Client Profile - John Grosser

Five children, a farmer, a country music singer and a drug counsellor – some of the things I didn’t expect to learn about John Grosser.

If you think it is too late for a career change think again – John Grosser was 32 when he left his farm in South Australia to move to the Gold Coast and buy his first motel. Management rights and motels have been the anchor in John’s long and colourful career. Since leaving the farm John has been a property developer, stockmarket investor, country music singer, restaurant owner, venture capitalist, drug counsellor and managing director of a successful printing company.

When asked what he has learned, John puts it simply – “Employ good people; keep them motivated and pay taxes”. However success has not come quite so easily - he has seen the market rise and fall many times and the most challenging one for him was the 1979 to 1983 crisis.

John says this crash may be called a Global Financial Crisis although just like the crashes in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s the scenario has been unpredictable and devastating to many. John says “be careful not to get into too much debt, however you do need to leverage and take some risk to get ahead.”

John and his wife Shelley run a well known local printing business, Styleprint, which was established on the Gold Coast in 1977 by Shelley’s father. They also own two management rights properties in New South Wales and Northern Territory.

The resort in Darwin is run by John’s son Rowan. They worked with Baker Affleck to perform the due diligence on this business and decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up. They now enjoy a fantastic long distance partnership which seems to be the winning recipe.

Rowan is the only one of five children who has entered the business with John although all are successful in their own right from eldest son Anthony who is in the Air force to his youngest, daughter Ashleigh who is completing a degree in medical science.

Now John and his wife Shelley are hoping to start enjoying the fruits of their labour with some time to relax and enjoy life. As you read this newsletter John and Shelley will be swishing through powder snow in Japan….a long way from the farm in South Australia.