As 30 June approaches, many business owners are heads-down in the day-to-day—completing jobs, chasing payments, and preparing for tax. It’s a time often dominated by deadlines, pressure, and a quiet sense of dread. For some, the goal is simply to cross the line and worry about the rest later.
But across the boardrooms of Australia’s larger companies, the mood is quite different.
Right now, ASX-listed businesses and large corporates are still deep in financial planning mode. They’re not rushing to tick boxes or lodge reports—they’re thinking about what comes next. They’re using EOFY not as a line in the sand, but as a powerful strategic checkpoint. They’re taking the time to ask difficult questions about where their resources are best directed, how their operations are performing, and how they’ll ensure the year ahead is stronger than the one behind them.
This mindset is not just for big business. In fact, it’s arguably even more valuable for small and medium enterprises—because when every dollar counts, so does every decision.
EOFY Isn't the End—It's the Launchpad for What Comes Next
Across listed companies and large corporates alike, leadership teams are working through detailed planning processes designed to shape the financial year ahead. They’re mapping out future spend, identifying investment priorities, and stress-testing assumptions. They’re not guessing how the year will unfold—they’re designing it.
And while their systems and scale may be different, the questions they’re asking are relevant to every business:
What does our cashflow need to support—not just this quarter, but for the next twelve months?
Where did we achieve a return on our investments, and where did we fall short?
Which parts of the business are profitable, and which need attention or change?
What resourcing do we need to support the next stage of growth?
This kind of thinking requires time, structure and intent. It’s not reactive—it’s deliberate. And it’s exactly what separates sustainable businesses from those constantly playing catch-up.
Planning isn’t about cutting back—it’s about saying yes to the right things, at the right time.
What Happens When You Enter a New Year Without a Plan
Too many businesses treat the start of the new financial year as “business as usual.” They keep operating on autopilot, hoping that revenue will rise, expenses will hold steady, and things will generally sort themselves out.
But hope is not a cashflow strategy.
Without a plan in place, businesses lose clarity—and with it, they lose the ability to make confident decisions. Unplanned spending creeps in. Tax bills feel like surprises. Growth opportunities pass by because the funds weren’t earmarked, or weren’t there at all.
This lack of planning also leads to unnecessary pressure. Business owners often find themselves pulling back on hiring, delaying payments, or relying on short-term finance to smooth the bumps. These are all signs of financial reactivity—not financial control.
And when that becomes the norm, it’s easy for business owners to start working for their business, instead of having their business work for them.
Strategic Financial Planning Isn’t About Cutting Back—It’s About Moving with Intention
There’s a reason many business owners resist financial planning: it feels restrictive. The word “budget” conjures up images of cutting costs, saying no, and constantly watching the numbers. It can feel like the opposite of growth.
But done properly, a financial plan isn’t a constraint—it’s a lever. It helps you say yes to the right things, at the right time, with confidence.
That process starts with reflection. Before you plan the year ahead, you need to understand the year behind. What worked? What didn’t? Where did you spend more than expected—and did it deliver the return you hoped for? Where did your business grow, and where did it stall?
These aren’t just performance metrics. They are valuable signals—clues that guide your next steps.
Once you understand what your business actually needs to succeed, you can allocate your cash accordingly. That might mean investing in a new team member, upgrading systems, or setting aside funds for tax and super in a structured way. It might also mean choosing not to spend in areas that no longer serve your business.
None of this is about denial. It’s about direction. Because when your financial decisions are intentional, they become a powerful driver of growth—not a drag on it.
Forecasts Are Good—Structure Is Better
The absence of a financial roadmap doesn’t create freedom—it creates uncertainty.
It’s easy to feel like having a forecast is enough. After all, if you’ve estimated your revenue and expenses for the next twelve months, isn’t that a plan?
Not quite.
Forecasts tell you what might happen. Structure tells you what to do with it. A good forecast gives you a view of the landscape—but without a system in place to actively manage your cashflow, that insight goes underutilised.
In our experience, the best-performing businesses don’t just forecast. They allocate. They put systems in place to ensure that tax obligations, payroll, overheads, and reinvestment funds are accounted for ahead of time—not handled in a panic once the bills arrive.
This kind of discipline isn’t complicated—but it does require intention. It means treating every dollar as though it has a job to do. Because when your money is structured, your decision-making becomes clearer—and your business becomes more resilient.
Final Thought
It’s easy to think of 30 June as a finish line. But in reality, it’s one of the most powerful opportunities a business has to reset its direction.
What happens in the final months of the financial year has a direct impact on what the new year will look like. Whether you enter it with clarity or confusion, structure or stress, is entirely up to you.
You don’t need a board of directors or a finance team to do this well.
You just need a system—and the willingness to start before 1 July arrives.
Because in any business, of any size, the goal is the same:
Make your money work harder. And make it work with purpose.