Gordon Capital helps business owners and their advisers understand the financial implications of those decisions – what needs to happen, what resources will be required, the risks and trade-offs involved, and whether the business remains capable of achieving its objectives when circumstances change.
Start here
We bring a financial and analytical perspective to strategic decision-making.
→
Financial implications made explicit
→
Assumptions surfaced and tested
→
Risks and trade-offs quantified
Our perspective
Business advisory with a financial perspective
Financial statements tell us what happened. We want to understand why it happened and what is driving the business.
Our approach to business advisory is driver-based. We combine financial, operational and non-financial data to understand how customers, products, pricing, volumes, capacity and operating assets interact to drive revenue, profitability and cash flow.
That understanding provides the baseline for evaluating strategic decisions and determining what they could mean for the future of the business.
Financial implications
Operational data
Commercial insight
Strategic decisions
Assumptions
Risks and trade-offs
Our solutions
Different Decisions Require Different Perspectives
Gordon Capital’s business advisory services are centred on one objective: helping business owners and their advisers make better strategic decisions by understanding their financial implications.
Business Planning
A plan should do more than describe where a business wants to go. It should establish what needs to happen to get there.
We translate objectives and expectations into their underlying business drivers, financial implications and resource requirements. This allows us to assess whether the plan is financially viable and sustainable and what the business needs to achieve for its objectives to remain achievable.
Budget
Cash Flow
Objectives
Business Strategy
We don’t tell business owners what strategy they should pursue. We provide the insight that helps them evaluate and refine the strategy they are considering.
We analyse its financial and operational implications, identify the assumptions on which it depends and assess the risks, resources and trade-offs involved. That insight provides a stronger basis for making strategic decisions and refining them as circumstances change.
Options
Trade-offs
Financial Reality
Strategy Pressure Testing
A forecast tells us what we expect to happen. Strategy Pressure Testing helps us understand what could otherwise happen.
We test the assumptions on which the strategy depends – individually and together – to understand how much change it can withstand, where its vulnerabilities lie and whether it remains viable, sustainable and capable of achieving its objectives.
Scenarios
Sensitivities
Resilience
When we can help
When the Decision Matters, Understand Its Implications
Gordon Capital is most useful when a business owner is considering a significant decision, committing resources or reassessing an existing direction.
01
Growth
Understand what is driving growth, what it will require and whether the business can support it sustainably.
02
Acquisitions
Assess the financial implications, funding requirements and risks before committing to an acquisition.
03
Expansion
Understand the implications of new markets, locations, products or additional operating capacity.
04
Capital Investment
Assess the returns, cash-flow consequences and strategic implications of significant investment decisions.
05
Funding
Determine how much funding is required, when it is required and whether the business can support it.
06
Succession Planning
Understand how succession options could affect profitability, cash flow, business value and longer-term objectives.
07
Business Value
Identify the underlying drivers of business value and how strategic decisions may strengthen or weaken them.
Something else on the table?
How we work
Analysis That Feeds Back Into Better Decisions
Our approach is not simply to produce a forecast or provide an answer. We develop an understanding of the business, use that understanding to evaluate what lies ahead and then test what happens when circumstances change.
01
Understand what happened and why
Identify the underlying financial and operational drivers and establish where the business is today.
02
Determine what we expect to happen
Translate objectives, strategy and assumptions into a driver-based view of the future.
03
Test what could otherwise happen
Pressure-test the assumptions to understand uncertainty, risks, trade-offs and the resilience of the strategy.
04
Identify what needs to change
Use the resulting insight to evaluate decisions, refine the strategy and keep its objectives achievable.
FAQs
Common questions
Business advisory can mean different things to different businesses. These answers explain where Gordon Capital fits.
What does a business advisor do?
Business advisory services can cover a wide range of disciplines. Gordon Capital focuses on the financial and commercial implications of strategic decisions. We analyse how the business works, what a proposed decision could mean financially and what happens if the assumptions behind it change.
What types of businesses does Gordon Capital work with?
We primarily work with small and medium-sized businesses across a wide range of industries. The common thread is usually an owner who is building a business, rather than simply running one, and recognises the importance of making well-informed strategic decisions.
When should I engage a business advisor?
Ideally, before a significant commitment is made. This might involve growth, an acquisition, expansion, investment, funding or succession. Gordon Capital can also help when an existing strategy needs to be reassessed because circumstances or expectations have changed.
What is the difference between business advice and business strategy?
Strategy determines where the business is going and how it intends to get there. Our business advisory work provides financial and commercial insight into those decisions. We don’t tell clients what strategy to pursue; we help them understand its implications, evaluate alternatives and refine their decisions.
Can Gordon Capital work alongside my accountant or other adviser?
Yes. Much of our work complements accountants, finance brokers, business coaches and other professional advisers. They bring expertise from their own disciplines; Gordon Capital adds analytical capability that helps them and their clients understand the financial implications of strategic decisions.
What types of business decisions can Gordon Capital help assess?
Any significant decision where understanding the financial implications could materially improve the outcome. Typical examples include growth, acquisitions, expansion, capital investment, funding and succession, but the underlying issue matters more than the category in which the decision sits.
Have a Significant Business Decision to Make?
Before committing time, money and resources, it is worth understanding what the decision really requires.
We won’t tell you what you should do. We will provide the insight you need to make a better-informed decision.