What is happening?
Review the financial position and identify the trends, changes or pressure points that require attention.
Business Advisory
Better business decisions start with a clearer financial picture.
Business decisions become easier when you understand what the numbers are telling you. Finance in Life provides practical accounting-led business advisory support to help owners review performance, understand cash flow, identify pressure points and make more informed decisions about what comes next.
Financial insight for better business decisions
Beyond Compliance
Your accounts can tell you more than what needs to be lodged.
Tax returns, BAS and financial records are important, but they also contain information that can help a business owner understand how the business is performing.
Business advisory takes that information further. Rather than looking only at what has already happened, the focus can shift towards profitability, cash flow, costs, business performance, future commitments and the decisions currently facing the business.
Finance in Life approaches advisory from an accounting perspective — helping turn financial information into practical business conversations.
Advisory Support
Understand where the business is — then decide where it should go.
Advisory needs change as a business develops. The starting point is usually understanding the financial position and the specific decisions the owner is trying to make.
01
Business Performance Review
Review income, expenses, margins and financial results to better understand what is changing inside the business.
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02
Cash Flow Understanding
Look at how money moves through the business, where pressure can arise and what future commitments may need to be planned for.
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03
Profitability & Cost Review
Examine whether revenue growth is translating into sustainable profitability and how major costs are affecting results.
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04
Business Planning
Bring financial information into planning for growth, investment, staffing, operating changes or future business commitments.
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05
Structure & Growth Conversations
Review whether changes in the scale or direction of the business are creating new accounting, tax or operational considerations.
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06
Decision Support
Work through the financial side of important business decisions so owners can evaluate options with better information.
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Business Performance
Revenue is only one part of the business story.
A business can increase sales while still experiencing pressure on cash flow or profitability. Looking at the numbers together can provide a more useful picture of what is actually happening.
01
Revenue trends
Understand whether business income is growing,
declining or changing across different periods.
02
Gross margin
Consider how direct costs are affecting the amount
remaining from sales.
03
Operating expenses
Review where business overheads are changing and
which costs are becoming more significant.
04
Profitability
Consider what the business is actually retaining
after the costs of operating it.
05
Cash position
Look beyond accounting profit to understand actual
cash availability and upcoming commitments.
A Practical Framework
Four questions can bring more clarity to the conversation.
Good advisory does not begin with generic recommendations. It begins with understanding the business, the financial information and the decision that needs to be made.
Why is it happening?
Look beyond the headline numbers to understand what may be driving changes in revenue, costs, cash flow or margins.
What could change?
Consider the financial effect of different operating decisions, commitments or future business scenarios.
What should be watched?
Identify the information that may need regular attention as the business moves forward.
Cash Flow & Profitability
A profitable business can still experience cash pressure.
Profit and cash are connected, but they are not the same. Timing of customer payments, inventory, tax liabilities, loan repayments, equipment purchases and other commitments can all affect the money available to operate the business.
01
Money coming in
Sales collections, payment timing and other cash inflows.
02
Money going out
Suppliers, wages, overheads, finance and operating costs.
03
Tax commitments
BAS, income tax, PAYG and other liabilities can create
significant timing considerations.
04
Future commitments
New staff, premises, equipment or expansion may require
cash before the expected benefit is realised.
05
Working capital
Understand how much financial room the business has to
support its normal operations.
When Advisory Can Help
Some business decisions deserve more than a quick guess.
Advisory can become particularly valuable when the business is changing, committing capital or facing a decision that could affect future performance.
The business is growing
Revenue, staff and operating costs are increasing and the owner wants to understand whether growth is sustainable.
Cash feels tighter than expected
The business appears profitable but available cash is under pressure.
Costs are increasing
Suppliers, wages, premises or other expenses are affecting margins and need closer review.
New staff are being considered
The business needs to understand the wider financial commitment before expanding the team.
Investment is being planned
New premises, vehicles, equipment or systems could create significant cash and financing commitments.
The business is changing direction
New products, markets, ownership or operating models may require the financial position to be reconsidered.
Business Planning
Planning becomes more useful when the numbers are connected to the plan.
A business plan does not need to be a large document sitting on a shelf. Financial planning can be used practically to think through expected revenue, costs, investment and the resources the business may need.
01
Define the decision
Start with the specific change, investment or business objective being considered.
02
Understand the current position
Use existing financial information as the starting point rather than planning from assumptions alone.
03
Consider future costs
Identify additional people, equipment, premises, working capital or other commitments.
04
Review as circumstances change
Plans and assumptions should be revisited when actual business results change.
How Advisory Works
Start with the question. Then work through the numbers.
The purpose of advisory is not to create more reports. It is to make the financial information more useful for the decisions actually facing the business.
01
Understand the situation
Tell us what is happening in the business and what decision or concern needs to be considered.
02
Review the financial information
Look at the accounting information relevant to the question and identify the key financial factors.
03
Work through the options
Consider how different choices could affect costs, cash flow, profitability or future obligations.
04
Keep reviewing progress
Where ongoing support is appropriate, compare future results with expectations and revisit the conversation as circumstances change.
Scope Of Advisory
Finance in Life business advisory is accounting-led
business support.
This service focuses on accounting information, business performance, tax and practical business decision support. It should not be read as personal investment advice, financial product advice, legal advice or a guarantee of future business performance. Where a decision requires another type of professional advice, appropriate specialist advice may also be required.
Connected Accounting Support
Better advisory starts with reliable financial information.
Business advisory often connects directly with bookkeeping, BAS, business tax and the structure through which the business operates.
Business Advisory FAQs
Common questions about business advisory support.
Business advisory can involve using accounting and
financial information to help a business owner
understand performance, cash flow, profitability,
financial commitments and the implications of
different business decisions.
No. Small and growing businesses can also benefit
from understanding cash flow, costs, margins and
financial performance, particularly when important
business decisions are being considered.
Accounting profit and available cash are not the same.
Customer-payment timing, supplier payments, tax
liabilities, loan repayments, equipment purchases,
inventory and other commitments can all affect cash
availability.
Financial information can help a business owner
understand the wider cost and cash-flow implications
of employing additional staff before making the
commitment. Employment law and other specialist
considerations may also need separate advice.
There is no single frequency suitable for every
business. The appropriate timing depends on the
size, complexity, pace of change and decisions facing
the business. Some businesses may benefit from more
regular reviews than others.
Not necessarily. Finance in Life's business advisory
service is positioned around accounting information,
business performance, tax and business decision
support. It should not be treated as personal
investment or financial product advice.
Reliable and current financial records generally make
business analysis more useful. Advisory discussions
based on incomplete or inaccurate information can
produce a less reliable picture of business performance.
General Information
Information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your individual circumstances. Business outcomes depend on commercial conditions, financial position, management decisions, business structure and other factors. Finance in Life business advisory is accounting-led business support and should not be treated as personal financial product, investment or legal advice.
Business Decision Ahead?
Bring the numbers into the conversation.
Contact Finance in Life and tell us what is happening in your business, what decision you are considering and where you need greater financial clarity.