Virtual CFO Services in Australia Led by Chartered Accountants

Stronger Professional Judgement

• Beyond bookkeeping: Transactions are converted into management decisions, not just historical reports.
• Tax-aware timing: BAS, PAYG, superannuation, debt and working-capital commitments are built into cash planning.
• Commercial challenge: Hiring, pricing, expansion and capital expenditure are tested before the business commits cash.

Cleaner Reporting Discipline

• Month-end control: Reconciled numbers, close deadlines and clear ownership reduce reporting noise.
• Board-grade packs: Owners, lenders and investors see the same version of cash, profit, risk and next actions.
• Forecast accountability: Assumptions are reviewed against actuals so management learns faster.

Decision Support Competitors Often Miss

• Cash runway: See the weeks where pressure appears before the bank balance becomes the warning system.
• Margin leakage: Identify underquoted work, labour overruns and overhead under-recovery while action is still possible.
• Funding readiness: Prepare reconciled history, forecast scenarios and defensible assumptions before approaching lenders.

Startups Building Financial Control Early

• What you may be facing: You are managing burn rate, founder decisions, early hiring, product validation, investor expectations or limited runway.
• What you need to see: cash runway, budget discipline, funding requirements, unit economics, basic KPI reporting and realistic financial assumptions.
• How SAQCH helps: We help you build investor-ready reporting, forecast cash needs, test hiring decisions and create a finance rhythm before growth becomes messy.

Growing Businesses Scaling With More Complexity

• What you may be facing: Revenue is increasing, but payroll, tax, supplier commitments, debtor timing and operational pressure are increasing with it.
• What you need to see: 12-week cash flow, budget versus actuals, margin by service or project, hiring affordability and the real cost of growth.
• How SAQCH helps: We turn Xero data into management dashboards, monthly CFO meetings and decision models so growth does not quietly consume cash.

Established Businesses Preparing for the Next Move

• What you may be facing: The business is already operating, but larger decisions now involve funding, expansion, multiple entities, leadership reporting or profit optimisation.
• What you need to see: board-grade reporting, scenario modelling, funding readiness, tax-aware cash planning, entity-level performance and capital allocation discipline.
• How SAQCH helps: We give directors a clearer financial command centre so major decisions are tested before cash, margin or governance risk is committed.

Week 1: We Find the Financial Blind Spots

• We review the current finance setup: Xero file quality, reporting delays, chart of accounts, debtor control, tax commitments, payroll timing and management reporting gaps.
• You see the real issue clearly: whether the pressure is coming from cash timing, weak margins, messy data, slow reporting or decisions being made without reliable numbers.
• Immediate outcome: a clear priority list showing what must be fixed first to create reliable financial visibility.

Weeks 2–3: Your First CFO View Takes Shape

• We build the working model: rolling cash forecast, key management reports, budget-versus-actual structure and margin views by client, project, practitioner or service line.
• You stop relying on the bank balance alone: available cash is separated from BAS, PAYG, payroll, superannuation, supplier payments, debt and planned investment.
• Immediate outcome: management can see what is likely to happen next—not only what happened last month.

Week 4: Your First Decision Meeting

• We meet with management: review the first CFO pack, explain risks, challenge assumptions and identify the decisions that need action now.
• You receive clear direction: which invoices need attention, which costs or margins need review, and whether upcoming hiring, funding or expansion decisions are financially safe.
• Immediate outcome: a practical action plan with owners, dates and financial conditions for the next decision cycle.

Cash and Commitment View

• Available operating cash: what is genuinely free after committed payments are considered.
• 12-week forecast: receipts, payroll, suppliers, tax, superannuation, loan payments and planned investment shown week by week.
• Pressure points: the weeks where action is required before cash becomes tight.

Performance and Margin View

• Profitability by driver: job, project, client, practitioner, location or service line depending on how your business makes money.
• Budget variance: where revenue, labour, materials, overheads or delivery costs moved away from plan.
• Margin leakage: the activity that looks busy but is not producing the return required to fund growth.

Director Decision View

• Decisions due now: hiring, equipment, pricing, funding, expansion or cost decisions that need management attention.
• Scenario impact: what happens to cash and profit if revenue changes, costs increase or collections slow down.
• Recommended actions: practical next steps from your Chartered Accountant-led advisory team before the next meeting.

Cash Runway and Working Capital

• 12-Week Cash Forecast: Track expected receipts, payroll, suppliers, tax, debt and planned investment week by week.
• Debtor Control: Identify overdue cash, collection bottlenecks and the effect of delayed receipts on commitments.
• Commitment Visibility: Separate cash in the bank from amounts already required for BAS, PAYG, superannuation and loan obligations.
• Early-Warning Actions: Define what management will change before a forecast pressure point becomes a crisis.

Margin and Operational Performance

• Margin Analysis: Measure contribution by project, job, client, practitioner, location or service line.
• Budget Variance: Explain where revenue, labour, materials and overheads moved away from plan.
• Capacity Economics: Link utilisation, delivery capacity and payroll commitments to revenue assumptions.
• Pricing Discipline: Test whether current pricing recovers direct costs, overhead and the margin required to fund growth.

Board Direction and Capital Decisions

• Management Packs: Concise reporting with cash outlook, performance, risk, decisions required and accountable actions.
• Scenario Modeling: Compare base, upside and downside cases before hiring, opening a site or purchasing equipment.
• Funding Readiness: Prepare credible forecasts, assumptions and reporting for lender or investor discussions.
• Decision Governance: Set financial conditions that must be met before major commitments proceed.

Hiring Before the Revenue Is Proven

• Decision Risk: Permanent payroll is added based on pipeline optimism rather than converted demand and cash timing.
• CFO Test: Model salary, on-costs, ramp-up time, utilisation, break-even revenue and the effect on runway.
• Management Outcome: Hire against defined financial triggers—or delay, stage or redesign the role before cash is locked in.

Capital Expenditure Without a Cash Case

• Decision Risk: Equipment, fit-outs or new premises are approved on headline price without considering working capital and timing.
• CFO Test: Compare purchase, finance and lease options against cash flow, utilisation, payback and downside scenarios.
• Management Outcome: Commit only when the business can fund the asset and the operational assumptions are commercially defensible.

Fundraising or Lending Before Reporting Is Ready

• Decision Risk: Management enters lender or investor discussions with inconsistent figures, weak assumptions or no clear use-of-funds model.
• CFO Test: Reconcile historical data, build forecast scenarios and show how capital changes runway, capacity and expected returns.
• Management Outcome: Present a coherent financial case and understand the conditions required to service or deploy the capital responsibly.

Earlier Warning, Lower Correction Cost

A rolling model exposes pressure before the bank balance becomes the warning system. Management gains time to accelerate collections, change delivery, defer spend or secure funding on better terms.

Decisions With Financial Conditions

Hiring, pricing, expansion and capital expenditure are assessed against break-even points, runway and downside cases. Decisions proceed when the numbers support them—not because momentum makes them feel urgent.

Controlled Scale Without a Full-Time CFO

You gain senior financial direction, board-grade reporting and an accountable monthly rhythm without carrying the fixed cost of a permanent executive before the business requires one.

Core — From $299 + GST / month

• Best for: Businesses that need annual compliance, basic support and clean foundations.
• Includes: Email support, annual financial statements, business tax return lodgment and two personal income tax returns.
• CFO fit: Useful starting point when reporting is simple and strategic finance needs are limited.

Growth — From $399 + GST / month

• Best for: Growing SMEs that need faster response, annual tax planning and business strategy review.
• Includes: Priority support, annual financial statements, tax returns, annual tax planning, bi-annual strategy review, ASIC review and ATO communication excluding audits.
• CFO fit: Suitable when the business needs structured advice but not regular board-level CFO rhythm.

Premium — From $699 + GST / month

• Best for: SMEs that need regular CFO/strategy sessions, forecasting and scenario planning.
• Includes: Same-day response, comprehensive tax planning, quarterly 2-hour CFO/strategy session, annual budgeting, financial forecasting, scenario planning and variance analysis.
• CFO fit: The strongest published plan for businesses wanting ongoing strategic finance input without a full-time CFO.