BEFORE

Paul owned a thriving physiotherapy clinic—on paper, at least. The clinic had a steady flow of clients, but the numbers never seemed to add up. No matter how hard he worked, there was never enough left in the account at the end of the month. BAS payments were a shock every quarter, superannuation was always running late, and paying himself anything beyond the bare minimum felt impossible.

Bills were creeping up faster than he could clear them, and there was no buffer. Any unexpected cost—a supplier chasing payment, a staff member needing time off—felt like a crisis. Behind the scenes, there were whispers of deeper issues: revenue was solid, but profit margins were thin, and Paul hadn’t paid himself properly in months. He knew something was off, but didn’t have the time or clarity to work out what.

Worse still, the pressure followed him home. He was constantly distracted, missing family dinners, skipping weekends, and lying awake at night wondering when something would finally give. He was starting to feel like the business was swallowing him whole—and the guilt of not being present for his kids only added to the mental load. He didn’t just need help with the numbers. He needed breathing room.

WHAT CHANGED

The first step was our Business X-Ray—a deep dive into the financial health of his business. It revealed exactly what we suspected: poor cashflow visibility, weak profit margins, and no real plan for owner compensation. Paul had unknowingly fallen into the trap of building a business that paid everyone but him.

From there, we got to work. We restructured his financial processes, starting with a cashflow framework that allocated income into clearly defined accounts: one for tax, one for operating expenses, one for profit, and—critically—one for Paul. Every dollar had a job, and there was no more scrambling when bills were due. We also introduced quarterly tax planning sessions, ensuring he was never blindsided by the ATO again.

We worked with him to set measurable business targets aligned with his personal goals—not just revenue, but sustainable profit, regular owner salary, and room for future investment. And importantly, we created space for him to lead, rather than just survive.

The biggest shift wasn’t just in the numbers. It was in Paul’s mindset. As soon as he saw a path forward—one that didn’t involve running on empty—he began to re-engage with his business in a completely new way.

AFTER

Paul’s business is now consistently profitable. His gross profit margin has increased by over 12%, thanks to tighter cost controls and better pricing strategies. Tax bills are no longer a surprise—they’re forecasted, planned, and the cash is sitting in the right account when it’s due. He’s paying himself a consistent salary each month, and for the first time, has a three-month cash buffer in place to cover overheads, even if income slows.

His financial reports have gone from being vague and backward-looking to clear, actionable, and forward-focused. He now has visibility over what’s coming in, what’s going out, and what’s available for growth—broken down by category, goal, and account.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

Paul is no longer stuck in survival mode. He’s stopped working nights and weekends and started showing up to family dinners. He’s not dreading Monday mornings anymore—because he’s not stuck in a business that runs on chaos. He’s running a business that works for him. The sense of relief and confidence he now carries isn’t just visible in the numbers—it’s visible in how he walks through the door.

Where there was burnout, there’s now balance. And for the first time in a long time, Paul’s not just building a clinic—he’s building a life.