Congratulations to Alistair Hood and his fellow shareholders on the successful sale of their business Ashton Manufacturing to Reilly Best. Ashtons are the leading casket manufacturer in Australia.
Australia’s IT Managed Services sector is a significant and fast-growing part of the business landscape. According to IMARC Group, the Australian managed services market reached approximately AUD $8.5 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow to around AUD $15.9 billion by 2033 .
Three weeks ago, in Omaha, Nebraska, something quite extraordinary happened. For the first time in decades, Warren Buffett — the most celebrated investor of our era — sat in the arena as a spectator while someone else ran the show.
The Peter Warren–Wakeling transaction is a textbook example of a well-structured deal caught in the slow lane — not by market conditions, but by the machinery of government approval.
Over nearly four decades advising business owners, one pattern stands out more than any other. The best decisions — the ones that genuinely changed the trajectory of a business — were rarely made by spreadsheet alone.
Australia's commercial cleaning sector is a significant and growing part of the economy. According to IBISWorld, the sector generates over $20 billion in annual revenue, is supported by more than 44,000 businesses, and employs over 209,000 people nationwide.