Syrup Publishing Ltd is an independent publishing company based in the Hawke’s Bay. We currently publish Upstart Magazine, Upstart Teacher Link and www.upstartMAG.co.nz

We have contracted Anita Smart of Office Smarts Ltd to complete a variety of database administrative duties. Anita has completed all tasks in a professional and efficient manner. She expertly followed our brief and kept us informed of progress and hours/costs along the way.

We are impressed with Anita’s professionalism and her cheery, pleasant, enthusiastic manner. She is a pleasure to work with and we certainly intend to continue contracting Office Smarts Ltd for future business administration.

We highly recommend Anita and I would be happy to elaborate further on this testimonial (Anita has my permission to forward my contact details to anyone who would like to know more).

A position became vacant in our Business Coaching business 5 months ago. At this time we were looking for an employee or contractor to fill the role. We interviewed 6 candidates and chose Anita Smart from Office Smarts Ltd.

We chose Anita because she stood out as the most qualified and experienced from the wide team of applicants, 28 in total and the 6 people interviewed.

Within the first few weeks she was able to “crunch” what had been a struggle for her predecessor to complete, down from 20 hours to below 10 hours per week. This has allowed us to refocus her workload on the core work & key roles required in marketing our business.

Anita offered fresh enthusiasm and insight in our team’s marketing and her experience and qualifications – the diploma in advertising – have paid dividends and have fitted nicely into our own business and marketing processes.

She has bought a detailed and efficient approach to each task and thinks things through, meaning that we have gained the benefits of a valuable asset to our team..

Anita always has a happy and smiling approach and we all enjoy her sense of humour.

As New Zealand’s No. 1 ActionCOACH Business Coach (2008) the demands of being a high performing business need an equally high performing team. Anita hasn’t let us down and I can highly recommend the addition of a contracted administrator of Anita’s calibre.

When we recruited Anita we chose her even though her hourly rate was the highest being sought from the group interviewees. This has proven to be a very cost effective decision due to Anita’s speed and efficiency. I would thoroughly recommend her to anyone else looking to use her or her company’s skills in the future on a full or part time basis.

Anita Smart’s Tearaway connection is now a very mature eight years old, from her time as a staff member, to our new relationship with her company, Office Smarts.

Anita started with us in advertising sales, quickly moving into general administration, with special attention to our extensive database, which involves all New Zealand schools as well as many hundreds of advertising clients. (Anita has been closely involved in the refining of our database, working alongside the developer).

Three years ago she was appointed Operations Manager, responsible for overseeing the production aspects of the magazine (liaising with printers and ad material suppliers) as well as all aspects of distribution, while continuing to have major responsibility for our daily admin needs – including working closely with the  sales team.

Now an independent operator, Anita continues to offer these services to Tearaway.

 All my staff and associates who come into contact with Anita comment on her efficiency and utter reliability. I know she will offer the same attention to all other clients she takes on board.

I have known Anita Smart for nearly 25 years. Even as a child she demonstrated her penchant for organisation and diplomacy, always interested in whatever was going on, adaptable and intelligent, she devoured books and learnt new skills quickly and has continued to as she has matured (!!!) (not to put too fine a point on it!)

I’ve had the great pleasure and honour to watch Anita grow into a fine young woman, loyal and relentlessly honest, always tactful and sensitive, she’s someone you can rely on in a pinch or to help organise anything. No stone goes unturned because Anita is a planner, thinker and a list maker!

In my own business as an artist Anita has made many helpful suggestions which have saved both time and energy.

Once this economic downturn (which is not kind to artists) has righted itself I hope I’ll be able to employ Anita’s skills (if she can fit me in!) so that I can concentrate on what I do best while she does what she does best.

I see her business as one which takes the often onerous administrative tasks away from us who don’t have the time or aptitude, so we can carry on with minds at rest, knowing all the other important tasks are capably taken care of.

It is with pleasure that I provide a reference for Anita, with whom I have worked with for several years.

Anita is a conscientious hard worker who as a Manager of a small publishing company has had sole responsibility for:

• Office Administration
• Staff
• Accounts Function
• Client Relationships

This has not been an easy job and Anita has always completed her work in an effective and efficient manner. Deadlines have been met and the owner of the business had the confidence to delegate the work identified above to Anita and this confidence has not been misplaced.

Blessed with a lovely sense of humour Anita relates well to her peers, superiors and customers. I wish Anita well in her new business endeavours and would be happy to discuss this reference with any prospective client.

I still can’t think of anyone better to undertake a new business venture like this. The concept of offering these flexible services to people without the hassle of full time staffing issues is a very good one.

Anita really is Smart (!), immensely organised, forward thinking and a great planner of things large and small. She has a wealth of experience behind her, a great understanding of office and admin procedures, and will quickly learn processes with new clients.

Any type of task could be handed over to OfficeSmarts with the reassurance that it will be done, on time, thoroughly and efficiently. I imagine her work will take a load off the minds of businesses large and small with limited time, money or resources.

Anita is professional in all her dealings with people, she is honest and completely reliable. I have known Anita as a close personal friend for a very long time, and together we have planned and organised various events over the years. Anita is always one step ahead in the organisational stakes and has the ability to think outside the square and consider options and ideas others may not.

I wholeheartedly recommend OfficeSmarts to anyone in business who might need an occasional or regular helping hand.