Strategic Alliance To Support Business Owners

Media Release April 2011

Strategic Alliance To Support Business Owners

In a collaboration between one of New Zealand’s foremost financial services industry management organizations and a business development coaching leader, the Ginger Group has joined forces with Shirlaws New Zealand. One of the two companies’ first ventures together will be a series of workshops advising business owners on succession planning and the formation of an exit strategy.

Through the new strategic alliance, Shirlaws will deliver outstanding business development coaching to the network of more than 400 Ginger Group members.

David Whyte, CEO of Ginger Group, said, “The intellectual property developed by Shirlaws worldwide over the last 11 years is widely regarded as being at the leading edge of business development coaching and training.

“I have been aware for several years of the quality of the product offered by Shirlaws NZ Ltd, and have had experience of the effectiveness of the material. Advisers accessing Shirlaws NZ Ltd via Ginger Group will discover unique and proven methods of improving their business practices, increasing their earnings, and creating added value to their businesses.

“Our chairman, Maurice Trapp, has long been convinced of the merits of applying the lessons from Shirlaws and has substantially enhanced the value of his own business by doing so. As a result, the Shirlaws experience comes with the strongest possible recommendation from someone who has actively pursued and implemented the messages that company delivers.”

The Ginger Group will shortly be staging a series of workshops and seminars at various New Zealand locations, to which it will invite participating members of the network.
Shirlaws New Zealand CEO Michael Ahie said, “We are delighted to have formed this strategic alliance, and to be getting our partnership off the ground quickly through our initial workshops together.
“The first will be on planning business succession, which is an important process for many business owners who want to cement the success they have created. The Shirlaws team is looking forward to meeting many of Ginger Group’s members and helping them achieve greater success in their own enterprises.”
Ginger Group chairman Maurice Trapp said, “My own professional connection with Shirlaws goes back five years, to when I was a sole practitioner in insurance services. I began with Shirlaws on a trial basis, and with their advice and counsel grew to a dealer group of 200 to 250 advisers. In short, the Shirlaws concepts helped us grow by a factor of eight, in terms of our investments.

“My personal experience of what Shirlaws offers to financial services practitioners makes me confident that this will be a productive and valuable alignment for the Ginger Group and our members.”

Shirlaws started in Australia in 1999 and today has operations in New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Middle East. The company has coached thousands of clients ranging from small start-ups to multinationals using its consistent approach and operations that span the globe.

Shirlaws has redefined business coaching with a unique approach based on establishing a balance between commercial issues (eg revenues/profits/efficiencies) and cultural issues (eg leadership/communications skills).

Mr Ahie said, “Our coaches take the complex issues in business and help make them simple and manageable. We work alongside clients to guide their businesses and achieve long-term, sustainable business growth.”

Ginger Group formed in 2010 following the merger of three established distribution organizations: financial services, investment and accountancy firm PIS (NZ) Ltd, the Minerva Group (which undertook a joint venture with PIS in mid-2009 to form Minerva PIS (NZ)), and Brokers Independent Group (BIG), an advisory group with a substantial training and business support arm for financial advisers. Ginger Group consists of more than 400 financial services practitioners in all branches of the industry.

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About Ginger Group

Ginger Group is a support services company for financial services organisations and advisers. The Group was formed when three distribution organizations combined their resources to achieve a common goal.

Professional Investment Services (NZ) Ltd, one of the first distribution groups in New Zealand, formed in 2001 and originally focused on financial services, investments and relationships with Accountants throughout New Zealand.

In the past nine years, and supported by a very powerful Australian parent, Professional Investment Services has developed some of the best systems and business processes in the financial services industry.

Minerva Group Ltd was founded in 2007 with advisers in Auckland, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty. It focused on knowledge and education, particularly in relation to business insurance issues and the development and management of its advisers’ own businesses.

Brokers Independent Group Ltd (BIG) began in 2004, with a focus on bringing new practitioners into the industry and providing the training and support to help members become highly successful. The business was founded out of Kevin and Nicola Smee’s company Solutions Financial Services Ltd, and supported advisers wanting to build their own professional brand while retaining access to a group with support and training opportunities.

In mid-2009, Minerva Group’s founding partners Maurice Trapp and Brent Wright established a joint venture with PIS (NZ) Ltd, combining systems, processes and resources, and an association with accountancy practices.

The combination of Minerva PIS Ltd with BIG has resulted in Ginger Group, with common values of ‘care, share and dare to be different’. The group’s aims are to support recruitment and development of new people into the financial services industry; support education and training as the future of the industry; support better systems and processes for advisers; and facilitate optimal adviser-client interaction.
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