Business Advisory

Identify Profit Leaks, Cash Flow Risks and Growth Opportunities — with a Business Diagnostic Delivered in 14 Days

A structured Virtual CFO review of your financials, cash flow, margins and operations. Gain management-level visibility, identify profit leaks, and make critical commercial decisions with confidence.

Operational Frustrations

Common Financial Obstacles We Resolve

Many business owners operate with limited visibility over their core numbers, leading to recurring operational friction.

01

Profit is growing but cash flow feels tight

Working capital gets locked up in debtors or inventory, restricting operational liquidity despite positive sales growth.

02

Sales are increasing but margins are declining

Ineffective pricing structures and raw cost increases eat away at gross margins without active control.

03

Reporting exists but doesn't support decisions

Standard compliance bookkeeping provides historical reports months too late, failing to support commercial choices.

04

Inventory levels continue to fluctuate

Stock levels tie up crucial cash without a clear dashboard view of stock turns and product profitability.

05

Owners lack visibility over performance

No automated dashboards mean relying on gut feel instead of real-time management metrics.

06

Decisions are made without reliable information

Hiring, capital purchasing, and expansion decisions are made without structured budget forecasts.

The Business Diagnostic is designed to identify these issues and provide practical recommendations.

Diagnostic Scope

What We Review

We conduct a thorough review of your business through the analytical lens of an experienced Financial Controller.

Financial Performance

  • Revenue trends & consistency
  • Gross profit margin metrics
  • Operating expenses efficiency
  • Entity-level profitability

Cash Flow

  • Operating cash generation
  • Working capital cycles
  • Debtor collections & collection lag
  • Creditor payment alignment

Pricing & Margins

  • Product/service margin variances
  • Service delivery costs
  • Pricing strategy effectiveness
  • Labour & overhead cost recovery

Reporting & Visibility

  • Management reporting frequency
  • Key Performance Indicator (KPI) visibility
  • Board and decision support structures
  • Source ledger data quality

Inventory & Operations

  • Inventory turns & holding costs
  • Stock movement analysis
  • Supplier terms & performance
  • Purchasing patterns & inefficiencies

Business Risks

  • Client/supplier concentration risk
  • Cash flow runway limitations
  • Margin exposure & sensitivity
  • Operational key-person reliance
Commercial Value

Typical Outcomes

Every business is different. While findings vary between organisations, the Business Diagnostic commonly helps identify opportunities to improve visibility, profitability, cash flow management and decision-making confidence.

Improved Cash Flow Visibility

Greater understanding of cash generation, working capital requirements and upcoming pressures. For a practical example of short-term cash visibility, see our guide to the 13-week cash flow forecast.

Better Pricing Decisions

Improved visibility over margins, pricing effectiveness and cost recovery.

Stronger Profitability Understanding

Clearer insight into where profits are generated and where margins may be leaking.

Improved Reporting Clarity

More meaningful reporting that supports decision-making rather than simply recording history.

Identification of Hidden Risks

Early identification of operational, financial and commercial risks.

Clearer Business Priorities

A structured roadmap highlighting the most important opportunities for improvement.

Engagement Deliverables

What You Receive

We deliver a comprehensive suite of practical insights and structured advisory documents.

Business Performance Dashboard & Insights Summary

Business performance dashboards built in Power BI with CFO-level analysis and recommendations.

Diagnostic Report

A detailed executive summary covering our findings across margins, revenue consistency, cash flow metrics, and operational gaps.

Key Opportunity Register

A prioritised register ranking improvement opportunities based on ease of implementation and expected cash/profit impact.

Risk Assessment

Early warning analysis highlighting customer dependencies, vendor vulnerabilities, overhead exposure, or working capital blockages.

Recommended Actions

Practical, step-by-step actions that can be implemented internally or supported by our Virtual CFO services.

Strategy Walkthrough Session

A dedicated presentation and discussion session with our Principal Adviser to detail findings and answer questions.

Sample Business Diagnostic Dashboard Illustrative Data Only — Not a Real Client
FINANCIAL CONTROL CENTRE
Illustrative example – not client data
CASH BALANCE $324,580 ▲ 5.2% vs Target
GROSS MARGIN 58.4% ▲ 1.4% Target Met
DEBTOR DAYS 28 Days ▼ 4.0d (Collection Improvement)

OPERATIONAL HEALTH INDEX

Working Capital:
OPTIMISED
Overhead Control:
EXCELLENT
Tax Compliance:
SECURE
AVAILABLE CASH RUNWAY 95 Days ▲ Stable (Minimum Target 90d)
NET CASH POSITION +$24,150 ▲ Net Inflow this month

6-MONTH ROLLING CASH OUTLOOK

$400K $200K $0K
JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV
Projected Cash Inflows Projected Fixed Outflows

GROSS MARGIN CONTRIBUTION BY CHANNEL

Direct E-Commerce
72.4%
Retail Distribution
58.1%
B2B Wholesale Contract
44.3%

DIRECT COST THRESHOLDS (COGS)

Direct Labour: 28% (Target Met)
Materials: 14% (Stable)
Logistics: 12% (Warning - overhead spike)
⚠️ Logistics COGS exceeds 10% threshold. Margin impact detected in B2B.

OVERHEAD SPEND VARIANCE (BUDGET VS ACTUAL)

Employment Cost
-$2,400
Marketing & Growth
+$800
IT & Subscriptions
-$350
Under Budget (Green) Over Budget (Gold)

KEY OPERATING EFFICIENCIES

Revenue Per FTE Staff: $18,450 / month
Direct Cost Recovery: 104.2%
Overhead Burn Rate: $42,300 / month
Social Proof

What Our Clients Say

Read feedback from business owners who have experienced our advisory services.

ValueWise has been a great support for our new business. Their guidance helped improve our visibility in the market and attract more customers. They also provided practical strategies for better cash flow management, helping us stay organised and focused on growth. We appreciate their professional support and would recommend their services to other small businesses.
Success Tutoring Altona Director
Published with client permission
Working with ValueWise has given us far more than accounting support. Ashwin provides the financial insight and commercial perspective we need to make better decisions and stay ahead of challenges. Regular reviews, clear reporting, and proactive cash flow management mean we always understand where the business stands and what actions to take next.
Sage Avenue Managing Director
Published with client permission
Fixed-Fee Engagement

Investment

Business Diagnostic $1,800 + GST

A fixed-fee engagement designed to identify opportunities, risks, profit leakage, cash flow pressures and performance improvement opportunities.

Book a Business Diagnostic

Advisory Transition Credit: If you proceed with an ongoing Business Advisory or Virtual CFO engagement within 30 days of completing your Business Diagnostic, the $1,800 + GST diagnostic fee will be credited against your first month of service.

Our Method

The Diagnostic Process

We move systematically from initial scope mapping to final review presentations.

1

Discovery Meeting

We align on your operational structure, business model, and performance goals to map the audit boundaries.

2

Data Collection

Secure sharing of read-only access to your Xero or MYOB files, operational spreadsheets, financial statements, and general business information.

3

Analysis & Review

Our team conducts a high-level CFO review, analyzing gross margins, product profitability, debtor cycles, and cost structures.

4

Diagnostic Report

We compile our findings into a structured report, opportunity register, and cash flow risk assessment.

5

Presentation & Recommendations

A structured walkthrough session to present our findings, explain cash leakages, and outline recommended business improvement retainers.

Our Qualifications

Why ValueWise

We combine professional certifications with years of commercial finance experience. Rather than serving as retroactive, year-end tax preparers, we act as active advisory partners providing clear, management-level clarity.

Our recommendations are commercially grounded and designed to help business owners make hiring, inventory, and margin decisions with certainty. For further background, you can read our full advisory philosophy on our About page.

  • CPA Australia — Chartered Practice level expertise
  • CMA — Certified Management Accountant
  • Registered BAS Agent — Compliant under TPB Reg No. 26368400
  • 15+ Years Finance Leadership — Direct commercial experience
  • Financial Controller Experience — In-depth cost & ledger controls
  • Business Advisory Experience — Structuring corporate scaling models
  • Management Accounting Expertise — Cash flows & margin analysis
Engagement Comparison

Select the Right Entry Point

Understand the difference between our entry-level consultations and a comprehensive diagnostic engagement.

Feature Discovery Call Business Diagnostic
Cost Free $1,800 + GST
Depth General discussion Detailed analysis
Data No data review Full data review
Deliverables No deliverables Report & recommendations
Time 30 minutes Structured engagement
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers regarding systems, timelines, and ongoing engagements.

The Business Diagnostic is delivered within 14 days of receiving the required information. This includes our discovery session, ledger analysis, report preparation, and your final walkthrough presentation.

We require read-only access to your primary cloud accounting ledger (such as Xero or MYOB) and, where applicable, key operational spreadsheets, financial statements, and general business information. We provide clear, secure instructions to help you share this data safely.

While we specialise in Xero and MYOB, we can work with other modern cloud systems, ERPs, or robust Excel-based reports. We will confirm system compatibility during our initial discovery meeting.

Yes, it is designed specifically for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) that have outgrown basic compliance bookkeeping and require Virtual CFO insight to manage margins, working capital, and operational growth.

Yes. Every diagnostic deliverable includes an actionable Key Opportunity Register and prioritised Recommended Actions with expected business impact, providing clear pathways to improve margins and cash flows.

No. The Business Diagnostic is a standalone, fixed-fee engagement. There is no obligation to proceed into an ongoing Virtual CFO or management accounting retainer. You can use our recommendations to make changes in-house or with your current team.

Gain Clarity Before Making Your Next Business Decision

Understand what is happening, why it is happening, and what actions may improve performance.

Book a Business Diagnostic
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