The HA Story

Blog 1 – Where We Came From

By Britt Lloyd

2021 gave us the opportunity to reflect as individuals and as a business on where we have come from, and what we aspire to be.

When you introduce yourself as an accountant at a party, there’s often no turning back. Some people cringe, others raise their eyebrows, and some say nothing at all. The majority of the time, the subject is quickly changed to something ‘more interesting’ or ‘exciting’.

For those that know Zac well, boring and uninteresting are not two words that are often used to describe him. When it came to his profession and working in corporate accounting and financial planning, there was this deep-seated desire to change the idea and perception of what an accountant is, how they can help people and what they do.

“I could see that there was a better way to do this – with goals, financial planning fundamentals, CFO advisory, technology and individual wealth creation. I wanted to show small businesses that in looking to the future for their business we could incorporate all of these things, and not just focus on just tax advice”.

Flashback to 2016, when a 25-year-old accountant and financial planner and his university friend and mother of 8 decided that boring and traditional accounting firms needed a makeover. Zac and I spoke about this in a reflection of where his success has come from, and just how quickly HA Accounting has grown.

 
Flashback – Zac Hayes and Laura-Marks Craven in 2016.

 

“I could see that people wanted more of a work-life balance and to achieve their goals in a short amount of time – and that was something I knew that I could help other businesses achieve”.

HA Accounting began from a small townhouse in Tocumwal, with bedrooms operating as offices. With the help of Laura Marks-Craven, they transformed the space to lay the foundations for growth and building client relationships.

From humble beginnings – the very first HA Accounting space, located in Tocumwal.

“People were screaming out for more from their accountant – more time, more connection, and this was something that we were striving to provide, especially for new businesses”.

Things grew quickly – and that is saying it mildly. Within a year, HA had outgrown the townhouse and move to its current office on Deniliquin Road, Tocumwal. As quickly as Tocumwal grew, we saw growth in the Albury-Wodonga region – which led to a second office opening in Lavington.