This week, team BGL attended Accountex Australia. There were many great moments. One, in particular, was a highlight.
Catching up with Richard Barber was truly a great moment. Now for a bit of history. Richard and his team launched a competing SMSF product which was cloud based some 12+ years ago. At the time, this product shaped and changed the industry.
What Richard Barber and his team did, and we thanked him for this, was that he challenged and disrupted BGL for the better.
His actions resulted in BGL having to reinvent itself from predominately a desktop software provider to a cloud based one, Simple Fund 360. Not an easy challenge, given that many software companies who attempted to make the switch were not successfully able to do so. Add to this the requirement of also having to develop CAS 360, and we were in for an interesting time. What I loved is that Ron Lesh did not shy away from the challenge. He instead embraced it, empowering and inspiring the leaders across BGL to believe and do what they do best. To build market-leading software.
When we finally released Simple Fund 360 in 2014, the competition between us was fierce but healthy. With a high level of respect for each other, we were able to carve our own paths.
To be able to stand with Ron Lesh, whom I consider one of the greatest entrepreneurs and leaders, together with Richard Barber, also an incredible entrepreneur and visionary, was truly an honour. Their legacy and impact has touched every part of the SMSF industry.
Today, BGL’s Simple Fund 360 and CAS 360are Australia’s leading cloud based SMSF and Corporate Compliance solutions. Richard Barber, we attribute part of our success to you, and for this, we thank you.
Looking forward to what the future has in store for you… our friend.
