WSC's Managing Director, David Shaw, says the relationship is already paying dividends thanks to a strong culture of support, collaboration and peer sharing.

“Through our partnership with Count, we are truly part of a like-minded community that comes together frequently to share ideas and best practices. There are many successful people in the group who have built their businesses from scratch – so it makes sense to tap into that knowledge and see where it can create improvements for us.” 

Shaw added that a strong camaraderie between Managing Principals led to positive and productive conversations – both formal and informal in nature.

“The Managing Principals work very well together, whether we need advice on a particular matter, have a potential client referral or simply want to share advice on a new tool or process that works well. We have regular formal meetings where we come together, but there’s also a culture of simply picking up the phone to talk and everyone is always happy to be involved. Connecting regularly to swap notes and brainstorm ideas really helps with creativity and finding new ways of doing things. That collaborative mindset is unquestionably one of our key strengths as a group.”

Beyond the value offered by a strong and collaborative community, Shaw highlighted other benefits that the partnership with Count has brought to WSC, particularly with regard to formulating a joint strategic future where the best of the local branding and National Count presence could be capitalised upon.

“While WSC has a national presence and over 40 employees, there are still areas of specialisation that we can benefit from outside of our business. That’s where the partnership with Count is so valuable – we have access to corporate governance guidance, HR templates, risk management frameworks and other support that operates like an extension of our business. That makes it a lot easier for us to get things done and service our clients in a timely manner. There’s also a lot of industry experience in the group, so we can be confident that any guidance we receive will be based on a deep understanding of the accounting and wealth services which has the best interests of our clients at heart.”