About Us
We design and create powerful software that makes a difference to SMEs and the communities they serve. 2020 provided a unique opportunity for the world to unite under the challenging circumstances of a global pandemic. For the business community, it was never a better time to appreciate planning and forecasting is the key to being able to make better decisions that have you better prepared for any situation.
Castaway Forecasting is a specialist budgeting, 3-way forecasting and business planning software tool created to help SMEs and their business advisers make intelligent business decisions. We make it easy to produce flexible 3-way forecasts that show accurately the financial health of the business, in the past, the present and in the future. Our proprietary calculation approach means the numbers always work, with accounting integrity baked into every calculation.
But having great numbers is only part of the story. Castaway is also a communication platform, providing the tools to tell the story of business performance through flexible reporting and custom dashboards.
So why does this matter? Well, if we can help businesses perform better, we help them become more valuable with more reliable cashflow. This gives business owners the confidence to grow, to invest and to employ more people.
Ultimately, stronger businesses, means stronger families, stronger communities and, in turn, stronger nations. This is how we make our own little dent in the universe.
Castaway prides itself on providing a harmonious and accepting atmosphere for our team, our customers and associates. This culture is by design.
We’re a close and focused team, with each person bringing their own extra bit of “sparkle” to the company. Whether you’ve got a passion for photography, know multiple languages, or have a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of Bionicles lore you’re sure to find someone with similar interests to you.
Our team is diverse and accepting, including music fans, cyclists, sports lovers, Star Wars fans, festival-goers, award-winning dancers, published authors, guitarists, animal lovers, fishers, campers, Lego fans, calligraphers, film buffs, gamers, amateur chefs and rated martial artists. We are supporters of Tour De Cure, raising funds for cancer research and members from our team participate in the TdC events.
At the heart of our business – the glue that ultimately binds us – are the accountants and small business customers we wake up each day to serve.
Our mission is to make the world a better place through small businesses
Better-performing SMEs have a positive ripple effect … from the people in and around those SMEs; to their families and friends; to their communities, their towns and cities, states and countries.
We provide SMEs the confidence to find more profitable, cash-positive and valuable ways of doing business.
We help business advisers do work they love that delivers value to both the SMEs they work with and the businesses they work for.
Our 5 Core Values
Be curious… Experiment… Develop
Ask “why?”. Curiosity prepares the brain for better learning. Try new ways with your work, looking for efficiency and effectiveness. Master your own productivity and learning.
| “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing” – Albert Einstein |
There is always a better way
We approach everything we do with this value. We are innovative and we love beautiful design. At its core, innovation is about new methods, ideas, products and services that create value for our business, our customers and our community. We admire companies that have constantly challenged the norm, are pure quality and simply beautiful: Apple, Bang & Olufsen, Maserati, Tag Heuer, Nike, Louis Vuitton.
| “There’s a way to do it better – find it” – Thomas Edison |
Simplicity is powerful
As educators, we look for ways to teach, coach and share concepts with clarity. Distilling and sharing information can be very difficult and it is a skill we can all practice. Removing the complex and convoluted show’s respect for the topic and respect for your message.
| “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself” – Albert Einstein |
Grow by design
Growth (business and personal) is not inevitable and shouldn’t be taken for granted. We’ve always said there are 3 options for businesses and the people in them:
- grow by accident
- grow by project
- grow by design
Clearly, we are fans of growing by design. Be purposeful. Have a plan. Follow that plan and review frequently. Have performance information readily available. Never stop questioning better ways or options for growth.
| “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together” – JC Penney |
“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Earn the right
Earning the right is when you do the right things in a relationship to earn the privilege to ask for or expect something from someone else. It’s about honouring your role and honouring the direction of the company. It’s about displaying trust and having integrity and committing to the team/ the cause – saying what you’re going to do and doing what you say you will do. It’s about contribution – you are part of our company because we want you to contribute! Everyone in our community needs to earn the right to be there.
| “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not” – Oprah Winfrey |
Our 5 Foundations of Success
Our 5 foundations of the success of our team and all individuals in Castaway are:
Doing stuff the way it should be done. This means… in accordance with Policy, Process, Procedure and/or Protocol, or, where there is no PPPP, our Values, your experience and sense of judgement
Continuing to ask whether the ‘way it should be done’ is the best way to do it (in the spirit of ‘there’s always a better way’)
Actively seeking ways to improve the way things are done today
Having a clear opinion (i.e. a roadmap) on what (if anything) needs to change as the business scales and to enable the business to scale
Embracing the Castaway way:
- ensure the current PPPP and supporting artefacts are easily located, shared, and understood
- ensure the roadmap is visible and understood
- have methods in place to monitor business performance (metrics, reporting and review)
- have methods in place to monitor process health and effectiveness (metrics, reporting and review)
- have methods in place to actively review what we do and how we do it (continuous improvement)