In line with Chinese tradition, the Year of the Dragon symbolizes good luck, strength and health, giving business owners optimism about the outlook for 2024 despite emerging economic challenges.

With the Talentail brand starting to make a real impact in Asia, NAB customer Yolanda Franklyn, is looking to leverage the strength and dedication of the Dragon to explore new horizons for her family’s proudly owned Australian pet care business, Talentail.

Located in Mount Waverley, Victoria, Talentail emerged from the deep-seated love and adoration the extended Franklyn family holds for pets and the enchanting Australian environment.

Operating in Australia, New Zealand and a number of Asian countries, Talentail provides an extensive range of premium pet food and pet nutritional products sourced from quality Australian ingredients, including Australia’s amazing Kakadu Plum.

“We are entering the Year of the Dragon with a forward-looking approach, to continue expanding into lucrative international markets such as Japan and Korea. This is a part of our global strategy to reduce dependencies on a single market, opening up exciting opportunities for our business to grow and diversify,” said Yolanda.

The company actively embraces diverse cultures, distinct thinking patterns, and unique perspectives in its approach to doing business, which Yolanda says gives it an edge in international markets.

“At Talentail, we welcome diversity and it’s through our deep understanding of local cultures, combined with our team members’ knowledge and experience of international business, that we’ve been able to grow a successful brand.”

Tailored solutions by NAB

As Talentail aimed to further expand its footprint in south-east Asian markets in 2023, it was faced with prolonged order wait times. Encountering cash flow challenges, Yolanda reached out to her commercial broker, Max Wang from Vmoney, for help in finding a solution.

“Yolanda is a valued customer of mine and after gaining insight into Talentail’s immediate situation and credit needs, I approached Michelle Gong, Small Business Banking Manager at NAB to workshop a solution,” says Max.

As a team, Max and Michelle engaged with NAB’s business banking specialists and explored working capital strategies and trade finance products to address both Talentail’s short and long-term needs.

NAB was able to provide a trade finance facility, which effectively alleviates financial pressure on Talentail caused by prolonged waiting times for orders.

Commenting on the outcome, Yolanda says: “The support and unwavering dedication of NAB have been invaluable and we’re truly grateful. As we embark on the exciting journey of expanding Talentail, I look forward to nurturing and growing our relationship with Max, confident that our collaboration will continue to scale new heights of success.”

 Power of strong relationships

Yolanda has been Max Wang’s client for over five years, but Talentail is just one of his long-term business clients.

“Today, many of my customers are from Australian Asian business community and I hope that the Year of the Dragon will bring good luck and success for my customers and business partners,” he says.

Adding to this, Michelle says she is grateful for the support Max has provided in maintaining relationships within the Australian small business community.

“At NAB, we are focused on supporting our brokers and their small business customers to grow and prosper. The opportunities are endless for the Year of Dragon,” says Michelle.

NAB continues to collaborate with brokers to work efficiently together, and hosts events, workshops and seminars, both online and face to face, to provide education and networking opportunities for the wider business community.