Articles

How Do I ‘Benchmark’ a Business? Three Mindsets for Advisors

At different stages during the process of Benchmarking a firm, your mindset needs to change. Here are the key stages that you’ll need work through as you help a client to devise concrete plans for a better, stronger business: 1. At first, your role is essentially a clerical one: converting the financial data about the [...]
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The Silent Disruption of the Accounting Industry

As Featured in the Australian Financial Review on 19/6/19. Amidst the protest of taxi drivers against ride-sharing, the headlines of more manufacturing companies closing and uproar over telecommunications jobs moving overseas, the mature accounting industry is quietly undergoing a dramatic innovation transition. And, the $1Billion Australian FinTech Industry is not the only one to blame. [...]
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Interest Cover Benchmark Calculation

How it’s Calculated Total Net Profit (before owners’ salaries & remuneration) = _____________________________________                      Total Interest expense   How it’s Used Higher results show that the business is highly capable of servicing its interest expenses. Interest cost is often not reported on its own – it also includes Bank and Credit Card charges.  As a result, [...]
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Instant asset write-off for small businesses

In case you didn’t know there’s a $30,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses If businesses are wanting to purchase assets, now may be the time given recent changes to the instant asset write-off (IAWO) thresholds. The IAWO was first introduced in 2015 as a means to help small businesses through a period of economic […]

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Growth Capacity Benchmark Calculation

How it’s Calculated   Growth Capacity calculation:   $ of Net Profit – ($ of Current assets - $ of Current liabilities) = ______________________________________  x 100                                        Turnover   How it’s Used   This ratio shows whether [...]
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Using Business Benchmarks – Three Points for Advisors

One point that can be made about ‘Business Benchmarks’ is that they are a tool. They are not the ‘complete answer’ to every possible question a client might ask you.   It’s not the one tool that will fix absolutely every problem that you are going to run across.  But they will enable you as an [...]
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How to Build a Performance Feedback Loop in Your Business

How to Build a Performance Feedback Loop in Your Business Home Author: Benchmark Data Team Performance Feedback Loop: How to Build One Business Benchmarking Difficulty meeting financial commitments Share expecting difficulty over the next four weeks, June 2026 Businesses expecting difficulty meeting financial commitments, by size, June 2026 A horizontal bar chart with four bars. [...]
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Increasing Franchisor Transparency and Accountability in Australia

Franchises are often considered, and sold as, a win-win business-model by both franchisors and franchisees. However, the recent Fairness in Franchising Report by the Federal Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, released in March 2019, highlighted that franchisors are currently winning at the expense of their own franchisees. The scathing report has recommended [...]
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