Business advisory
Alpine Accounts provides business advisory for small business owners in Hervey Bay, the Fraser Coast and across Australia. Advisory covers the decisions that sit above the bookkeeping: how work is priced, where margin is actually made and lost, whether the business structure still fits, how to fund growth, and what the numbers say about which direction to take. Laurence Ward has run his own businesses for more than 20 years and has in house legal access for contract and structure questions.
What advisory is for
Most small business owners are excellent at the work and have nobody to talk to about the business. Decisions about pricing, hiring, taking on debt or turning down work get made alone, usually under time pressure, often on instinct.
Advisory is a standing conversation with someone who can see the numbers and has made these decisions before, in their own businesses. It is not a report. It is a regular working session about what to do next.
The questions that come up most
Pricing is the first one, almost always. Most small businesses are underpriced and have never tested it, because they are competing on a number they guessed several years ago and have adjusted only for inflation since.
Then margin. Which jobs, products or customers actually make money once you count the time properly. The answer is frequently uncomfortable, because it usually turns out that a significant share of revenue is carried by a small share of the work.
Then structure and growth. Whether the current setup still suits, what the next hire costs in reality, and whether the business can fund its own growth or needs outside money.
In house legal access
Contract and structure questions come up constantly and sit at the boundary between commercial and legal. Alpine Accounts has in house legal access, so those questions can be looked at properly rather than deferred until they become a problem.
Common questions
Do I need to use Alpine Accounts for bookkeeping to get advisory?
It helps, because advisory depends on trustworthy numbers, but it is not a requirement. If your books are already in good shape elsewhere, advisory can run on its own.
How often do we meet?
Monthly or quarterly for most businesses, aligned with the management accounts so there is something concrete to work from. More often during a period of change.
What does the free consultation cover?
Thirty minutes to understand the business and where the friction is. You leave with a clear next step whether or not you engage Alpine Accounts. No charge and no obligation.