A finance partner works alongside a business owner to help them understand what their numbers are really saying. This includes identifying where profit is coming from, why cash feels tight, and what the financial picture looks like going forward. Unlike an accountant who focuses on compliance and tax, a finance partner focuses on helping owners of small to medium businesses make better decisions throughout the year. Think of it as having a CFO for your business but at a fraction of the cost.

Your accountant does essential work; tax returns, BAS, compliance and financial reporting that keeps your business on the right side of the ATO. A finance partner adds a forward-looking layer on top of that foundation. Cashflow forecasting, profitability analysis and helping you make better decisions with clear numbers behind them.

The two roles are completely complementary. A finance partner works alongside your accountant, not instead of them. Think of it as the strategic financial thinking your business needs, delivered like having a CFO in your corner, but without the full-time cost or commitment.

Most service businesses benefit from a finance partner when revenue is growing but the financial picture feels harder to read clearly. Common signs include cash feeling tighter than expected despite good revenue, uncertainty about which clients or projects are actually profitable, and important decisions being made without a clear view of the numbers.

Engagements are structured as fixed monthly retainers or one-off project fees depending on what the business needs. Pricing is always discussed upfront and agreed before any work begins. Book a free 30 minute conversation to discuss what would work for your situation.

Decision Consulting is based in Sydney, working with founder-led service businesses across Australia that typically generating between $1M and $10M in annual revenue. This includes professional services firms, consultancies, marketing and digital agencies, allied health practices, architecture firms and HR consulting businesses. If you are growing but finding the financial picture underneath harder to read clearly, we can help.

Decision Consulting brings over 18 years of senior finance experience from large, complex organisations applied in a practical, plain English way that actually helps business owners make better decisions. We work with a small number of clients at a time, so every client gets genuine attention. And because we sit alongside your existing accountant and bookkeeper rather than replacing them, there is no disruption to your existing relationships.

Xero, ChatGPT and similar tools are genuinely useful. They surface data, generate reports and answer questions about what has already happened in your business. But they cannot tell you what the numbers actually mean for your specific situation, challenge a decision you are about to make, or notice that something feels off before it shows up in the data.

A finance partner brings judgement, context and a genuine understanding of your business that no tool can replicate. The numbers in your Xero file tell part of the story. What drives them, what they mean for your next decision, and what to do about them. That is where a finance partner adds value that AI currently cannot.

Think of AI tools as giving you better data. A finance partner helps you work out what to do with it.