Geoffrey Mason, Castlesteads Partnership

 'I am a practising grazier on a two thousand-hectare property  'Castlesteads'. I have been working with David for over ten years. Our relationship began together when he was an employee at Hassalls and has followed through to the present where he is a facilitator in the Business group EDGE Management.

I knew I could rely on David's experience, resources and skills to obtain the outcome I desired. Our assignment was to formalise a loose group of ideas and technical information into a business plan. This plan was comprised of a series of budget and project summaries. Once completed the business plan was presented to the Department of Primary Industries, Advancing Australian Agriculture and The Farm Innovation Program.

The business plan was the main tool for our proposal to the above bodies. The document was very thorough in its approach and to the way the project would be implemented. There were many processes that were utilised to form the plan. Namely SWOT, mind mapping and force field analysis.

The outcome was extremely rewarding, as we were successful in our proposal, receiving eighty five thousand dollars. The Government allocated $3.4 million nationally, only thirty-three proposals were successful.

Once the proposal was completed I felt a great deal of satisfaction and proud of what David and I were able to achieve. It was also a vital learning process for me. The benefits from this experience with David have been numerous, the main one being that the business plan is a living document that we can revisit if we loose sight of our direction or focus. The project has also given me the confidence to approach multinational companies with my concepts and offer them involvement in the work I am doing.

My success would not have been possible without the support and encouragement and guidance of David and his wife Prue.'

Geoffrey Mason
Principal
Australian Precision Agriculture
Ph: 2 6385 3122
October 2002

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