided and the construction stage for your premises.

You can even register for an email alert to notify you as the details change.

You can also contact Hood Sweeney Technology at nbnhelp@hoodsweeney.com.au for more information about your service compatibility, or for a free consultation to help unravel how the changes will impact your business.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and responses for you to consider:

How will the NBN affect my current phone system (and other hardware)?

At its simplest, the introduction of the NBN involves the removal of current traditional analogue phone lines across Australia and their replacement with digital services, such as high-speed fibre-optic cabling.

Moving to internet-based services over the NBN may affect your ability to use your current phone system or other analogue hardware in their current form; this could include alarms, EFTPOS, fax, internet routers, elevator phones and other essential business services.

Moving to the NBN is not automatic.

Once NBN Co has announced your area is ready for service, you will typically have 18 months to move your landline phone and internet services to the new NBN network, although some service providers may have shorter timeframes.

Will I be able to use my existing phone system?

This is the key question for most businesses when transitioning to the NBN. Answering it will depend not only on your current equipment but also the type of NBN connection to your premises (Fibre To The Node – FTTN, or Fibre To The Premises – FTTP) or other digital services.

Specialist advice should be sought as soon as the NBN rollout is scheduled for your business precinct.

Any services you do not cancel or move to the NBN within the specified timeframe will be disconnected without notice by the NBN Co.

TECHNOLOGY Don’t get caught off the hook when the

NBN comes to your neighbourhood.

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For further information about transitioning to the NBN for your business and assessing the compatibility of your hardware, speak to a Hood Sweeney IT professional today on 1300 764 200.

Handsets

Some phone handsets will work fine on the NBN, but again we urge you to check that the correct technology is chosen to ensure that your phones will continue to work, or if required, a new phone system installed.

Don’t forget the other hardware

The following equipment at your business premises must be tested or checked for NBN compatibility:

› Internet router › EFTPOS › Fax › Alarms › Security cameras › Elevator telephone › Other essential business services

There is a range of potential options available in order to facilitate compatibility with the NBN, depending on your equipment, requirements and the type of service connection to your premises.

There may be viable alternatives to NBN connectivity at your address too, and you may need to allow more time for services to be connected and the migration to occur. For example, provisioning a new dedicated fibre-optic connection can take at least three months.

Your premises and hardware should be inspected and assessed by a specialist in order to determine the best path forward and ensure that your business’ needs are met.

Graham WadsleyDirector, Technology Services

Disclaimer This advice is general advice only and has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs; and because of that you should, before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

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connect explore serveTelstra Fleurieu teams ring in success

with Performance Coaching.

Telstra’s three Fleurieu stores, Colonnades, Seaford and Victor Harbor, were looking to breathe new life into the business following a change of ownership. Leading into the busy Christmas retail season staff were missing opportunities, revenue was lost and consequently the staff were inconsistent in achieving commissions.

The franchisee who took on all three stores in the State’s southern tourism region, best known for wine and beaches, reached out to Hood Sweeney. He wanted to implement a credible and inspiring training program that would remain relevant as the Telstra business evolved through new product launches and staff development.

“Telstra Fleurieu needed something bespoke that could identify any shortcomings at the stores and arm our staff with skills and an ongoing framework to boost performance,” said Stuart Wells, who took over the Telstra Fleurieu franchises in 2018.

Twelve months on and the Colonnades, Seaford and Victor Harbor stores are each at different stages of the training program.

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And the results are already getting the thumbs up from staff and management.

“This was a thought-provoking process and really quite inspiring for the staff and leaders involved. Hood Sweeney has given us a toolkit to help broaden skills and get on with the job, yielding some really excellent results so far”, said Stuart.

Among the highlights, the Colonnades store achieved its biggest gross profit week in the week that the final training sessions were delivered. Individuals who had previously struggled were able to outperform top performers, and achieve commissions beyond their expectations.

Here’s how it played out.

Hood Sweeney’s Performance Coaching team began by gathering information, including observing as mystery shoppers in the Colonnades store, the largest of the three and with the most foot traffic.

“To help create a successful performance environment, we needed to understand first-hand the experience from the customer and the staff perspectives,” said Hood Sweeney Performance Coaching Consultant Ben Taylor, who is working across all three Telstra Fleurieu stores to consolidate performance.

He said the observation process highlighted that while staff engaged in transactions with customers, they were not serving them fully, or exploring all of the potential opportunities. Also, the previous coaching that had been done by the Telstra leadership team was outcome based but didn’t explore why staff weren’t achieving their goals.

Compounding those issues, coaching was viewed as a task. It wasn’t prioritised to ensure that it happened regularly. If staff were busy, coaching was the first activity to be rescheduled, or dropped altogether.

Hood Sweeney implemented a two-pronged approach and came up with the CES model, Connect, Explore and Serve. The CES model was designed to enable all staff to build a deep connection with their customers, explore needs and wants, and serve them in the best way possible by bringing all opportunities to the table.

“We recognised that the leaders in the business needed to better connect with their staff, explore their story and serve them in the right way with coaching and honest conversations,” said Ben.

To support the CES, Hood Sweeney also delivered an Operation Performance Management (OPM) framework, which enables a business to be managed at short intervals.

“We would meet with individuals to discuss their performance for the previous day, any barriers they encountered, and to give them a game plan for the day ahead,” said Ben.

“The facilitator leading the training would be based instore, and on hand to coach in real time, to help reinforce the learning and answer questions as they arose. Before the store opened, we would present, discuss as a group and role play, and then put learnings straight into practice with customers throughout the day. Eventually, the facilitator steps back and is available to act as a trusted advisor.”

Colonnades was the first store trained with the CES model through November and December 2018. Seaford and Victor have now completed their initial intensive training periods. The training was well received with positive feedback from all levels of staff.

› The Colonnades store achieved its biggest gross profit week in the week of the final training sessions.

› Individuals who had previously struggled, outperformed top performers, and achieved commissions they never thought possible.

› The Seaford store recorded its biggest week ever, correlating with the training.

› The Seaford Store Manager reported a huge uplift in morale and motivation, which led to improved performance.

Engagement rose, with more people expressing that they felt happier at work because they knew how to link their personal goals to their work roles. Delivery across products also expanded, so staff could move away from a transactional relationship and better explore customers’ needs.

Some individuals reported first-time sales in products that had previously been a struggle, and reaching personal bests in weekly revenue generation. One staff member said she loved the training because it changed her mindset, leading her to achieve commission and win the high performer’s prize for the week.

Disclaimer This advice is general advice only and has been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs; and because of that you should, before acting on the advice, consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.

If your business could benefit from some support and guidance to get the most from your staff and their leaders, contact the Hood Sweeney Performance Coaching team on 1300 764 200.

“ To help create a successful performance environment, we needed to understand first-hand the experience from the customer and the staff perspectives.”

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PROFILE Marisa Riccio

Get to know Hood Sweeney’s newest Managing Director.Words by Lee Theodoros, Photos by Simon Casson

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Marisa Riccio was always going to be an accountant.

The newest Managing Director of Hood Sweeney said being an accountant was forever, inexplicably, in her blood.

“I wanted to do it basically since school days,” said Marisa, 40, and one of the firm’s longest-serving employees.

“I wasn’t a numbers person necessarily. I think it’s probably more about wanting to help people. It’s about getting positive outcomes for people and being able to help them achieve their business objectives,” she said.

Marisa, the youngest of three daughters to Italian immigrant parents, began a degree in information technology at university before moving into commerce. She joined Hood Sweeney in 1999 as an undergraduate at the University of South Australia, and worked her way through the ranks to become a Director.

She is the first female to take the reins at Hood Sweeney, and one of the few women at the top of the male-dominated professional services industry. While she does not dwell on the gender issue, she admits she is proud of the achievement.

“I believe it is actually quite an inspirational story for our future leaders – and for women in leadership here at Hood Sweeney. It shows them that, in a male-dominated industry, provided you have the passion, the skills, and the motivation, you can achieve anything.”

Hood Sweeney takes diversity seriously, providing leadership programs for women, for example, as well as fostering an open, performance-based culture where everyone is given the same opportunities to succeed.

When Marisa started out, she said she grabbed the chance to learn from directors and other colleagues with more experience and different skills.

“One of the key things at Hood Sweeney, you can access directors and you can learn from them, which makes us unique because we really do drive that development of our staff.

“Given that opportunity of working with (directors) allowed me to build my leadership skills, build my client skills and pushed me always to go to that next level and to the next challenge which brings me, I guess, to where I am now.”

While rising to Managing Director was a longer-term aspiration, Marisa said it came about a lot sooner than she anticipated. Her predecessor, Chris Stewart, completed a three-year term and didn’t seek reappointment. That opened the way for the Board to elevate Marisa, acknowledging her integrity, the respect she garners from colleagues, and her desire to provide outstanding service to clients.

Her goals as Managing Director include building on the firm’s 40-year history and cementing it as a market leader, with a key focus on the advisory arm.

Hood Sweeney ranked 37 nationally in The Australian Financial Review’s Top 100 Accounting firms for 2018, published in November. The survey found firms that offered non-accounting services were the biggest winners, and that advisory is one of the fastest-growing areas across the industry.

“Stepping into this role, I know I’ve got support from all my shareholders and directors. Our culture is probably what has enabled us to get to where we are now.”

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“The vision is around working towards a focus on innovation and technology and embracing those changes at Hood Sweeney so we can stay at the forefront of client advisory,” said Marisa.

“That leads back to the client-first approach, where we’re always looking to strengthen that relationship, so we’re known as the market leader in South Australia and also around the segment. We really want to concentrate and grow the key segments that we’re in at the moment because they align to priorities in the State.”

As an example, Hood Sweeney shuffled its Food, Wine and Hospitality segment to break out Wine as a dedicated sector, given the State Government’s commitment to supporting and promoting South Australia’s flourishing wine industry.

Marisa said growing the business through mergers and acquisitions, such as the alignment fostered in 2018 with JPG Accountancy and Advising in Clare, is also a focus for the Board.

More personally, Marisa said she wants to set strategic goals during her term and set up the business to achieve those goals and secure growth for the next wave of leaders coming through the firm.

“I think one of the things that is actually quite exciting is that the future leader of this business is here already. We’re in good hands, because we know that person is already in this office.”

Hood Sweeney has a history of promoting from within, with a particular eye on the practitioner-MD model.

It’s a culture that Marisa describes as positive, embracing and collaborative.

“Stepping into this role, I know I’ve got support from all my shareholders and directors. Our culture is probably what has enabled us to get to where we are now – it’s a lot of the focus around people and well-being that has enabled us to get here, and I think we just never lose sight of the fact that we can only achieve what we can, if we look after our staff.

“I think that is a testament to the culture we have here.”

She walks the talk too, insisting that knowing when to stop and find a balance between work and a private life is imperative.

Marisa may have been destined for a virtuoso career playing piano or organ, having trained from age five until she joined Hood Sweeney and realised that she couldn’t balance practising music with an accounting practice.

The work days may be full now, but Marisa said she tries to shut down on the weekends, with friends, a good book or a show or movie.

Travel too is a passion, with Hawaii and Miami listed as favourite destinations, and another European adventure to Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia on the bucket list – when the time is right.

“I’ll chase the sun anytime …there’s always time for downtime, if not you’ll burn out and you won’t achieve what you want to achieve.”

Postscript

At the time of publication, we received news that Marisa Riccio was awarded the 2019 Barry Lambert Harvard Business School Scholarship. Established in 2017, the scholarship aims to identify and reward exceptional leadership skills from businesses across the CountPlus network. As the 2019 recipient, Marisa will visit Harvard Business School in Boston in 2020 for an intensive, week-long leadership course entitled Leading Professional Services Firms. She says she looks forward to bringing her learnings home to Hood Sweeney and our clients.

“The vision is around working towards a focus on innovation and technology and embracing those changes at Hood Sweeney so we can stay at the forefront of client advisory.”

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SeapaA pearler of an idea that grew Seapa.

Words by Lee Theodoros, Photos by Simon Casson & courtesy of Seapa

TV personality Keith Conlon was on television interviewing an oyster grower in Ceduna about the challenges of his farming operation. Garry Thompson was watching from his living room and had a lightbulb moment.

Garry had been looking for a way to grow his plastic injection moulding business away from contract work for the whitegoods and automotive industries, where he predicted a limited future. He spied the oyster baskets the farmer was using and figured his plastic moulding operation could do better, so he went looking for an oyster farmer to partner with.

Thirty years later and Garon Plastics has evolved from four machines in Managing Director Garry Thompson’s Somerton Park backyard, into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Edwardstown, and spinoff company, Seapa, that specialises in plastic products for the shellfish industry.

“There were other companies doing something similar at the time but how Garry has positioned the business and how we’ve grown over the years is by understanding the needs of the market and then applying some innovative thinking to take a leap forward,” said Andy Will, Group General Manager of Seapa and Garon Plastics.

“We see our role is to solve the problems of shellfish farmers around the world.”

Seapa’s oyster baskets were the first injection moulded baskets and the first to have an ‘auto-door’ that opened, rather than having to release cable ties to gain access. They were also first to design a clip that addressed the issue of baskets falling off the long line in an oyster farm, which is set up similarly to a vineyard with rows of lines and baskets that move with the tides.

There are now some 1.5 million Seapa baskets in waters around the world, and three global offices in the US, France and Japan, as well as clients in Mexico, Canada and Portugal. In 2018, Seapa was named Australian Exporter of the Year and also took home the Agribusiness Award at the Australian Export Awards in Canberra, recognising its inroads into international markets.

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Andy says some of the very first baskets that Seapa produced are still in the water being used to farm oysters, a testament to the durability of the plastic production methods used to make them. A chap in Toronto, Canada orders a stack every year to hang overhead in his oyster bar too, and then there was the oyster basket art installation at Hobart’s MONA, Museum of the Old and New, in 2014.

“Our baskets end up in some weird and wacky places,” says Andy of what they thought was a single-purpose product.

Seapa estimates the global oyster market is about 4 million tonnes. A staggering 3 million tonnes are produced in China for oyster sauce and meat alone, leaving the other 1 million tonnes spread across Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere in Asia, such as Korea and Japan.

Only a small – but growing – number of global oyster growers and consumers want a plump, high-value oyster in a cupped shell, as we’re most familiar with in Australia. Historically, more of the world is interested only in the oyster meat and the shell is discarded. This is shifting somewhat, says Andy, but Seapa’s oyster baskets are still catering to that niche, high-value oyster market.

The way the oysters grow in the basket, spending some time submerged to feed on nutrients in the water and other time above the water and ‘rumbling’ with the waves helps to grow the meat and create a rounded shell ideal for serving oysters as we know them, on the half shell.

“Where we’ve ridden a bit of a wave is this cultural shift internationally toward demanding more half-shell, high-quality oysters. It’s becoming more and more prevalent,” Andy says.

Within the Seapa/Garon facility, south of Adelaide, the plastic injection moulding process itself is largely automated thanks to high-tech Austrian-made machines and efficient robotics. Grains of virgin plastic are fed into a machine and heated to melting point before being injected at intense pressure into a mould to create the desired shapes, and then ejected at the other end.

The labour-intense detail is in custom-designing the machine tools required to achieve the end products. That’s where Andy says parent company Garon Plastics adds a lot of value, de-risking the tooling design process which can make or break a project.

“If you’re not reinventing yourself and looking at ways to get better, and looking for ways to change the status quo, basically survival as a manufacturer isn’t going to happen.”

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As much as the trend is towards automating manufacturing, Andy is adamant that it’s the 30 or so people at Garon and Seapa who account for their longevity and success. As a family-owned and run business, many of the team are family, or have worked there for so many years that they are like family.

“We’re quite open about the fact that we look at labour efficiency. Labour is a big expense but it’s easy to look at numbers here at the desk – it’s a very different equation when you walk on the production floor and see that it’s someone’s livelihood. It’s not acceptable to us to just put a robot on a machine and put people out of work.

“We talk about there being opportunities for everyone, but we have to bring our people along on that journey.”

Both Seapa and Garon have thrived on opening the door to opportunity and creating opportunities by knowing their business well enough to weather a challenging manufacturing environment. Andy says it’s about carving a market niche, adapting constantly and always knowing your value proposition. Knowing when to take a chance and ask for guidance also helps, but more on that later.

“If you have that clarity and if you’re considering a market bigger than South Australia – so you open your horizon to where your products could end up – I think there absolutely is a strong opportunity to continue to manufacturer in SA.

“Part of the reason we are so buoyant at the moment is that we’ve spent the last three years developing this business infrastructure globally. A lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of money has gone into growing our distribution. The opportunity for us now is to develop more product for us to sell to the world.”

Seapa learned early on that it had to adapt if it wanted to grow. What works for an oyster grower on the west coast of South Australia or in Tasmania, for example, won’t work in France – as they learned the hard way.

When Seapa entered the French market around 2008, it tried to sell the same product it had successfully sold in Australia but didn’t account for the different farming methods and conditions.

There were a few rocky years trying to infiltrate France – where oysters have been a mainstay since the 1800s when they were the so-called protein of the people. But finally, Andy says “a lightbulb went off and we realised we had to adapt our product to fit (French) infrastructure and still provide the labour savings and the same quality product we could achieve in Australia.

“Once we could do that, we really started to make inroads into more international markets.”

Part of the satisfaction working at Seapa and its parent, Garon Plastics, is the collective willingness to “have a go and make mistakes” says Andy. He recalls Garry’s readiness to take a punt on him and send him to France to take care of a job when he was only six months in the business and still very green. It paid off.

“As much as we do take outside advice, we also take calculated risks. We back ourselves and it’s not cavalier. We’ll have a go and learn a lot of lessons rather than sitting back and waiting – the benefit we’ve had is first-mover advantage,” said Andy.

“We’re still the only company selling this type of system that we’re aware of, that has invested in its own people on the ground in Australasia, North Asia, the US and Europe, which are essentially the key markets.”

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For more information about Coaching Club and Hood Sweeney Consulting & Performance Coaching, contact the team on 1300 764 200.

Where Seapa does seek outside guidance is with Hood Sweeney’s Consulting & Performance Coaching team, of which it has been a client for about three years.

Andy said the reflection by the Seapa crew before the monthly meetings and the reality that they are all contributing equally to the conversations makes coaching an excellent, on-point method of staying on track. Being involved in the Coaching Club, in particular, is invaluable.

“It’s the power of the other businesses in the room that is invariably the most valuable part of any coaching club. It’s the facilitated conversation, learning from other people’s successes and challenges. I find it great.”

Additionally, Seapa is working on a strategy development with Hood Sweeney Consulting & Performance Coaching, so the company knows what the journey ahead looks like.

“If you’re not reinventing yourself and looking at ways to get better, and looking for ways to change the status quo, basically survival as a manufacturer isn’t going to happen.”

As Seapa plans its journey, there are some areas the company is already set on. Energy efficiency, for one, is a high priority given the amount of electricity they use each day. The day we met, solar panels were being installed on the substantial roof, and Andy said part of the value in the expensive Austrian-made machines is that they are more energy efficient than some counterparts.

Efficiency is also a driving force behind the business embracing the use of data. Andy sees scope to encourage clients away from whiteboards and notebooks and towards digital means of information collection and sharing. There are giant screens throughout the Seapa/Garon facility displaying what stage each machine is at in its production cycle, so everyone can keep tabs.

“We’re looking at broadening the tools for creating the best oysters and part of that is understanding the use of data in business,” says Andy.

Asked where he sees Seapa in five years, he says that technology will play a bigger part in the way they manage production and the business overall.

“If you come to the facility in five years, you’ll see that a lot more of the decisions are being made utilising data to really drive those decisions, but I also envision that you will see a team of energised people engaging with that data.

“All of the values and culture elements that Garry has brought to the business around the people and the family element need to remain. That’s a key point of difference for us.

“The next five years won’t be easy but hopefully we can celebrate the fruits of our labour.”

“We talk about there being opportunities for everyone, but we have to bring our people along on that journey.”

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At 18 years old Craig Bennetts was an apprentice plumber, with the invincibility that comes with youth and no financial commitments. He happened to be dating a girl who worked at Hood Sweeney, then a relatively small firm with only six staff, including its two namesakes, Peter Hood and Graham Sweeney.

Peter Hood did Craig’s taxes and even after the dates ended, Craig kept his finance business with Hood Sweeney. When just out of his teens, he was unexpectedly laid off and made the decision of his life – to set up his own plumbing business.

“I bit the bullet, bought a ute and jumped in at the deep end,” said Craig, 46 and reaping the benefits of years of sound financial advice from Hood Sweeney professionals, from accounting, insurance and wealth management.

“Craig is one of those long-time Hood Sweeney clients, who started out with one service and gradually branched out into many parts of our business as his needs grew and changed,” said Mark Mullins, Hood Sweeney Securities Associate Director and Representative of Hood Sweeney Securities Pty Ltd AFSL No. 220897 ABN 40081 455 165.

In May 2016, Craig was lifting a toilet weighing 80 kilos and felt an unwelcome twinge in his back. What began as a bit of soreness grew progressively worse as he continued to service clients through his one-man business.

“I tried to push through the pain,” he said, but it was no good. The pain was just getting worse and when Craig’s wife, Cassie, found him crouching on the floor in agony, it was time to get to hospital.

After a series of epidurals, scans and doctors’ visits Craig found Adelaide neurosurgeon, Dr Cindy Molloy and preparations began for microdisectomy and laminectomy surgery, or in layman terms, the removal of a massively bulging spinal disc.

“Surgery was successful but I was flat on my back and couldn’t lift more than a milk carton for six weeks. I had to watch my wife and son split wood for the combustion heater, a job I would normally do, and it was pretty hard to take.”

And of course, Craig couldn’t work, which meant they were down to one income and the stresses that go along with that. Craig’s days centred on physiotherapy, swimming and walking. “It was all about my recovery through rehabilitation – and it became apparent very quickly that I could never go back to plumbing. That was the only work I was ever trained to do since I was 15, and I didn’t know anything else. “

Luckily, Craig had been advised years earlier to take out life insurance, along with private health, car, and home and contents insurance, which are the norm for most families. Life insurance is the name given to insurance paid to family members when you die, but also is the umbrella term covering three other types of insurance; total and permanent disability, trauma and income protection.

Risk InsuranceBetting on the worst case scenario put

Craig Bennetts in the best possible place.

Mark MullinsAssociate Director

Representative of Hood Sweeney Securities AFSL No. 220897

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We may all resent paying insurance premiums, but when something unexpected happens, it can be a lifesaver. Income protection insurance is relatively lesser known too. People don’t give a second thought to insuring their cars, which can be replaced at a price, but they don’t necessarily think about protecting their earnings – which could be cut short unexpectedly, said Mark Mullins.

Craig says there were times when he definitely questioned forking out for insurance, especially when business was a bit quiet and he felt like he was laying out more than he was bringing in.

“I went through stages when I questioned if it was worth it – I’d think ‘why am I paying all this money for insurance?’. Nothing was going to happen to me.

But you can’t replace your earning capacity. At the end of the day, (having income protection insurance) has allowed me to get healthy.

Thankfully, Hood Sweeney based insurance for me on the worst-case scenario that I wouldn’t be able to do what I was trained to do,” he said.

Craig’s Income protection insurance kicked in after 30 days off work, paying him 75 percent of his monthly income. For someone with a mortgage and two children in private school, it meant “I didn’t have to worry about money quite so much.

My wife was already working full time and had the pressure of driving me to and from medical appointments, as well as the kids. It was a super tough time but knowing that I had some sort of income coming in saved our family a lot of heartache.”

Hood Sweeney Securities had also set up Craig with Death and Total Permanent Disability insurance policies. After his surgery, Mark Mullins took the reins and explored Craig’s viability for a Total and Permanent Disability payment.

“They did everything. If I had any problems or questions or if there were forms for doctors to fill out, I’d ring Mark and he’d help with my questions. It took a lot of the burden off me.”

Hood Sweeney Securities offers a claims service for clients, acting as a go-between for the client and the insurer, and as an advocate to minimise the inevitable stress of what can be a long and arduous claims process.

Craig says he received a ‘significant’ insurance payout, both in a lump sum and paid into his superannuation. He was able to reduce debt, buy a caravan so he could take the family on road trips, and again he tapped Hood Sweeney Securities’ wealth management arm for investment advice.

“I want to enjoy life with my wife and children and create memories. But I also want for us to be set up for the long term. There has to be balance, because you don’t know what can happen down the road.

“I have had great financial advice and thankfully, I have had the smarts to take it.”

Craig’s insurance policy allows him to do paid work for 10 hours a week, tops, so you can find him pulling beers and having a chat with the local lunch crowd at a mate’s pub. He says he doesn’t miss the chance to share some of his lessons, and prompts his self-employed friends to “take out the best insurance you can afford”.

“It’s so important. It’s why I’m one of the good luck stories.”

Disclaimer Information contained in this article is of a general nature only. It does not constitute financial or taxation advice. The information does not take into account your personal situation. We recommend that you obtain investment and taxation advice specific to your objectives, financial situation and specific needs before making any investment decisions or acting on any of the information contained in this article. The information in this document has been derived from sources we believed to be reliable and accurate. Subject to law, neither Hood Sweeney Securities ABN 40081 455 165, AFS License No. 220897, nor their directors, employees, agents or representatives gives any representation or warranty as to the reliability , accuracy or completeness of the information; or accepts any responsibility for any person acting, or refraining from acting, on the basis of the information contained in this article.

For more information on life insurance, income protection or other types of insurance, please contact our Life Risk Specialist Mark Mullins on 1300 764 200.

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Hustle & VineAndrew Fantasia is blending food, wine and family

into an entrepreneurial business brew.Words by Lee Theodoros, Photos Courtesy of Hustle & Vine

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Andrew Fantasia was pulling beers in his dad’s bar from the age of 14, after school, during late-night trading and school holidays. He’s come full circle now with his own wine brand taking flight and plans to breathe new life into his dad’s bar, with a revamp in the works.

Andrew launched Hustle & Vine into the South Australian market in December 2017, kicking off with a rosé and a shiraz. He has two more wines coming soon, drawing on his Italian heritage with a pinot grigio and a sangiovese.

At 32 and still learning and honing his skills in the wine and hospitality industry, Andrew has a million ideas of things to do, create, explore and make happen.

With wines and a restaurant/bar venture in the works, he says a cellar door in McLaren Vale dedicated to Hustle & Vine wines is also on the bucket list.

“Unfortunately, my brain is quite active and everything I think of is really on a big scale. I have to say, hang on a second, my pockets aren’t quite that full yet, so it’s going to take some time.

But it will be McLaren Vale and I won’t stop at just a cellar door. It will be much more and it will be really cool.”

For now though, he is putting the hustle into the Hustle & Vine brand, working on getting the eye-catching bottles into as many restaurants, bottle shops and homes as possible.

The brand is built on 80s/90s nostalgia, with the inspiration coming from music and movies, as well as skate, street and hip hop cultures. Current wine names, for instance, are inspired by early poetry of the late American rapper, Tupac Shakur.

“You have to find an edge somewhere, an angle, because for me, it’s all about connecting with people,” says Andrew, in a catch up at Aces Bar & Bistro, in the Adelaide Central Market district, which his father has owned for almost 30 years. But more on that later.

“I want these bottles to sit on a dining table or at a bar or at a restaurant and add to people’s dining experiences. I want people to fall in love with the brand,” he says.

The Rose That Grew from Concrete idea, and the name of the rosé, is something that Andrew says can resonate with a lot of people. Likewise, the Still I Rise Shiraz, with an astronaut helmet on the label, is a symbol of tenacity and shows mankind’s accomplishments, if you look for a deeper meaning.

“But at face value, they look cool. People like something that’s cool and attractive and that’s why they work. They pop out off the shelf,” he says of the artwork brought to life by Adelaide-based creative agency, Frame.

“I’m just always willing to learn and have conversations with people. Sometimes I’m really adamant about how things need to be and sometimes I’m not, but I’m willing to learn. There are people out there who I talk to.”

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The rosé is made from pinot noir grapes from the Adelaide Hills, playing on a Provencal-style rosé but with an Australian lift and a big mouth feel. It’s bone dry but with lots of flavour, promises Andrew.

The shiraz has traditional McLaren Vale characteristics of chocolate, cacao and cherry ripe flavours. It’s got 15 months treatment in French and American oak; it’s soft and elegant but still big in flavour, he says.

Hustle & Vine has launched both wines into the Melbourne market now and Andrew says they are selling well. Like many business people, he acknowledges that South Australia is a good test market – if you can succeed here, chances are the product will do well interstate.

“It’s hard but if you get it right (in South Australia), the big cities are relatively easier – they have the people and the pull through. It’s a tough market out there – this isn’t called Hustle & Vine for no reason,” says Andrew.

Even with a family rooted in the local hospitality industry, Andrew has worked his way up since he finished school, including studying wine marketing and sales and working as a retail rep with Festival City Wines, and then at Taylors Wines. He then helped launch the Two Italian Boys wine label.

Using the brand, the young team introduced people to Italian grape varieties such as sangiovese, nebbiolo and pinot grigio, and “it really took off. It was the right time. We all had pretty little experience trying to build a brand from scratch but we did really well.”

The wines were sold in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and Andrew says he gained loads of experience that guided his future.

And so, Hustle & Vine began. Using contracted grape growers, including shiraz grapes from a vineyard owned by a family member, Andrew tapped into the knowledge and experience of some fine winemaking mentors, including Ben Jeanneret.

Ben Jeanneret oversaw the first vintage, offering Andrew some advice along the way and remains a friend and mentor.

“Ben told me the easiest thing is making a good wine, the hard part is to sell it. I think that’s the biggest challenge. 100 percent. You have to work hard, you have to really connect with the consumer and come up with different ideas in terms of sales and marketing.”

Andrew says that while the wine industry is competitive, there’s a collegiality in South Australia and some of the established winemakers, in particular, are generous teachers. And Andrew is a ready student.

“You have to work hard, you have to really connect with the consumer and come up with different ideas in terms of sales and marketing.”

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“I’m just always willing to learn and have conversations with people. Sometimes I’m really adamant about how things need to be and sometimes I’m not, but I’m willing to learn. There are people out there who I talk to.”

On the finance front, Andrew says his Hood Sweeney accountant, Peter Radovanovic, has “been very important for my business,” and his next business will be a client too.

One fledgling business isn’t enough. Andrew’s active brain and quest to keep creating has borne another venture, which will be up and running soon. He’s taking on his father’s bar, Aces, and giving it a fresh, food-focussed makeover.

With a team of partners, Aces will include a bottle shop upfront and an American Italian diner-style menu, with meatball subs, pizzas and a good wine list.

“I’m really trying to continue my father’s legacy and keep this business trading,” says Andrew, the eldest of three children and the only son.

While the menu will get a zhush, the place overall will retain its feel.

“This is a place that has a lot of history – whether people came to the markets every Friday night and had a beer and a bite to eat after shopping, or they came with their grandparents. Everyone has had an experience here. It’s about bringing that connection back to people – and bringing people back through the door, as well as attracting new people. Places with history – they live forever.”

Dad, Enzo Fantasia, who had Caffé Buongiorno on Rundle Street in the early nineties, “is someone who is really loved in the industry – and hopefully once the revamp of Aces happens it can be special for him to spend his last couple of years in hospitality in a really cool, premium venue,” says Andrew.

Of course, Hustle & Vine’s Still I Rise and The Rose that Grew from Concrete will be on the menu. They’re already being poured in a lot of top restaurants and bars around Adelaide, including Golden Boy, Bar Torino, Gauchos, Proof Wine Bar and Sean's Kitchen, and they’re being sold at some of the smaller bottle shops. Andrew stresses it’s still very much a small-batch operation and he doesn’t have enough yet to be dealing with the nationals and supermarkets.

He’s trying hard not to sell out of wines and with a tough vintage this year, it may not get easier anytime soon.

“I didn’t quite get the fruit quantities I wanted only because of the heat and so forth, yields were down and that’s a bit challenging.”

The long game is to keep growing and get the brand out there, with the ultimate aim of selling his wines overseas, particularly in the US.

“It’s about chipping away at it and eventually it will happen,” he says.

For information on how Hood Sweeney’s Food & Hospitality and Wine teams can work with you, call 1300 764 200 or email hospitality@hoodsweeney.com.au

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“The big win for clients using brokers is diversity. One bank will give a client one suite of products to consider but a broker is usually accredited with all of the major lenders and many of the non-major lenders and this diversity promotes healthy consumer competition. Ultimately, that results in cost savings for our clients.”

Jaime Aplin is a lending specialist at Hood Sweeney Finance, with more than 15 years’ experience in the banking and mortgage industry. Having worked in consumer mortgages for one of Australia’s biggest banks, Jaime gained valuable experience in understanding the background of loan requirements from the lender’s perspective. Her focus now is on working closely with clients to develop a bond, based on trust and finding the best outcomes for their personal and business needs.

Mortgage broking is challenging at the best of times but the recent Banking Royal Commission turned up the heat on bank processes and tightened the screws on access to funds, making securing a mortgage tricky for many consumers.

Even so, Jaime is passionate about helping clients to find solutions and in the past 12 months she has maintained a strong success rate with loan applications lodged for clients.

We spend some time getting to know more about Jaime and the state of the mortgage market.

Jaime, walk us through a standard day in your role as Mortgage Broker at Hood Sweeney.I go through and plan my day in my calendar. I like to plan my day, so my day doesn’t plan me! Prioritising my most urgent tasks is incredibly important so I keep on the front foot of my work. I like to set clear expectations with my clients, so I am contacting them before they contact me. Most of my day is spent in meetings with clients and then analysing a client’s scenario and finding a home for it. There can be many different aspects to a client’s situation, and with daily changes to lenders' policies, finding a lender that suits them can take many hours of preparation. I am lucky to have a full-time admin support who helps me ‘wrestle’ with the banks and keep the applications moving to approval, and then settlement.

Has the recent Hayne Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry affected your business or your client relationships?There has definitely been an impact to the business in terms of the time needed to manage a client’s application. This has come from the banks tightening their credit policy and to be honest, it’s never been as difficult to get a loan as it is now. Not that long ago you would expect to lodge an application and have an approval relatively quickly, with no real significant delays. Now, we are finding that the bank can come back with an array of questions, and seek clarification for so many aspects of your life. I’m finding that clients are happier more than ever with the service we’re providing, because they understand the challenges that we now face and the complexity of the industry. It’s about managing and providing clear client expectations, so they understand and feel comfortable with the time frames for finance and feel confident that they can get finance.

PROFILE Jaime Aplin

Five minutes with … Jaime Aplin.

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What is the biggest challenge facing your clients today?The difficulty for consumers and investors to navigate the constantly changing lender policies and requirements – it literally changes daily. For a consumer to independently understand this, it would seem like a mine field to know what is appropriate for them without some educated advice.

Surely getting a low interest rate is the top priority when considering a mortgage? Actually, interest rate is not always the prime consideration. It is about finding an appropriate product to meet the needs of the client.

What may seem a cheap interest rate can be more expensive on comparison rate when fees and charges are taken into account – this is especially important to consider. Given the vast change of credit environment in recent times, there are many more niches for specific lenders and those who consider policies out of the box. It’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario anymore.

Rates generally are very competitive across the board, and I think a lot of that has to do with brokers being able to offer choice to a vast panel of lenders. There isn’t usually a huge difference from one lender to another, so it can come down to how a loan will work for the client and how they manage their money.

Some people may think brokers are redundant, especially when you can go direct to the banks to negotiate a loan. Is that the case? I believe that in these ever-changing times, we have an even bigger point of difference. We haven’t seen finance like this before, and I worked during the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2007/2008. Banks were still offering 100 percent loans in those times. They certainly aren’t doing that anymore.

Given there is such diversification with all the lenders now and what they have an appetite for, it truly is difficult to navigate to which lender suits you specifically, without having a broker on your side. For example, if you were to go down to your local bank and they were unable to help you, do you think they would know that another bank two blocks around the corner offers their client a solution for their exact situation.

That’s essentially what we do. We can navigate our clients to lenders they wouldn’t be able to find themselves, and save them a lot of time and legwork. There are also many amazing lenders out there that are only available through the broker channel. It opens the doors for competition, and I believe keeps banks – especially the big banks – honest. We have access to more than 40 different lenders, so there is more chance of finding someone who can help with what you are trying to achieve.

Is there anything people can do when preparing to seek a mortgage to smooth the road?Consult a mortgage broker so you can consider all your options. We are not aligned with any bank – we just want a suitable outcome for each client, whatever that may look like.

Keep your account conduct in excellent condition! Before, banks would know only if you had adverse credit history, such as defaults, but now they know if you have overdrawn your account or missed a credit card payment, even if it was a couple of years ago. Big brother is watching and taking notes! Try to always put money aside either in your home loan, or into a savings account. The bank doesn’t want to see that you spend every single dollar you earn. And be honest and upfront with your broker about your situation. They are there to help, and can only provide the best outcome when they know exactly where you’re at.

Are there any red flags that sound immediate warning bells to lenders?Banks are hot on verifying all your transaction history, and actual living expenses to ensure you can afford the loan, based on what you have been spending. Just be aware of what you are spending, and that you are living within your means.

Avoid Afterpay and other types of short-term credit. It may seem harmless, and not costing you any interest, but the banks aren’t too keen to see it being used regularly.

Also, ensure you disclose all of your debts, because the banks can access all of your previous credit history and don’t like it if you haven’t told them about everything.

Can you outline briefly one of most satisfying ‘wins’ you have had in this role?I have a client who unfortunately went bankrupt a few years ago with his business. Many self-employed people know the difficulty in moving ahead after that happens. It’s like a weight that you carry around for a life time. My client and his partner wanted to purchase an investment property together. He went to a couple of banks directly and kept getting knocked back. The black mark was going to stop him from building financial wealth. He had been working hard, paying rent, no personal debt and saving his money. When I first spoke to the couple, I knew I could find them a lender who would help them. There are lenders out there who think outside the box. And so we did. The appreciation and joy from the customer was overwhelming. He couldn’t believe that I had made this a reality for him.

This is why I love what I do. Finding a way, even when the chances seem slim!

Jaime AplinLending Specialist

Hood Sweeney Finance Pty LtdAustralian Credit Licence No. 391396

To review your loan contact Jaime Aplin on 1300 764 200.

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Meet the

Hood Sweeney Contributors

Our featured clients

Telstra Store Fleurieu SeapaHustle & Vine

Marisa RiccioManaging Directormarisa.riccio@hoodsweeney.com.auRepresentative of Hood Sweeney Accounting & Business Advisory AFSL 485569

Mark MullinsAssociate Directormark.mullins@hoodsweeney.com.auRepresentative of Hood Sweeney Securities Pty Ltd AFSL 220897

Jaime AplinLending Specialistjaime.aplin@hoodsweeney.com.auHood Sweeney Finance Pty Ltd Australian Credit Licence No. 391396

Lee TheodorosGrowth & Market Insights Managerlee.theodoros@hoodsweeney.com.au

Graham WadsleyDirector, Technology Services

graham.wadsley@hoodsweeney.com.au

Ben TaylorBusiness Coach, Performance Coachingben.taylor@hoodsweeney.com.au