When we catch up with Stuart, he’s wearing multiple hats. He’s close to launching a 16-unit Sydney development and has been working long hours, six days a week, for almost three years. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s hard to believe now that the former plumber – with his own business for 16 years – fell into this job. “We had a development that we wanted to do and everyone that we got quotes from to manage it was ripping us off so we thought ‘bugger it, we’ll do it ourselves’,” he says. “We definitely made the right decision.”
He has partnered with Orbit for business advice for this project, and for the last 10 years. “They are a huge part of this project, I couldn’t have done it without them. Definitely. It would have been too much paperwork and bookwork,” he says. “I have learned heaps from Orbit. They are so easy to get along with and talk to about everything, and they are very proactive. I need someone that can put accountancy in my words, in my language that I understand. They are world’s apart from my other accountant. I needed an accountant with better knowledge.”