Working With A Business Adviser: What To Expect From Securinvest

Running a business, whether on your own or alongside fellow directors or a board, isn’t always easy.

At times it can be lonely, and having someone you trust to offer a fresh perspective, challenge your thinking and bring balance can make all the difference. You can’t always share every concern with family, your leadership team or even fellow directors. Even with a trusted accountant and a good understanding of your financial reports, you may want a clearer picture of how your business is performing, where the pressure points are and what deserves attention next.

You know your business better than anyone. Our expertise is helping you build a more profitable, valuable and enjoyable business, giving you more choices now and when the time comes to exit.

Your Complimentary Introductory Conversation

Some owners have one decision they want to talk through. Others know that something in the business needs attention but aren’t sure where to begin, or simply want a fresh perspective. Either way, we start by listening.

At Securinvest, working with a business adviser starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your goals, your vision for the business and what matters most to you, personally and professionally.

Through thoughtful questions, we explore what you’re looking to achieve, why it matters and what success would look like for you. From there, we can work together to identify opportunities, bring clarity to the challenges and determine the best way forward.

What We’ll Discuss About Your Business

Our business advisory process begins with a complimentary introductory conversation, with no obligation to proceed. We’ll ask what prompted your enquiry, which decisions are coming up and where you’re missing information. You can ask how our team works, who may be involved and what happens if you’d like us to take a closer look.

When A Business Health Check Is The Next Step

If it makes sense to explore the issues further, we’ll explain what a Business Health Check involves and how it may help. We’ll also tell you which figures or documents would be useful. You can begin with the questions on your mind without preparing a detailed information pack before the first call.

Why Get A Second Opinion On Your Business?

Your existing accountant may be looking after tax returns, BAS and annual accounts. You might also want to examine why margins have slipped, whether the business can afford a new role or how to prepare for an eventual sale. These questions often benefit from a fresh commercial perspective.

A second opinion can help test assumptions that have gone unchallenged. For example, a business may be bringing in more work while the owner takes home less. Understanding which jobs contribute to profit, and which absorb time and cash, gives the conversation a useful starting point.

What If You Already Have An Accountant?

You can speak with our Business Advisory & Tax team about a second opinion before making changes to your accounting arrangements. We can discuss the additional support you’re looking for and how it may fit with your current arrangements. If changing firms becomes part of the conversation, we’ll explain the steps involved and seek your authority before collecting existing records.

What Happens During A Business Health Check?

Our Business Health Check is a complimentary and confidential discovery session for new clients, people referred to us and business owners seeking a fresh perspective. We take time to understand your goals, objectives, frustrations and bigger-picture ideas, then explore how the business is performing, where the pressure points may be and which issues or opportunities deserve attention.

Drawing on our experience, we can often identify practical improvements and some low-hanging fruit. You can see how our team approaches your circumstances before deciding whether we can add value and what work, if any, would be a useful starting point. There’s no expectation that you’ll immediately move all your accounting, tax or advisory work to us. We understand that business relationships develop through trust.

We begin with your perspective and where things stand today, then explore the detail that sits behind it. The questions will vary according to the business. A company preparing to expand has different pressures from one where the owners are thinking about succession.

Your Business Goals

What would you like the business to achieve over the next few years? You may want steadier income, a stronger management team, more predictable cash flow or a plan to bring in a partner. We also ask what the business needs to provide for you personally, including time away from day-to-day operations.

We turn broad goals into questions that can guide a plan. If you want to step back from daily management, for instance, we’ll need to understand who currently makes decisions, what information they rely on and where responsibility could be shared.

Frustrations & Challenges

We’ll talk about what’s making the business harder to run. You might have rising sales and falling margins, customers paying slowly, reports that arrive too late to be useful or a leadership team working towards different priorities.

The detail matters. A large new order might look attractive on a profit and loss report. Paying suppliers and wages before the customer pays can still put pressure on cash. We’ll explore the timing of money coming in and going out, alongside the profitability of the work. That can help identify what needs further investigation.

How We Develop Your Business Advisory Options

After discovery, we consider what you’ve told us and where our team may be able to contribute. We look at the issues that matter most, the information available and what would need to be understood before recommending a particular course of action.

Every business is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all advisory solution. We’ve worked with businesses across industries and at different stages of their life cycle. Clients value that breadth of experience and our ability to bring a fresh perspective, constructively challenge assumptions and question ways of working that may have become entrenched. While each business is unique, successful businesses share important strategic, financial and operational disciplines.

We draw on those principles and adapt them to your circumstances, looking for practical improvements, including the small ‘one percenters’ that collectively make a meaningful difference.

Your Written Proposal & Priced Options

If we believe we can help, we prepare a written proposal. It sets out your goals, the gaps we’ve identified, what success would look like and how progress could be measured. The proposal includes three priced options, so you can compare approaches and decide which level of support may suit your business.

The possibilities depend on what emerges from the discussion. For one business, better cash flow forecasting and management reporting may be the first priority. Another may need a strategic plan with responsibilities and review dates. Where the issues require more detailed analysis, the proposal can explain that work, its scope and the associated cost.

After The Proposal: Your Next Steps

After reviewing the proposal, you can discuss the differences between options, ask for clarification or take time to think them over. If none suits your circumstances, there’s no requirement to proceed.

Getting Started With Business Advisory Support

If you choose to work with us, we’ll agree on the scope and priorities before getting started. Depending on the engagement, that could mean developing a business plan, reviewing performance measures, addressing a particular challenge or establishing ongoing meetings to discuss results and next actions.

Ongoing Business Advisory & CFO Support

Some owners benefit from regular financial oversight as the business grows. Our Virtual CFO Services can include management reporting, budgeting and ongoing performance reviews, with the precise arrangements agreed for your circumstances. The aim is to keep the work connected to decisions you actually need to make.