Back in 2018, we noticed something odd. Business owners would sit across from us with mountains of financial reports but couldn't tell us what any of it meant for their next decision. The numbers were there—profit margins, cash flow projections, balance sheets—but the insight wasn't.
We didn't set out to revolutionize anything. Started small. One accountant, two analysts, and a shared frustration that financial data wasn't helping people make better calls. Here's how we got from there to here.
Three of us crammed into Bex's garage in Islington. Our first client was a local café owner drowning in quarterly reports. We broke everything down into plain language over coffee. She hired us on the spot. That conversation shaped everything we'd build later.
March hit. Lockdowns started. Half our clients couldn't pay. We spent April building emergency cash flow models—free of charge—just to help businesses survive. Learned more about crisis planning in six weeks than we had in two years. That work stuck with us.
Hired our tenth team member. Finally moved into proper office space on Hubbard Street. Started developing frameworks for scenario planning after watching too many businesses fly blind during uncertainty. Growth wasn't explosive but it was steady and real.
Client feedback kept pointing to the same issue—reports were accurate but not useful for decisions. Spent six months redesigning our analysis approach. Less about what happened last quarter, more about what options exist right now. Hit or miss at first, but we got there.
Connected with business advisors, legal consultants, and tech providers across Australia. Built a network where financial analysis could integrate with broader strategic planning. Collaboration beats isolation every time when you're trying to help businesses grow.
Team of eighteen. Work with businesses from Sydney to Perth. Still learning. Still adjusting our approach based on what actually helps versus what looks good on paper. The goal hasn't changed—make financial data useful for real decisions.
Our process evolved from hundreds of client conversations. Not a rigid formula, more like a framework that adapts to your situation. These four stages guide most engagements but they overlap and loop back as circumstances change.
We dig into your existing financial data—not to audit it but to understand what's actually happening in your business. This takes two to three weeks typically. Questions about revenue patterns, cost structures, and where cash gets stuck.
What choices are you facing right now? Expansion into new markets? Hiring decisions? Pricing adjustments? We map these out and figure out which financial variables matter most for each one. Different questions need different data.
This is where we run numbers through different possibilities. What happens if revenue drops fifteen percent? What if that new product line takes off? We model realistic scenarios so you can see potential outcomes before committing resources.
Markets shift. Assumptions break. We revisit models quarterly or when significant changes happen. Financial analysis isn't a one-time project—it's an ongoing conversation between data and decisions. Updates keep you from flying blind.
You don't need to hire analysts tomorrow to start getting value from your financial data. Here are concrete actions that business owners can implement this month to improve decision-making clarity.
Your accountant gives you monthly reports. Good. Now ask yourself—what decisions do these numbers inform? If you can't answer that quickly, create a separate document where you translate figures into business implications. Profit dropped twelve percent becomes "Marketing spend needs review or pricing structure adjustment."
Pick the three numbers that best indicate business health for your industry. Could be cash on hand, customer acquisition cost, and gross margin. Check them every Monday morning. Weekly visibility helps you spot trends before they become problems.
Choose one upcoming decision. Create a basic spreadsheet with three columns—best case, expected case, worst case. Fill in the financial implications for each. This five-minute exercise forces clearer thinking about what you're actually risking or gaining.
Block two hours every quarter to review financial patterns. Not just current numbers but changes over the past year. Are margins tightening? Is cash conversion improving? Quarterly reviews catch gradual shifts that weekly monitoring might miss.
Financial Strategy Lead
"Most business owners have the data they need already sitting in their accounting software. The challenge isn't getting more numbers—it's asking better questions about the numbers you have. Start there."