──── Strategic Advisory — Brisbane, Queensland
Protect what you have built. Exit well.
For established business owners navigating the decisions that matter most. Virtual CFO leadership, business succession strategy, and ATO-obligation support delivered through the appropriate registered tax agent channel where tax agent services are required.
- SAPEPAA Accredited
- 30+ Years Experience
- Strategist of the Year — LYD26
- Board of Guardians Accredited
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 business value, reduce avoidable risk, and plan what comes next.
Brendon Gardiner — Director, Versatile Growth Partners
SAPEPAA
Accredited Adviser
Board of Guardians
Accredited Adviser
Strategist of the Year — LYD26
Virtual CFO
Multi-entity group leadership
Years Advisory
Practice, commercial & government
30+
Xero Certified
Dext · ApprovalMax
What we are — and what we are not
Strategic advisory. Not compliance.
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 strategic financial leadership, business succession readiness, and commercial advisory 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 help owners protect business value, stabilise operations, prepare for exit, and manage ATO exposure through the appropriate registered tax agent channel before issues escalate. We engage early, think ahead, and tell clients what they need to hear.
Not
A tax compliance firm
Not
A bookkeeping practice
Not
A financial planner
Instead
A commercial advisory partner
The pressures you carry quietly
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.
01
Strong revenue. Persistent cash pressure.
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.
02
The ATO debt building in the background
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.
03
No clear plan for what comes after
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.
04
Margins declining without obvious cause
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.
05
A structure that may not protect you
The business operates through an entity structure that has not been reviewed in years. Personal assets, company obligations, director exposure, trust distributions, estate-planning issues and potential creditor risk are increasingly tangled. If something went wrong tomorrow, you are not certain the structure would hold — or which specialist advisers should be involved.
06
An accountant who reacts, not advises
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.
Advisory in practice
Anonymised examples from real engagements. Details have been altered to protect client confidentiality. Industry and turnover context is indicative. These examples are provided to illustrate the type of issues we assist with and are not guarantees of results. Outcomes depend on the client’s circumstances, available records, commercial viability, adviser input, ATO discretion, buyer appetite and market conditions.
01
Cash flow failure despite strong revenue
02
$340,000 ATO debt and a Director Penalty Notice
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.
Assisted the client, through the appropriate registered tax agent channel, to engage with the ATO and request a structured payment arrangement. Completed a full lodgement catch-up and prepared a financial position report to support the proposal. Coordinated with SV Partners on Director Penalty Notice and personal-liability issues. Built a forward cash flow model to underpin a credible 24-month repayment structure.
03
No succession plan and four years to exit
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. Reviewed the entity structure with the client’s legal advisers to identify available concessions, risks, timing issues and transaction-structure options. Developed two internal leaders as potential candidates to manage the business post-sale, reducing key-person risk materially.
Three entry points.
One advisory relationship.
When business owners first engage Versatile Growth Partners, they typically arrive in one of three situations. Each has a corresponding program structure designed around it. The work begins wherever you are, not where it would be convenient to start.
01
Transformation Max
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.
- ⎯⎯Weekly cash flow modelling and owner reporting
- ⎯⎯ ATO engagement and payment-arrangement support through the appropriate registered tax agent channel
- ⎯⎯ Margin analysis and pricing strategy
- ⎯⎯ Cloud systems integration (Xero, Dext, ApprovalMax)
- ⎯⎯ Entity-structure and commercial risk review, with solicitor involvement where asset protection, trusts, estate planning, family law, creditor risk or legal rights are affected
- ⎯⎯ Emergency advisory access when situations escalate
02
Succession Pathfinder
For owners who have decided — or are seriously considering — that the next chapter involves a transition. The program works backward from your preferred exit scenario to identify what needs to be true before that outcome is achievable, then builds the advisory roadmap to get there.
- ⎯⎯Exit readiness assessment and valuation benchmarking
- ⎯⎯ Business value gap analysis and improvement program
- ⎯⎯Tax and entity-structure review, coordinated with registered tax and legal advisers before any transaction
- ⎯⎯ Key-person risk reduction and leadership development
- ⎯⎯ Sale preparation, documentation and due diligence readiness
- ⎯⎯ Post-exit commercial roadmap, with referral to licensed financial advisers and solicitors for wealth, superannuation, insurance, retirement and estate-planning advice
03
Finance Guardian™
For business owners whose operations are running well but who want the kind of strategic financial oversight that keeps it that way. A regular advisory cadence — monthly or fortnightly — structured around your business rather than a reporting calendar.
- ⎯⎯Board-style financial reporting and KPI dashboards
- ⎯⎯ Rolling cash flow and working capital oversight
- ⎯⎯Pricing, margin and treasury management
- ⎯⎯ Tax planning and ATO-obligation governance through the appropriate registered tax agent channel where tax agent services are required
- ⎯⎯ Strategic input on decisions as they arise
- ⎯⎯ Responsive advisory access between formal sessions
Most owners wait too long to begin.
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.
01
Valuation Drivers
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.
02
Tax-Aware Structuring
Entity and tax-structure review before a transaction to identify tax considerations, available concessions, timing issues and risk areas. Where legal advice, estate-planning advice, asset protection advice or transaction documentation is required, that work is referred to the client's solicitor or specialist legal adviser. This work should begin 12 to 24 months before any transaction — not during it.
03
Preparing for Sale
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.
04
Leadership Transition
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.
05
Family Succession
Navigating the distinct complexity of family business transitions — balancing operational continuity with family fairness, estate-planning coordination, tax considerations and multi-generational succession issues. Legal advice and estate-planning documents are referred to solicitors.
06
Life After Exit
Planning for what comes after the transaction — commercial readiness, tax considerations, adviser coordination and avoiding the psychological and financial vacuum that follows an unplanned exit. Wealth structuring, superannuation, insurance, retirement and personal financial planning are referred to licensed financial advisers and solicitors where required.
Sale process
Assess and Prepare
Exit readiness review. Valuation benchmarking. Identification of value gaps, key-person risk, and structural exposures. Entity and tax-structure review, with registered tax and legal adviser involvement where required.
Build Value and Reduce Dependence
Systems documentation, leadership development, financial performance improvement, governance strengthening. Reducing the owner's operational footprint in the business.
Position and Transact
Sale process preparation, buyer or successor identification, commercial deal-structure advisory, and coordination with licensed financial advisers and solicitors for post-exit wealth, superannuation, insurance, retirement and estate-planning matters.
Brendon Gardiner
Director — Versatile Growth Partners
- ⎯⎯ SAPEPAA Accredited Adviser
- ⎯⎯ Board of Guardians Accredited
- ⎯⎯Strategist of the Year — LYD26
- ⎯⎯ Xero Certified · Dext ·
- ⎯⎯ North Brisbane, Queensland
Practical experience. Calm execution.
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 business value protection, operational stability, ATO exposure, succession or exit readiness. These are owners who have already built something significant and need an adviser who matches that seriousness.
He currently serves as Virtual CFO across entities in the automotive, construction and retail sectors, managing financial strategy at the group level remotely. He also leads Versatile Accounting, which provides accounting, compliance and tax-agent services, and Versatile Growth Partners, which provides strategic advisory.
Strategist of the Year — LYD26 Conference
Recognised for strategic advisory excellence across SME succession, exit planning and financial leadership
Total advisory experience
Automotive finance leadership
Current Virtual CFO role
Primary advisory focus
Location
Availability for urgent matters
Tell us where it hurts.
Cash flow, ATO, margins, business succession, or structure. A 15-minute call is free and comes with no obligation. We will tell you, plainly, whether we can help and which specialist advisers may need to be involved.
Start with a
self-assessment
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.
01
Succession Readiness Scorecard
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.
02
ATO Risk Early Warning Guide
Seven early indicators that your ATO exposure may be escalating, and what action to consider before it reaches crisis point. Written for business owners, not accountants. Includes general Director Penalty Notice information and prompts to seek legal advice where director liability is involved.
03
Owner Cash Flow Health Check
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.
Latest Insights
Start the conversation
Tell us what is most pressing right now. We will follow up within one business day and suggest the most useful first step, with no obligation.
If your situation is urgent, call directly. We are available for urgent ATO and cash flow matters outside business hours.
Phone
Location
North Brisbane, Queensland
Serving SME owners across Queensland
Response
Within one business day
24/7 for urgent ATO and cash flow matters
Not sure where to start? Simply describe your situation — ATO pressure, cash flow concerns, succession thinking, or wanting better financial oversight — and we will point you to the right first step.
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