The Small Business Project

The Small Business Project Advisory is more than what you deliver. We help accounting firms implement the structure, conversations and capability.

Strategic thinking is often treated as something you either have or you don't.I don't believe that's true.What I've seen...
03/09/2026

Strategic thinking is often treated as something you either have or you don't.
I don't believe that's true.

What I've seen over the years is that strategic confidence rarely appears out of nowhere.
It grows from structure.

When advisers have a clear framework to guide the conversation, they stop wondering what question comes next. They're no longer trying to remember everything they know or relying on years of experience to navigate the discussion.

Instead, they have the mental space to really listen.
To recognise patterns.
To ask better questions.
To think more strategically.
That's why I'm so passionate about structure.

Not because I want conversations to feel scripted.
Quite the opposite.

The right structure creates freedom. It removes the cognitive load of working out how to lead the conversation, so advisers can focus on where the client needs to go.

I've watched accountants who doubted their ability to have strategic conversations become calm, confident advisers, not because they suddenly became different people, but because they finally had a framework they could trust.

Structure doesn't replace strategic thinking.
It creates the confidence for strategic thinking to emerge.

If you're enjoying where these conversations are going, join The Advisory Edge. https://intuitivepractice.activehosted.com/f/20

Each month I share practical insights, ideas and perspectives to help accounting firms make better advisory the standard, delivered straight to your inbox.

Most partners will tell me they already have a process for advisory.And they're usually right.The question I ask next is...
02/09/2026

Most partners will tell me they already have a process for advisory.
And they're usually right.

The question I ask next is this.
Could someone else in your team follow that process across the majority of client conversations and achieve a similar outcome?

If the answer is no, it's probably not a process.
It's experience.

Over time, good advisers develop an instinct for knowing which questions to ask, when to dig deeper, when to challenge, and when to simply listen. It feels natural because they've done it hundreds of times.

The challenge is that instinct doesn't transfer.
Your team can't learn what's happening inside your head.
What they can learn is a structure.
A clear sequence of conversations.
A framework for uncovering the real problem.
A consistent pathway that works across the majority of client situations, not just the ones you've learned to navigate through years of experience.

That's when advisory stops depending on partner instinct and starts becoming something the whole firm can deliver with confidence.

Because structure isn't having your own way of doing things.
Structure is creating a way that others can successfully follow.

For years we've accepted that only a small percentage of clients will ever experience meaningful advisory.We've accepted...
31/08/2026

For years we've accepted that only a small percentage of clients will ever experience meaningful advisory.

We've accepted it because partners are busy.
Because capacity is limited.
Because advisory feels specialised.
Because that's just how firms operate.

But what if that's the wrong assumption?
What if the issue isn't capability at all?
What if we've simply never built a model that allows better advisory to reach more people?

That's the conversation we're passionate about having at The Small Business Project.

We don't believe better advisory belongs in the hands of a few. We believe it can become part of how the whole firm supports clients, provided there's the right structure, the right conversations and a clear pathway for the team to follow.

Because when better advisory becomes the standard, not the exception, more small businesses get the support they need to succeed.
And that's something worth building.

If you're enjoying where these conversations are going, join The Advisory Edge https://intuitivepractice.activehosted.com/f/20. Each month I share practical insights, ideas and perspectives to help accounting firms make better advisory the standard, delivered straight to your inbox.

If advisory is hard to justify… it’s not a delivery problem.It’s what’s happening before it.Most firms don’t have a cons...
27/08/2026

If advisory is hard to justify… it’s not a delivery problem.

It’s what’s happening before it.

Most firms don’t have a consistent way to:
• guide the right conversations
• connect to what the client actually values
• and demonstrate that value before services are introduced

So advisory stays:
• partner-led
• hard to price
• and inconsistent across the team
That’s exactly what we work through in our Advisory Strategy Session.

In this session, you’ll get clarity on:
• how advisory is currently showing up in your firm
• where value is being lost in conversations
• and what needs to change to demonstrate value before delivery

So advisory becomes easier to deliver, easier to repeat, and easier to scale across the firm.
👉 Get clarity on what’s missing before delivery.
👉 Book your Advisory Strategy Session: https://thesmallbusinessproject.com.au/advisory-strategy-session/

đź’Ą KICK-ASS ADVISORY STARTS WITH STRUCTUREEveryone wants kick-ass advisory.Fewer firms build the structure to support it....
26/08/2026

đź’Ą KICK-ASS ADVISORY STARTS WITH STRUCTURE

Everyone wants kick-ass advisory.
Fewer firms build the structure to support it.

Right now, in most accounting firms:
👉 Advisory conversations sit with the partners
👉 The team waits to be told what to do
👉 90% of clients never experience forward-looking conversations
Not because your team isn’t capable.
Not because you don’t believe in advisory.
Because it hasn’t been clearly defined, separated, and structured to be shared.

Kick-ASS advisory doesn’t mean louder conversations or more services.
It means:
âś” A clearly defined advisory approach
âś” Clarity on how advisory conversations can be shared across the team
âś” A practical 90-day action plan
âś” A leadership team aligned on what advisory actually means

That’s exactly what we build in our Advisory Strategy Session.
It’s focused.
It’s commercial.
It’s designed to move advisory from “partner-heavy” to “firm-wide capability.”

If you’re at capacity but still only reaching 10% of your clients…
👉 DM to Book your Advisory Strategy Chat and let’s build a kick-ASS plan your whole team can stand behind.

Advisory is not hard to deliver.It’s hard to justify.You’ve likely felt it.A client raises something important.You can s...
24/08/2026

Advisory is not hard to deliver.
It’s hard to justify.

You’ve likely felt it.
A client raises something important.
You can see where you can help.

So you start explaining what you could do.
Maybe outline a service and maybe even moving to pricing.
But it doesn’t quite land.

Not because the work isn’t valuable, but because the value hasn’t been clearly demonstrated first.
Most firms move too quickly to solutions.

Without first helping the client see:
• what really matters
• what’s at risk
• and what’s possible

That’s the missing piece.
The structure to connect the conversation to the client’s goals, pain points and experience—before anything is delivered.
When you get this right, everything changes.

You’re not selling advisory.
You’re demonstrating value before delivery even begins.

You know the meeting.Good client. Good intent.But the conversation drifts.A bit of this. A bit of that.You ask questions...
20/08/2026

You know the meeting.
Good client. Good intent.
But the conversation drifts.
A bit of this. A bit of that.
You ask questions, they answer… and you leave without a clear direction.
So you fall back to the numbers.
Because at least they’re certain.

This isn’t a capability problem.
It’s what happens when there’s no structure to think inside.

The Business Metamorphosis® model changes that.
It gives the conversation a shape.
So instead of circling…
you land somewhere useful.
Clear. Focused.
A real starting point to leverage from.

And that’s when advisory starts to feel different.
Not heavier.
Just clearer.

DM to book an Advisory Discovery Call

Let’s look at where your conversations are drifting and how to give them direction.

Client experience and demonstrated value are no longer optional. They’re what determines who stays and who chooses you i...
19/08/2026

Client experience and demonstrated value are no longer optional. They’re what determines who stays and who chooses you in the first place.

For a long time, compliance did the heavy lifting in the relationship.

Clients needed the work done.
The technical nature of it justified the fee.
Value was rarely questioned.

That dynamic is shifting.

As AI continues to level the compliance field, the barrier to “doing it yourself” is lower than it’s ever been. Which means clients are becoming more selective about where they place their trust and their money.

This isn’t just about retention.
It’s about attraction.

Why would a new client choose your firm over another?
Why would they stay once they’ve experienced your service?

The answer is no longer found in the work alone.
It’s found in how you engage.

Clients are looking for someone who can help them think, not just report. Someone who can guide decisions, not just document outcomes. Someone who brings clarity to what’s next, not just accuracy to what’s been.

That’s where Strategic Business Improvement Advisory sits.

Not in more reports or more data, but in structured, meaningful conversations that connect the numbers to the client’s world.
And this is where many firms get caught.

They try to improve client experience without improving the structure behind it.
But experience is not a layer you add on. It’s the natural result of how advisory is designed and delivered.

Without structure, value is inconsistent and often invisible.

With structure, value becomes clear, repeatable, and easy for clients to recognise.
AI hasn’t removed the need for accountants.

It has simply made the difference between compliance and true advisory impossible to ignore.

Firms that understand this won’t just retain clients. They’ll become the ones clients actively seek out.

Book an Advisory Discovery Session and let’s look at how your client experience is really being shaped inside your firm.

Are your advisory conversations actually strategic?Too many advisory conversations stay operational:• cashflow pressure•...
17/08/2026

Are your advisory conversations actually strategic?

Too many advisory conversations stay operational:
• cashflow pressure
• tax outcomes
• reporting reviews
• immediate issues

Important? Absolutely.
But strategic business improvement advisory goes further.

It helps clients:
• think differently
• make stronger decisions
• and build a better future business

Small business deserves more than reactive guidance.

đź“ž Book an Advisory Discovery Call.

14/08/2026

Great advisory conversations shouldn’t end with a few good ideas and a client walking out the door.

Give the conversation structure, and both the accountant and the business owner leave knowing what happens next.

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Southport, QLD
4215

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

61409587322

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