When Dunedin accountant Michelle Thorn joined accounting firm RightWay last year, the key attraction was the company's culture, people and business model.
RightWay has been making waves in the business world since it was established four years ago, becoming New Zealand's fastest growing accounting firm.
The company, which focuses on small- to medium-sized businesses, recently won national practice of the year at the Xero NZ Partner Awards.
RightWay started with its four Wairarapa-based co-founders, which included Xero co-founder Hamish Edwards and former Nike Australia chief financial officer Greg Sheehan.
Since 2011, it has seen growth double year-on-year and it now employed about 50 staff, including Mrs Thorn, who is regional partner in Dunedin.
RightWay's business model was different from the traditional accounting model that was her background, she said.
When it was set up, the founders looked at what customers really wanted and the frustrations around accounting, which included sometimes a slowness to respond and looking at past financial performance.
Every RightWay customer had a regional partner and was assigned an operational accountant.
Growth meetings were held, current year financials looked at, and they were supported ''along the way'' to help them grow their profits, while all work was priced upfront.
RightWay uses Xero software and Mrs Thorn described this as a ''game-changer'', having reduced compliance efficiently and changing how accountants operated.
''It's a company with huge growth aspirations and a willingness to do the right thing with their customers as well,'' she said.
Recently launched in Australia, the company had a corporate structure and it was built to scale.
''The company is a high growth company, it's got a really exciting future. It's in really capable hands, they've got big dreams and big visions.''
Mrs Thorn's role was very much customer focused and involved bringing in new customers and looking after them.
She believed the model was ''just what the market's looking for''.
Mrs Thorn was out of the office regularly seeing clients, most of whom were in Dunedin and also through into Central Otago.
Even though staff were spread throughout New Zealand, she felt connected, as the company had good online systems through which to communicate.
She said she was meeting clients more than through the traditional model, getting to know them at a deeper level ''and helping them with other things than just tax''.
What she particularly enjoyed was helping customers use the technology available and become efficient with their systems, giving them ''time back''.
With the exposure of winning at the Xero NZ Partner Awards, big firms were now looking at RightWay as ''serious competitors'' as it gained more market share, she said.
When it came to the business scene in Otago, different industries were experiencing different things.
It could be challenging, but it was about supporting the businesses and helping them grow their revenue streams.
''I love helping people, I love the relationship part of it . . . and it's about the people, not the numbers now,'' she said.
A mother-of-three, Mrs Thorn loved the Dunedin lifestyle.
It was an innovative city, with ''lots of cool start-ups'' and established businesses doing ''really great things''.
''I think we've got a cool city. It's really important we can foster and create jobs for the next generation coming through so they don't feel like they have to leave Dunedin.''
