Veteran Founders Disrupting Sole-Trader Accounting in NZ

Lodg, a cutting-edge accounting technology company, is set to revolutionize the way sole traders and independent contractors manage their taxes. Founded by a team of successful entrepreneurs, Lodg automates tax processes, making them simple, stress-free, and affordable.

The founders of Lodg include:

• Luke Kilworth, who dropped out of school at 16 to work for one of New Zealand's richest men, CEO of Zuru, Nick Mowbray. (Zuru’s diverse portfolio includes consumer goods, housing, and toys.)
• Oliver Hickman and Vinnie Holloway, who built Brookfield, one of New Zealand's major property developers
• Max Ferguson, who built Lumen into one of the biggest competitors to DocuSign
• Grant Baker, founder of 42 Below Vodka and current chairman of Turners Car Auctions

"We realized firsthand how big the issues were for sole traders trying to sort out their taxes," says Luke, Co-founder of Lodg. "The traditional options were either paying an accountant a fortune or trying to do it yourself, which is confusing, difficult, and time-consuming. We wanted to create a solution that would break down those barriers."

Lodg is a one-stop platform that automates the entire tax process for sole traders and independent contractors. Users can get paid into the platform, and Lodg automatically deducts the owed tax amounts, paying them directly to the IRD. The remainder is then deposited into the user's personal bank account.

"With Lodg, you don't have any massive tax bills at the end of the financial year,". "You never have to worry about tax or the IRD. The platform takes care of the entire process for you."

The platform also uses AI to determine the perfect tax rate for each user, ensuring that they never pay too much or too little. Users can also claim expenses by uploading receipts or connecting their bank accounts, and Lodg's AI system will identify which expenses are claimable under New Zealand tax law.

"The overall concept is almost fully AI and fully automated," says Luke. "The fact that you can put income into the platform, and it figures out exactly how much tax you owe and pays it straight away, is quite a phenomenal system and has really disrupted the way accountancy has been done traditionally."

Lodg is experiencing rapid growth, with hundreds of new users signing up every week. The platform is attracting a wide range of users, including real estate agents, tradies, and e-commerce startups.

"We're working with some of the biggest companies in New Zealand who are trying to roll Lodg out for their independent contractors," says Luke. "Our goal is to make paying tax easy and stress-free for everyone."

About Lodg

Lodg is an accounting technology company that automates tax for sole traders and independent contractors. The company was founded by a team of successful entrepreneurs who wanted to create a simpler, more affordable way for people to manage their taxes.

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