Christchurch

Garden Box

Behind every thriving local business is a financial structure that works as hard as the people running it. For Jaimie and Jeanine McNabb, owners of Garden Box, getting there took the right plan, the right advice, and a partner who understood exactly what they were building.

A clear plan for simplifying finances, coupled with the confidence to invest in growth, is behind the transformation of a well known Christchurch landscaping business.

Garden Box is a landscaping and garden supplies business based in Christchurch, offering everything from plants and materials to expert advice for home gardeners and landscapers across the region.

Jaimie McNabb and his wife Janine bought the business seven years ago. Alongside the new venture, the couple also held a number of rental properties, and over time their overall financial structure had become increasingly complicated to manage.

It was clear something needed to change, and the family turned to WK Christchurch director Aaron Cassidy for advice.

"We had quite a disorganised financial structure. We had over the years bought some rental properties, then we decided we were going to buy a business, and we needed to simplify that from a tax planning point of view, from so many different levels," Jaimie says.

One of the first things Aaron did was work with Jaimie and Janine on a plan to transition to a simplified structure, a process that took around four years to complete.

Jaimie says what stood out most was Aaron's ability to understand not just the business, but the couple behind it.

"He had an understanding of what we were trying to achieve as a business and also as a couple who were invested in the business," Jaimie says.

Aaron also connected the family with a wider team at WK, giving them access to ongoing support beyond a single point of contact.

With a clearer structure in place, Jaimie says he now has the confidence to make bold decisions, including investing significant capital back into the business.

"They gave me the confidence to challenge their own thinking, and it's great to be able to go meet with the team, sit down, present the plan, have someone question the plan and then go, well, have you thought about this, and share some of that advice," Jaimie says.

"Dealing with WK gave me the confidence to make some bold decisions, investing significant amount of capital into the business and making some decisions around restructuring."

"If you're wanting a bookkeeper, you're probably asking the wrong people. But if you want someone to help you run your business to work alongside you, to ask you some hard questions and help you in the journey, you know WK is a good firm."

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