BDO Invercargill & Glowing Sky
How BDO Invercargill contributes to a growing aurora for Glowing Sky
Glowing Sky was started as a “hobby” business (can any business be a hobby?!) in 1997 by Stewart Island couple Cath and Dil Belworthy. Their focus for the business was on providing pure Kiwi quality merino garments, 100% New Zealand made. From small beginnings the company has grown and now has shops on both Stewart and Waiheke Islands as well as in Wanaka and Invercargill. The name ‘Glowing Sky’ comes from the Maori name of Stewart Island; Rakiura, the Land of the Glowing Skies, (thought to refer to the Southern lights or the aurora australis).
The fabric used in Glowing Sky’s funky clothing range is knitted in Auckland and then the garments are manufactured in the South Island. Cath and Dil control the entire manufacturing process themselves and relish having a personal relationship with every link in the chain. As a result the Glowing Sky Merino product is sold entirely exclusively through their own stores and online.
So what about BDO?
When Cath and Dil started up the business, a farming friend recommended Greg Thomas at BDO Invercargill. At that stage their business was very small and part-time, just starting to encounter the complexities of business accounting. As the business was still at formative stage it was running to extremely tight budgets, and so Cath and Dil did all the bookwork they could themselves, and for the first couple of years only used Greg very occasionally for advice on matters they “just couldn’t sort out ourselves”.
A valuable business investment
Let’s let Dil carry on the story from here: “I would have to say that, ‘pound for pound’, the tiny amounts we spent on Greg’s services during that time would have been the most valuable investment we ever made in our business! Greg’s advice was always succinct, prompt, conclusive, and pivotal to getting us through the traps we have seen many other young businesses fall into.”
“Looking back, I would not hesitate to say that having a source of advice of the competence and experience of Greg and the combined BDO team was one of the essential aspects to us having the confidence to push our business forward into what is an extremely tough business environment.”
Taxing matters
“As our business grew, we happily passed off our tax and End of Year obligations to Greg, quickly realising that it was a false economy to wade through the complexities of those fields ourselves! With tax in particular we have always appreciated the security of knowing this potentially stressful area was completely under control, and we didn’t have to fear any nasty surprises.”
Software advice
As Glowing Sky grew, their accounting needs did too and they had to choose a business software package to handle inventory, invoicing and so on. Here the team at BDO was able to guide Glowing Sky to choose the accounting software package that was right for them (MYOB) and they found that this choice took them on in huge leaps and bounds in terms of efficiency.
Long term relationship a real asset
Now that Glowing Sky is bigger, they have found that the long term relationship with Greg and the team at BDO is a real business asset in itself. Says Dil, “the longevity of the relationship with Greg and BDO is now something we recognise as an asset, in terms of the credibility that we have seen it bring us in various dealings. At times in our growth we have pushed into territory that seemed unlikely, and at such times it has always been a major benefit to be able to offer our relationship with BDO as a reference.”
100% Pure Southland
Similarly, Greg and the BDO team love looking after Glowing Sky. “It’s fantastic to have a 100% Kiwi owned and operated business as a client, especially one that is doing such great things locally,” says Greg. “They’re a really interesting and exciting client and always so supportive of our service. We look forward to continuing to watch Dil and Cath come up with great ideas and grow them to reality.”
Final word must go to Dil as to how he sees the future of Glowing Sky, and BDO. “The ongoing support across the range of Business Financial Services from BDO is something we now would not be without, and we see our use of BDO expanding with our own growth." The team at BDO Invercargill looks forward to watching the aurora of Glowing Sky progressing as well!
Contact BDO Invercargill & Greg Thomas here
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Visit Glowing Sky's online store here