Jonathan Sturm

A career that started out in a New Zealand bank call centre gave our Waiuku BUSINESS buddy an exceptional understanding of customer service.

Jonathan Sturm also learnt that when you are determined – anything is possible, and it wasn’t long before the self-starter leapt into his commerce degree at the University of Victoria in Wellington.

His banking vocation progressed beyond answering phone inquiries to providing business support, lending and finance.

The allure of travel took Jonathan to London where he found himself in the middle of the global financial crisis (GFC) working with a major European bank and analysing staff reduction strategies.

The excitement of London came to a sudden halt when Jonathan experienced a serious accident and returned to New Zealand, with some long-term rehabilitation ahead of him.

You can’t keep a good person down though and Jonathan briefly returned to his banking career while he completed some accounting papers.

Later, while working with a multinational manufacturer and a Kiwi IT telecommunications company, Jonathan completed his chartered accountancy qualification.

During those years he became a father and decided a long day commuting in Auckland traffic was not achieving the work-life balance he wanted with his young family.

He found a new management accounting role in Franklin, found the perfect property for his family in Waiuku and thought there had to be more to life.

“I was looking for a challenge and wanted to make a difference,” says Jonathan. “I even had a crack at studying to be a secondary school teacher.”

“When I saw an opportunity to run my own BUSINESS buddy franchise – I could see the potential to really help other business owners.

“I worked with a few local smaller companies and saw how helping them with their business – helped them with their lives.”

His strength comes from good understanding of business banking, as well as business and manufacturing systems.

Jonathan can identify ways to apply big business principles to growing businesses, helping them achieve their goals.

And, because he loves hanging out with his wife and three daughters – he’s often found in the garden or tackling his latest DIY project around the home.