Strategic Advisory — Brisbane, Queensland
For established business owners navigating the decisions that matter most. Virtual CFO leadership, succession strategy, and ATO advisory delivered by an adviser who has been here before.
Years across public practice, commercial leadership and government
Years across public practice, commercial leadership and government
Years across public practice, commercial leadership and government
Years across public practice, commercial leadership and government
Most owners I work with have built something real. What they lack is a trusted partner who will tell them the truth about the numbers — and help them protect what it took decades to create.
Brendon Gardiner — Director, Versatile Growth Partners
Most accounting firms are built around compliance. They lodge returns, reconcile accounts, and send invoices. That is necessary work, but it is not advisory.
Versatile Growth Partners operates differently. We provide the kind of strategic financial leadership that business owners usually only access once their company is large enough to afford a full-time CFO — but we deliver it at the SME level, where it matters most and is least available.
Our engagements involve commercial judgement, not just technical accounting. We protect wealth, stabilise operations, prepare businesses for exit, and navigate ATO exposure before it escalates. We engage early, think ahead, and tell clients what they need to hear.
A tax compliance firm
A bookkeeping practice
A financial planner
A commercial advisory partner
THE OWNER'S POSITION
After three decades working alongside business owners, these are the conversations that matter — the ones that rarely make it into an accountant’s office until it is already difficult to fix.
The top line looks healthy. But there is never quite enough in the account when commitments fall due. The gap between what you earn and what you can access is quietly eroding your confidence in every decision.
It started with a missed BAS. Then a deferred arrangement. Now the debt has grown, correspondence has escalated, and you are not sure whether the business can manage both the obligations and the operations simultaneously.
You have spent two decades building this business. The question of how you exit — to whom, on what terms, at what value — has no clear answer. The window for a well-prepared transition does not remain open indefinitely.
Revenue is holding but profit is shrinking. Something is wrong in the cost base, the pricing, or the mix — but the monthly reports do not tell you where. You are managing the business from memory rather than evidence.
The business operates through an entity structure that has not been reviewed in years. Personal assets, company obligations, director exposure, and trust distributions are increasingly tangled. If something went wrong tomorrow, you are not certain the structure would hold.
The returns are lodged on time. But the strategic conversations never happen. Nobody is looking at what is coming, thinking about the structure, or helping you use the financial position of the business to make better decisions through the year.
Client Engagements
Anonymised examples from real engagements. Details have been altered to protect client confidentiality. Industry and turnover context is indicative.
A North Queensland trade services business was generating solid revenue but running out of cash mid-month. The owner was drawing on personal credit to cover payroll. A $90,000 ATO debt had accumulated quietly over 18 months and was escalating.
Rebuilt the cash flow model from the ground up. Identified three invoicing processes creating a 45-day average collection gap. Renegotiated supplier payment terms. Engaged the ATO directly to pause recovery action and establish a structured arrangement. Implemented real-time Xero dashboards so the owner could track cash position daily.
Within 90 days the owner ceased drawing on personal credit. Cash flow stabilised across the following quarter. The ATO arrangement was resolved inside six months with no penalties applied. The business retained all staff throughout the engagement.
A Brisbane professional services firm had accumulated $340,000 in ATO obligations over three years — primarily unpaid PAYG withholding and GST. A Director Penalty Notice had been issued. The relationship with the ATO had broken down. The business was operationally profitable and viable, but the director did not know where to begin.
Engaged the ATO immediately to pause recovery proceedings. Completed a full lodgement catch-up and prepared a financial position report to support a payment arrangement proposal. Coordinated with the client’s solicitor on personal DPN exposure. Built a forward cash flow model to underpin a credible 24-month repayment structure.
The ATO accepted the arrangement. No further recovery action was initiated. The director’s personal liability was managed within the agreed framework. The business continued operating without interruption and is now current across all obligations.
The owner of a Queensland wholesale distribution business had built a strong operation over 24 years. At 58, with no succession plan and a business almost entirely dependent on his relationships and judgment, he wanted to exit within four years — but had no clear sense of business value, what preparation was required, or how long it would realistically take.
Conducted a full exit readiness assessment. Identified six key value drivers requiring improvement before a sale process could commence. Restructured the entity over 18 months to minimise CGT exposure on exit. Developed two internal leaders as potential candidates to manage the business post-sale, reducing key-person risk materially.
Within 90 days the owner ceased drawing on personal credit. Cash flow stabilised across the following quarter. The ATO arrangement was resolved inside six months with no penalties applied. The business retained all staff throughout the engagement.
Advisory Programs
Anonymised examples from real engagements. Details have been altered to protect client confidentiality. Industry and turnover context is indicative.
For businesses under pressure
Stabilise first. Then build.
For business owners dealing with cash flow stress, ATO pressure, declining margins, or operational instability. The engagement begins with immediate triage and quick stabilisation wins, then transitions to structural improvement and sustained financial oversight.
For businesses under pressure
Stabilise first. Then build.
For business owners dealing with cash flow stress, ATO pressure, declining margins, or operational instability. The engagement begins with immediate triage and quick stabilisation wins, then transitions to structural improvement and sustained financial oversight.
For businesses under pressure
Stabilise first. Then build.
For business owners dealing with cash flow stress, ATO pressure, declining margins, or operational instability. The engagement begins with immediate triage and quick stabilisation wins, then transitions to structural improvement and sustained financial oversight.
Succession and Exit Planning
A well-executed exit is rarely an event. It is the outcome of two to four years of deliberate preparation — improving what a buyer values, reducing what exposes you, and structuring what you receive. The owners who achieve the best outcomes begin that preparation long before anyone has suggested they should.
Understanding what a buyer actually pays for — and which improvements to your business have the most leverage on the sale price. Most SME owners significantly overestimate what their business is worth before preparation.
Entity restructuring before a transaction to minimise capital gains tax and protect the proceeds of a sale. This work needs to begin 12 to 24 months before any transaction — not during it.
Clean, auditable financials. Documented systems and processes. A business that operates independently of the owner. These are the conditions that give buyers confidence and support a premium price.
Identifying and developing the internal leadership capacity that allows the business to continue performing after the owner departs. High key-person dependence is one of the most common value discounts in SME transactions.
Navigating the distinct complexity of family business transitions — balancing operational continuity with family fairness, estate planning alignment, and multi-generational wealth structuring.
Planning for what comes after the transaction — wealth structuring, tax on proceeds, lifestyle planning, and avoiding the psychological and financial vacuum that follows an unplanned exit.
The advisory timeline
Year One
Exit readiness review. Valuation benchmarking. Identification of value gaps, key-person risk, and structural exposures. Entity review for tax efficiency on exit.
Year two
Systems documentation, leadership development, financial performance improvement, governance strengthening. Reducing the owner’s operational footprint in the business.
Year Three and Beyond
Sale process preparation, buyer or successor identification, deal structure advisory, and post-exit financial and lifestyle planning for the departing owner.
Stabilise first. Then build.
About the adviser
Brendon Gardiner has spent over 30 years working at the intersection of accounting, commercial leadership, and strategic advisory. His career spans public practice, senior commercial roles across multiple industries, and government — giving him a perspective on business problems that is broader than most advisers who have remained within one discipline.
His advisory focus is on established SME owners — particularly those over 50 — who are navigating decisions about wealth protection, operational stability, ATO exposure, or succession. These are owners who have already built something significant and need an adviser who matches that seriousness.
He currently serves as Virtual CFO across eight entities in the automotive sector, managing financial strategy at the group level remotely. He also leads Versatile Accounting, providing compliance and bookkeeping services, and Versatile Growth Partners, which provides strategic advisory.
Recognition
Recognised for strategic advisory excellence across SME succession, exit planning and financial leadership
Total advisory experience
30+ years
Automotive finance leadership
10+ years
Current Virtual CFO role
8-entity group
Primary advisory focus
SMEs $1M+, owners 50+
Location
North Brisbane, QLD
Availability for urgent matters
24/7
Complimentary Resources
Three practical diagnostic tools for Queensland SME owners. No obligation. Designed to give you an honest read on where you stand before any conversation with an adviser.
Ten questions that assess how prepared your business is for exit, sale, or transition. Scored across six readiness dimensions with a plain-English summary of your position and priority actions.
Seven early indicators that your ATO exposure is escalating — and what action to take before it reaches crisis point. Written for business owners, not accountants. Includes Director Penalty Notice guidance.
A structured diagnostic that identifies the most common cash flow failure points in SMEs with $1M+ turnover. Includes a benchmarked assessment of collection days, working capital position, and a 90-day improvement roadmap.
