Business Planning

A plan built on your numbers and the life you want

This project suits owners who:

Feel like they're reacting to their business rather than leading it
Are working hard but not moving forward in the way they want
Want a clear and honest picture of where things stand and what to focus on
Are considering growth or a change in direction
Are thinking about selling , not as an immediate exit, but as a longer-term process of building a business that works better now and becomes more attractive to a buyer over time

Most plans start in the wrong place

Most business owners start the planning process with vision and strategy. For owner-led businesses, that's the wrong place to begin.

If you don't understand what your numbers are already telling you, youre making decisions without evidence. Where is the profit coming from? Where is the cash leaking? What's really been driving the results? The financials aren't something you add at the end to make the plan look credible. They're the starting point.

Every business plan I facilitate starts with review of your numbers. Once you can see where you've been and what's been driving performance, you can confidently set your destination and map the way forward.

Your business exists to support your life

Most business plans treat the business as if it exists separately from the person running it. For an owner-led business, that's a critical gap.

A plan isn't complete if it doesn't account for your situation. What are you doing in the business day to day? What should you be doing? Is the business generating enough to fund your mortgage, family, and lifestyle? What does the business need to look like for it to genuinely work for you?

These aren't soft questions. They're the foundation of everything that follows. Without them, a plan is just an operational document. With them, it becomes a genuine picture of where you want to go and why it matters.

"I wish we had started this process a year ago." M.M., Director, $5M business

How the process works

The business planning process follows a clear sequence across four or five working sessions, typically spread over a similar number of weeks. This gives you time to reflect on what's emerged from each session before moving to the next, and keeps the process from becoming another thing competing with the day-to-day demands of your business. Most projects take four to six weeks from first session to completed plan.

Stage 1 — Financial review. 24 to 36 months of financial history, analysed for patterns, ratios, trends, and the gap between profit and cash. Presented visually so the numbers tell their own story, with a scenario planning tool built alongside it. This stage is available on its own. See Profit Improvement.

Stage 2 — The owner conversation. Before looking at the rest of the business, we look at you. What you're doing, what you should be doing, how your time is spent, what your business needs to pay you, and what you want your life to look like.

Stage 3 — Now. A structured assessment of your business: services, customers, sales, marketing, people, technology. This builds a realistic picture of where your business stands today.

Stage 4 — Where. A clear picture of success. A specific, practical vision of where your business needs to be across the same dimensions, not an aspirational statement. We finish by revisiting your initial financial targets to make sure everything looks feasible.

Stage 5 — How. Priorities and actions. The gap between Now and Where becomes a prioritised action plan: a 24 to 36-month roadmap that will be split into rolling 90-day plans. Three to four actions per quarter, reviewed monthly, reprioritised as things get done. We'll develop your first 90-day plan so you can start immediately.

“The plan has provided us with great insight and a closer understanding of our business operations with a keen eye on where we are, where we want to be and how we are going to get there” Liza P – business owner annual sales +$1m

What you receive

A complete planning document, including the financial model and scenario tool
A SWOT analysis
A Now-Where-How roadmap
Your first 90-day action plan, so you can start immediately

What it costs

Business planning projects start from $5,500 incl GST for a complete, facilitated planning process. The total depends on the size and complexity of your business, and whether the financial analysis has already been completed as a stand-alone project. We agree on scope and price before any work begins. No surprises.

If you're based in the Northern Territory, you may be eligible for an NTG Business Growth Grant that can subsidise up to 50% of the fee. The project can be delivered remotely for clients anywhere in Australia.

Common questions

Do I need to have my financials in order before starting?

Not necessarily. If your accounts are reasonably maintained, that's usually enough to start. The financial review stage works with what you have and identifies what the numbers are telling you. If significant cleanup is needed, that becomes clear early and can be addressed as part of the process.

Am I eligible for the NTG Business Growth Grant?

If your business is based in the Northern Territory you may be eligible for an NTG Business Growth Grant that can subsidise up to 50% of the project fee. 5P Consulting is a registered provider under the program. Get in touch to discuss eligibility.

What is the difference between business planning and business coaching?

Business planning produces a clear direction and roadmap. Coaching and implementation is what keeps you moving along that roadmap over time. Many owners do both. The plan sets the destination, coaching maintains the focus and accountability to get there.

Get in Touch

I'm a Certified Management Consultant and Fellow of CPA Australia, and I've worked with nearly 400 owner-led businesses since 2009. Find out more about how I work.

Ready to build a plan that works for you as well as your business? Book a planning conversation

(No obligation, no hard sell. Phone 0422 916 212 or email: colin@5pconsulting.com.au