Born in Clermont but now a busy accountant in Mackay, with directorships and shareholdings in four companies across the country, Andrew Poots’ purchase of a cattle enterprise outside Longreach just over three years ago seemed like a sensible business diversion.
He bought the 13,355ha Stonehenge cattle property Withywine soon after it stopped raining, but he still loved going out and spending time away from the other demands in his life.
He found himself bringing his staff out for planning sessions, and that’s when it occurred to him that what he was doing could work for other city-based businesses as well.
“It was working – my team’s direction was clearer. There were no clients ringing, messages coming, all those distractions.
“It allowed us to step outside the business and look at our strategy clearly.”
At the end of February Andrew launched the Outback School of Business in Brisbane, urging urban executives to “banish the boardroom and go west to learn innovative solutions to their business blues while mustering cattle and sheep, building fences and sleeping under the stars”.
While the working cattle property has internet connectivy, executives taking part in the courses have no access to mobile phones or their texting and email capabilities.
Packaged together with the Naverix business planning system, participants will gain a greater appreciation of collaboration and resourcefulness as only a remote bush setting can demonstrate, over a three-day period.
“It’s a bit of a labour of love for me – I don’t think it will ever be a global enterprise,” Andrew said. “I’m aiming to do two a month, in the cooler months; that’s about the maximum time I can give.”
He says the challenge will be getting city people to accept that business can be done in the bush.
“We travel to cities regularly but for them, a trip to the bush is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
“Regional areas are terribly undersold. There’s a huge amount of skills out there that can be used in business in the city. I want to remind people that planes fly both ways.”
Solicitor Stuart Bell completed a pilot program at the Outback School of Business in 2016 and said it was unlike anything he had experienced before.
“It was really good to be taken out of my comfort zone, to be standing among a mob of cattle with dust everywhere and people whistling and someone telling me how to muster these cows,” he said.
“It’s like nothing I would do in my business but it forced me to see the value of team work through a totally different lens.
“I wasn’t the boss out there – I was one of the team doing my bit to get the job done and that really gave me a new perspective.
“I have never had the chance to devote time like that to business planning before and for that alone, the experience was priceless.”
The software being used, developed by Paul Valentine, is described as providing an easy, step-by-step guide for business planning.
Paul said it cut through complexity, providing a simple framework to take businesses from strategic planning to a detailed action plan and then tracks progress.
“All you need to do, once you get back to your business or boardroom, is put your plan into action.”
Andrew added that the software included cost estimates, to validate the overall goals.
“It’s also good because it’s done collectively – everyone has to have the same understanding of different parts of the business and be on the same page.”
The new venture was expected to be good for the Longreach region, both in exposure and financially, with more people flying in and out and needing services.
It targets SMEs across the trade, industrial services, manufacturing and professional services sectors with up to 100 staff and a turnover of $2million - $40 million.
Longreach’s deputy mayor Leonie Nunn said the new venture showcased the fact that the skills involved in traditional work on the land translated to city boardrooms, regardless of industry or sector.
“Business out here is often sealed with a handshake,” Cr Nunn said.
“The work ethos of those who work on the land is unquestionable and team work is paramount – these are country-style skills that translate to any successful business.”
She said the Outback School of Business would open the Longreach region to a new market which may never have experienced the Australian outback.
“Businesses out here are beginning to bounce back from the drought and confidence is starting to return, so this exciting new business initiative is coming at an opportune time,” she said.
Courses start from April.
More information at outbackschoolofbusiness.com.au
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
