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Practical guides for business owners.
50 articles on accounting, structuring, buying and selling businesses, and financing growth, written for Australian owners.
How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast
A step-by-step guide to building a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast so you can see cash pressure coming and act before it becomes a problem.
Read articleBucket companies: how they work and where they go wrong
How a bucket company caps tax on family trust income, why the money must really be paid, and the Division 7A and other traps that catch business owners out.
Read articleBuying a business vs starting one — an honest comparison
Should you buy an existing business or start your own? An honest look at cost, risk, cash flow and lifestyle for Australians weighing up both paths.
Read articleAsset sale vs share sale: what changes for buyer and seller
Selling the business assets or selling the company shares changes tax, risk, contracts and staff for both sides. Here is how the two structures differ.
Read articleAML/CTF reforms: what the 2026 changes mean for accountants, lawyers, real estate agents and their clients
Australia's AML/CTF regime now covers accountants, lawyers, conveyancers and real estate agents. What firms must do and what clients should expect to be asked.
Read articleThe balance sheet, explained for business owners
What the balance sheet shows, how assets, liabilities and equity fit together, and the warning signs every business owner should know how to spot.
Read articleDiscretionary (family) trusts explained
How discretionary family trusts work in Australia, what they can and cannot do for tax and asset protection, and the rules trustees must follow each year.
Read articleEarn-outs — bridging the gap on price
An earn-out ties part of a business sale price to future performance. Learn how earn-outs work, how to set fair targets, and the disputes to avoid.
Read articleEmployee entitlements when a business changes hands
How staff, accrued leave and other entitlements are dealt with when an Australian business is sold, and the points buyers and sellers need to agree early.
Read articleBuilding wealth outside your business: the principles
Why business owners should build wealth beyond the business, and the general principles of paying yourself, buffers, debt, structure and diversification.
Read articleA practical BAS preparation checklist
A step-by-step checklist for preparing your business activity statement accurately, from reconciling the books to checking GST, PAYG and the final figures.
Read articleDivision 7A: taking money out of your company the right way
How Division 7A treats money you take from your private company, how a complying loan agreement works, and practical steps to avoid an unexpected dividend.
Read articleA financial due diligence checklist for business buyers
A practical financial due diligence checklist for buying an Australian business, covering accounts, tax, cash flow, debts, staff entitlements and the lease.
Read articleSelling a business as a going concern: how GST works
When the sale of a business can be GST-free as a going concern, the conditions both parties must meet, and what goes wrong when they are missed.
Read articleBusiness funding options in Australia: debt, equity and everything between
A plain guide to how Australian businesses raise money, from bank debt and invoice finance to equity, hybrids and grants, and how to match each to the need.
Read articleSetting up a chart of accounts that actually helps you run the business
How to design a chart of accounts that gives you useful reports, keeps GST and tax treatment clean, and grows with your business instead of fighting it.
Read articleHolding and operating companies: separating risk from assets
How a holding and operating company structure separates trading risk from valuable assets, how profits move between them, and the limits of the protection.
Read articleFinding businesses for sale, including off-market opportunities
Where to find businesses for sale in Australia, from brokers and online listings to off-market approaches that reach owners before they advertise.
Read articleHow much is my business worth?
How buyers and advisers value Australian small and medium businesses, what normalised earnings are, and why the number on paper may not be the price.
Read articleBuy-sell agreements between business partners
What a buy-sell agreement does, the events it should cover, how buyouts are valued and funded, and the tax and legal issues business partners need to plan for.
Read articleChoosing accounting software — what to look for
How to choose accounting software for an Australian business, covering bank feeds, GST and BAS, payroll and STP, reporting, integrations and switching.
Read articlePartnerships: when they work and when they don't
How business partnerships work in Australia, how partners are taxed, the liability each partner carries, and when a company or trust is a better choice.
Read articleThe first 100 days after you buy a business
What to do in the first 100 days after buying a business, from settlement and staff to cash flow, customers and the changes that should wait a while.
Read articleWhat goes into an information memorandum
What an information memorandum for a business sale should contain, what to leave out, and how to keep it accurate so it helps rather than hurts the deal.
Read articleSuccession planning for family businesses
How family business owners can plan the handover of ownership and management, treat children fairly, manage tax and keep both the business and family intact.
Read articleGST in Australia — when to register and how it works
A plain guide to GST for Australian businesses, covering when you must register, how GST is charged and claimed, and the records you need to keep.
Read articleRestructuring an existing business: what to consider before you move
What to weigh before restructuring an established business, from CGT and duty to rollovers, contracts and staff, plus a practical checklist for the move.
Read articleSDE vs EBITDA — how small businesses are really valued
SDE and EBITDA measure business earnings in different ways. Learn which one applies, how to normalise the figures, and why it changes the price you pay.
Read articleLetters of offer and heads of agreement: what to put in writing early
What a letter of offer or heads of agreement should cover in a business sale, which terms should bind, and why agreeing the key points early saves money.
Read articleThe KPIs worth tracking as your business grows
The financial and operating measures that tell Australian business owners how their business is really performing, and how to build a simple monthly dashboard.
Read articleManagement accounts vs compliance accounts — why you need both
Compliance accounts satisfy the ATO and regulators, management accounts help you run the business. Here is what each does and why you need both.
Read articleWhy every company with two or more owners needs a shareholders agreement
What a shareholders agreement covers, why a company constitution is not enough, and the exit, funding and deadlock issues co-owners should settle early.
Read articleSelf-funded search vs search fund — which path suits you?
Self-funded search or search fund? Compare ownership, control, funding and risk to decide which path to buying a business suits you in Australia.
Read articlePreparing your business for sale: what to do 12–24 months out
The work that lifts your sale price happens well before you list. A practical 12–24 month plan for Australian business owners getting ready to sell.
Read articlePaying yourself: salary, dividends and distributions
How Australian business owners take money out of a sole trader, partnership, company or trust, and the tax and cash flow points to plan for each year.
Read articleA simple month-end close routine for small businesses
A practical month-end close routine for Australian small businesses to reconcile, review and lock the books so your monthly numbers can be trusted.
Read articleSole trader or company? How to choose
Sole trader or company? Compare tax, liability, cost and paperwork, and learn the signs that it is time to move your business into a company structure.
Read articleSetting your acquisition criteria before you start looking
Clear acquisition criteria save months of wasted searching. Learn how to set industry, size, location, price and role criteria before buying a business.
Read articleThe red flags buyers find in your numbers
The issues buyers and their accountants most often find in a business's financial records during due diligence, and how sellers can fix them before a sale.
Read articlePreparing a business loan application your bank will take seriously
What Australian lenders look for in a business loan application, the documents to prepare, and how to present your numbers so a credit team can say yes.
Read articlePayroll, Single Touch Payroll and super — the essentials for employers
What Australian employers need to know about running payroll, reporting through Single Touch Payroll and paying superannuation correctly and on time.
Read articleStructuring your business today for a sale tomorrow
How the structure you choose now affects the price, tax and ease of selling your business later, and what to put in place three to five years before a sale.
Read articleVendor finance explained — how sellers help fund the deal
Vendor finance lets the seller fund part of a business sale. See how it works in Australia, why sellers agree to it, and what buyers should negotiate.
Read articleSmall business CGT concessions: an overview for sellers
An outline of the four small business CGT concessions, the eligibility tests and the active asset test, and why sellers should get advice before acting.
Read articleSMSFs and business real property: a general overview
How a self-managed super fund can hold the premises a business trades from, the rules that apply, the risks to weigh, and why licensed advice comes first.
Read articleHow to read your profit and loss statement
A practical guide to reading your profit and loss statement, from revenue and gross margin to overheads and net profit, and the questions to ask of it.
Read articleUnit trusts for co-owners and joint ventures
Why unit trusts suit unrelated co-owners of a business or property, how fixed entitlements work, and what to settle in a unitholders agreement upfront.
Read articleWhat is entrepreneurship through acquisition?
Entrepreneurship through acquisition means buying an established business and running it yourself. Here is how it works in Australia and who it suits.
Read articleWorking capital and stock adjustments at settlement
How stock, working capital and other settlement adjustments change what a buyer pays and a seller receives, and how to agree them before they cause a dispute.
Read articleSuperannuation basics for business owners
Super from both sides of the desk: your obligations as an employer, how your own retirement saving works, and the general principles to discuss.
Read articleLet’s talk about your business.
A first conversation is free and there is no obligation. Tell us where the business is and where you want it to go.