2022 going on 2025...

After an intense 4 1/2 years in an executive role in government, where 2 of those focused on supporting NZ's response to COVID, I was exhausted. But was does that have to do with Usable Balance?

Continued from this previous post.

I needed some change. An icebreaker can only sustain its push for so long before something gives.

I forever respect Liz MacPherson and Mark Sowden for putting up with a non-traditional person in a non-traditional role of leading Data Ventures at Stats NZ, but am so proud of the team we had who had been there across the stages (Aimee, Nereida, JB, Alice, Sarah, Rath, Blair, Taylor, Jing) and the three that were there through the thick of it with me (Holly, Robert, Jamie).

So I announced my departure, and gave myself a few months to recover, spend time with family and reflect.

As the word got around I had left, that led to people asking what I was up to, and if I’d be interested in helping them and their organisations around data. With multiple opportunities (which I was absolutely humbled by), the best way was to setup a fractional Chief Data Officer role and… *sigh*… contract.

To be clear, I hate contracting, I had never ever done it before, as I prefer skin in the game as an employee of a org (be public sector, someone else’s or my own) and having accountabilities and responsibilities. This is unlike many (not all) of the consultants in the market.

Well, next thing I know I’m on the other side of accounting to where I was with Common Ledger, paying myself through my business I had dormant for 10 odd years. GST, PAYE, Income Tax, all those things that you dread when needing to focus on keeping the lights on. And well, Xero hadn’t moved on much from when I was deeply intimate with it at Common Ledger.

That’s when Jason and I came together, he’s been in the thick of small business while I have been jumping around various roles and opportunities. And we just started throwing around working together finally, as it’s been something I had wanted to do since around 2014 - when he helped me as a reliable source of advice, and sanity through the years.

And then, with a simple gesture, yet the official paperwork behind it as Jason likes to do, a partnership was formed and what was how originally “Simple Balance”, at this point being touted as “Available Balance”, and finally to be named “Usable Balance” started….

But that’s the next part of the story, and not just my story anymore, which we’ll get into next.