Providing business advice for indigenous SMEs in Fiji

I.Naiveli & Co Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants are the first indigenous-Fijian (i-taukei) owned firm to be issued a Certificate of Public Practice from the Fiji Institute of Accountants, operating in Suva since 1992. 

In this Podcast we are joined by Benericco Naiveli, Assistant Manager at I.Naiveli & Co to explore the challenges facing indigenous businesses in Fiji, and how I.Naiveli & Co are providing business advisory services to rural-based SMEs. 

Benerrico also shares ways SMEs can use new technologies to improve financial operations. 

I.Naiveli & Co are BLP quality approved business advisors in our network. 

Host: Emma Crawford-Falekaono

Emma has over 15 years’ experience in chartered accountancy and commercial environments globally. She started her career in accounting before taking time out to deploy as a Military Police Officer to Southern Afghanistan.  In 2014, she made the move into the tech industry and was a Business Consultant for Business Link Pacific, delivering professional development and skills training courses to growing businesses in the Pacific region. 

Credits:

Recorded, mixed & edited by Dave Rhodes of Dave Rhodes Productions.

Music credit: Alex Khaskin

Business Link Pacific is a private sector programme supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade and DT Global. The core team is based in Auckland, New Zealand and supported by in-country partners in Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands. 

For more information visit the Business Link Pacific Portal: https://businesslinkpacific.com 

Chapters

• 0:00 Guest & Topic Introduction
• 1:28 Tell us about I Naiveli & Co - what does the firm do?
• 4:02 Where are you joining us from today?
• 6:35 Is there an appetite in rural communities to upskill on financial managment and business planning?
• 9:56 What does being an i-taukei business mean in Fiji? What are the challenges and opportunities for this type of business?
• 13:13 In your twenty years of operations, how has the business environment changed in Fiji?
• 17:12 Has the digital transformation been difficult from smaller accounting SMEs?
• 19:34 How important do you think it is for SMEs to adopt new technologies and where should they start?
• 21:48 When it comes to financial management, what are 3 things SME business owners should focus on?
• 24:22 Can you tell us about your work with BLP? Maybe one experience that you want to highlight?
• 27:26 How can people get in contact with I.Naiveli & Co?