Allan Brackin is an entrepreneur and investor. Years ago, he started a successful IT company that grew to over $600M AUD and was traded on the ASX. After finishing at the company in 2006, Allan turned his attention to managing his own investment portfolio and sitting on the boards of several public and private companies. Throughout that time, BLG Business Advisers has been an important partner.
Allan met Scott Brodie, a Director at BLG, when they served together on the Board of Directors for a publicly-traded company.
“We got to know each other, and I was impressed with how much value Scott brought to the table,” Allan says. “I moved my accounting to Scott, and it’s grown from there. It’s more than just accounting now.”
BLG helped Allan put together a structure for his investments that is tax efficient and reduces liability. “They’re very strong on structure,” Allan says. “They helped me get the right structures in place for both tax and protection purposes.”
In addition, BLG advised Allan on setting up family trusts, a private investment company, and managing his superannuation fund. “They’ve been integral in ensuring that the right investments are getting to the right bucket,” Allan says.
Allan points to BLG’s commitment to providing excellent value as the primary factor that has allowed his relationship with BLG to flourish over the years. “I’ve worked with high-level advisers from the big five or six firms in Australia. BLG matches their skills and expertise, but they have a passion for small-to-medium-sized businesses and individuals,” Allan says. “Their philosophy is simply to add value. If they can’t add value, they’ll go away; if they can, they figure you’ll always want to do business with them. It’s proven to be a very effective strategy.”
In addition to their financial expertise, Allan adds that BLG’s strong business skills is a definite value-added advantage—and a key reason that he frequently refers companies that he works with to BLG. “I tip everyone I know to work with BLG,” Allan says. “Just the other day, a good mate who sold his business said he needed help around his personal structures. I sent him to BLG. On all the boards where I’m sitting in the SME space, I send them to BLG. I’ve put a lot of people and companies in touch with them, and they always use BLG because BLG proves their worth. You never feel like you’re going to get ripped off. You know you’re going to get great value.”
"BLG has helped me with my own tax, structures, and investments—because they’re more than just accountants,” Allan says. “They have very strong business skills and knowledge. That’s a real advantage for SME’s and individuals who are looking for the kind of high-level advice they’d receive from a big firm. I tell everyone I know to use BLG Business Advisers.”