Long Black is an Aussie-inspired brunch spot tucked away off Richmond High Street. Owner Chad says he and his family thought “it would be nice to have a part-time hobby business, a relaxed cafe so you could meet people and have a chat”. That hobby soon attracted a regular crowd of loyal customers and serves around 400 cups of coffee a day. As Chad puts it, “What started as a hobby business has now become an actual business”.
All founders know that a busy business is a better business. But for Chad and his family, it meant a very steep learning curve. “I had entirely underestimated the level required to keep such a small company going.” As many founders discover, choosing to keep your business small doesn’t necessarily mean there is less to do, just that there are fewer people to do it. Cue the overwhelm of trying to keep up with a business that’s running away with you.
To help manage things, Chad took on back-of-house duties, his wife ran the kitchen and his daughter managed front of house. But all three found their working hours increasing with the sheer number of tasks. “Every day, there are ten things you never expected to have to deal with…and you have to navigate through that when you just need an hour of actually being able to sit down and do something”.
Running out of steam
Juggling 40 suppliers, supermarket trips, rotas and payroll alongside daily tasks led to Chad seeking support. This is when he discovered Apron, and the days of time-consuming manual processing for receipts and reconciliation were over. Now, whoever is making a purchase can simply upload receipts on the spot. The team is also using Apron to manage payroll, saving hours of manual transactions every month. In Chad’s words, “it's allowed me to free up time, so rather than working in the business, I can be working on the business.”
Staying grounded
It was Chad’s accountants, Rise Accounting, who introduced him to Apron. The partnership has transformed how the business approaches financial management, with Rise Accounting providing ongoing support rather than a once-a-year compliance service. For Chad, it’s a level of accessibility that matters “It feels much more collaborative, if I send an email, I know I’m going to get an answer”. It’s an approach that, when combined with the simplicity and transparency of tools like Apron, offers a powerful way to alleviate the financial pressures facing small businesses.
Pulling the right shots
So what’s next? Chad is currently working on a new app to help the team organise weekly rotas more efficiently, with the long-term goal of putting the right systems in place before handing the business over to his daughter, leaving him with even more time to enjoy the café and community he’s created.
