Meet the Firm Of The Future Finalist 2018

October 22, 20182 min read

Regional Business Services has been crowned the winner of this year’s Firm of the Future competition in Australia. Located in Townsville, Queensland, RBS is a cloud-focussed business consultancy founded by Ian Yesberg. Ian and his son Trent will soon be heading over to the USA, to attend QuickBooks Connect in San Jose, where they will compete with other finalists from across the globe for the coveted title of Intuit 2018 Global Firm of the Future.

Before they head off, we sat down with Ian and Trent to find out a little bit more about RBS and all the amazing work they are doing here in Australia.

Can you tell us a little bit about Regional Business Services?

We work with a range of clients, mainly small businesses, throughout North Queensland and down the Eastern seaboard to Victoria. Our clients operate in the cattle, retail, trades and service industries. We’ve seen the power of using cloud accounting software and are completely paperless within our practice. We also have a mobile office so we can travel around and work with clients as needed.

What do you think sets your business apart?

The first is our focus on close client relationships. We have an active adoption of cloud technologies and we encourage our clients to take advantage of the many apps that can help their business run more efficiently. We also catch up regularly with our clients so we can make sure we understand their business needs.

The second thing is that we make sure we are experts in our field. At RBS, we attend webinars, conferences and do our research so we can become experts in the technology space, in order to better help our clients.

You’ve experienced significant growth the past few years, can you tell us more about the technology that your firm has embraced?

From source to end we are digital. We use QuickBooks Online with our clients and KeyPay for payroll. The main benefit we’ve seen is the smoothing of our workflow, with no month or quarter end rush. Even the stress of year end has declined dramatically. Plus because our clients can have access to their QBO files, we are able to help any business, no matter where they are located in Australia.

Do you remember the moment you found out you won the competition?

Yes, we were travelling in the mobile office and found out by email around 6am one morning. We weren’t expecting to win but this was the third year we entered. We are really excited!

What are you looking forward to most at QuickBooks Connect in San Jose?

We’ve actually have been to QuickBooks Connect before and learned so much from the exhibitors and speakers. This year we are looking forward to hearing Ron Baker share his experience on business in the knowledge economy and Kirk Bowman around the art of value.

You can see more of the RBS story and how they work effectively with their clients at the FOTF website. VOTE for your favourite Firm of the Future today. Voting closes 31 October 2018.

Get QuickBooks

Smart features made for your business. We've got you covered.

See how it works

Help Me Choose

Use our product selector to find the best accounting software for you.

Choose your product

QuickBooks Support

Get help with QuickBooks. Find articles, video tutorials, and more.

Start learning

- - QuickBooks reserves the right to change pricing, features, support and service at any time. Prices are in AUD and include GST. See our Terms of Service for further information.
  - Pricing: All prices are in AUD and include GST.
  - ProAdvisor Program: Please find the terms of our ProAdvisor program here.
  - 70% off for 3/12 months discount: For new QuickBooks customers, receive a 70% discount off the current monthly price for QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Simple Start, QuickBooks Online Essentials or QuickBooks Online Plus for the first 3/12 months of service, starting from date of enrolment. From month 4/13 from the date of enrolment, the price will change to the then current monthly price. See current prices here. QuickBooks Payroll prices are not eligible for this discount. For further details about QuickBooks Payroll prices see here. Your account will automatically be charged on a monthly basis until you cancel. You may cancel at any time. There is no limit on the number of subscriptions ordered under this offer. This offer cannot be combined with any other QuickBooks Online promotion or offers.
  - Free Trial: First thirty (30) days of subscription to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll (including QuickBooks Advanced Payroll), starting from the date of enrolment, is free. During the free trial, you may pay any number of employees using QuickBooks Payroll free of charge. To continue using QuickBooks after your 30-day trial, you'll be asked to present a valid credit card for authorisation and you'll be charged monthly at the then-current fee for the service(s) you've selected.
  - QuickBooks Payroll powered by KeyPay: Payroll services are offered by a third-party, Webscale Pty Ltd (and its affiliates), the makers of KeyPay. QuickBooks Payroll is only accessible via QuickBooks Online subscriptions. You will be charged $5.00 (incl. GST) per month for each ‘active employee’ paid using QuickBooks Payroll. An ‘active employee’ is one who has been paid at least once in the billing month. For Advanced Payroll, there is an additional monthly subscription fee of $10 (incl GST). Pricing, terms and conditions, including service options, are subject to change.
  * KeyPay was voted the leading payroll solution for SMBs <50 employees (Australian Payroll Association 2021 Payroll Benchmarking Study)
  - Customer support: Call or chat to an expert for QuickBooks Online Accountant, QuickBooks Simple Start, Essential and Plus, or use in-product QB Assistant and chat for QuickBooks Self-Employed. You'll also find useful resources in the QuickBooks Community.
  - Compatible Devices: QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed and QuickBooks Payroll require a computer with Internet Explorer 10, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari 6 and an Internet connection (a high-speed connection is recommended). The QuickBooks Online mobile app works with iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll are accessible on mobile browsers on iOS, Android, and Blackberry mobile devices. Devices sold separately; data plan required. QuickBooks Payroll cannot be used on the mobile apps. Not all features are available on the mobile apps and mobile browser. QuickBooks Online mobile access is included with your QuickBooks Online subscription at no additional cost. Data access is subject to cellular/internet provider network availability and occasional downtime due to system and server maintenance and events beyond your control. Product registration required.
  - Get paid faster: Get paid 2.5x faster invoicing with PayPal
  * PayPal and QuickBooks customers get paid on average in less than 5 days, which is over 7 days faster than the average for invoices that get paid with other payment methods. Data is for paid invoices that were created in QuickBooks in Australia between 23.05.22 and 23.11.22
  - Tax deductions: Tax deductions not guaranteed due to being subject to user data entry errors. Mileage calculation provided by the Australia Taxation Office - 78 cents per kilometre from 1 July 2022 for the 2022-2023 income year. To a maximum of 5,000 business kilometres per car (Deductions are only applicable to cars)
  - Customer Service Awards: Excellence in Customer Service Award at the CX Australia Awards 2022
  - Multiple file discount: Multiple file discount applies to QuickBooks Australia customers only and valid when signing up for more than one QuickBooks Online subscription in one order. Further terms and conditions available here. Not applicable to QuickBooks Self Employed.
  - Reviews: Trustpilot, GetApp, Capterra, Google Play Store, Apple App Store reviews last updated on 23/08/22.
  - Cost per day claim: Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $25 per month and a 31 day month.
  - Cost per day claim (annual): Based on a QuickBooks Simple Start Plan at its regular retail price of $270 per year and a 365 day year.
  - Annual Billing: You may pay for your QuickBooks Online subscription on an annual, upfront basis to enjoy a discount on the current fees. If you use QuickBooks Payroll powered by KeyPay, your payroll costs will still be charged monthly to your nominated payment method in accordance with your usage as set out here. If you cancel your QuickBooks Online subscription within the pre-paid 12 month period, you will not be eligible for a refund, but will retain full access to your QuickBooks Online subscription for the remainder of the 12-month period. Unless cancelled by you prior, your annual subscription will auto-renew on the 12 month anniversary of your sign-up date using the billing details you have given us. Discounts, prices, terms and conditions are subject to change.
  - Over 7 million customers: Based on number of global QB customers (ecosystem) (7.1m) worldwide as of October 2022.
  - Free Onboarding: Applicable to Buy Now subscriptions on QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials and Plus plans. Not available for QuickBooks Self-Employed.
  - Save Hours: Save up to an average of 29 hours per month with QuickBooks.
  * Based on a survey conducted by Intuit Australia Pty Ltd in September 2022. Time saving is in comparison to previous accounting method, based on 184 responses from customers that saw time savings.
  - QuickBooks Time Disclaimers & Offers for Australia: See our Important pricing offers and disclaimers for further information.
  - Our Terms of Service apply to all QuickBooks Online subscriptions. Please review them carefully.