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As a business owner, it is essential for you to comply with the confusing intricacies of reporting and legislative obligations.  However, it is just as vital for you to plan for the future.

Saward Dawson goes beyond the important, but necessary compliance issues.  We help you to create strategies that will maximise your business’ potential.  This enables you to concentrate on what you do best: run your business.

Business structuring

When setting up a business or entering into a partnership, it is imperative to ensure that, as an owner, your personal assets and wealth are well protected.

Saward Dawson can advise on the most appropriate business structure to suit your individual circumstances, so you can be assured of the best security. And if you are already in business, this very important aspect should be periodically reviewed.

Valuations and viability

Whether buying, selling, developing a succession strategy or even taking on more equity, you need to know the value of your business.

All businesses are different. Saward Dawson can identify and examine the most significant factors for your business and industry.

An accurate valuation, together with some of the information discovered during the process, can be invaluable when making potentially huge decisions.

Strategic planning

A plan for your business can be the difference between success and failure. You should identify and understand all the factors that contribute to your business’ success. It can be as basic as starting with questions like, “Why do I run my business?” or “Am I being fulfilled in my business?” We will consider the key people in your business, opportunities and risks, and look at the financial implications of making critical decisions. You will end up with a list of criteria against which you can measure your success. Planning, evaluation and change should be integral to the on-going management of your business.

Succession planning

You may have started your business with the intention of building and running it for many years. Alternatively, you may want to be in it for a relatively short term. Either way, at some stage you are going to want to move on or, in some cases, be forced to. It is vital to plan for changing the ownership of your business. You might consider passing it onto family, key staff, or selling it outright. All these options need to be considered and early enough to maximise your rewards whilst leaving the business in good shape to the new owners. Let Saward Dawson help you with succession planning before it is too late.

Improving financial performance

It is not the only reason you run your own business but financial performance is always important. Saward Dawson can help you to understand the financial drivers and how they impact on the value of your business. We will help you to optimise your business processes with a view to maximising your profits. If necessary, we can also compare your business’ performance against others in the industry to develop benchmarks and realistic targets.

Managing your affairs

Running you own business can be demanding giving you little time to organise your personal affairs. Saward Dawson can look after all your personal legal obligations. But we will also be able to help you plan for the future by estate planning, wealth accumulation and superannuation. We will ensure that we talk to you about these very important issues, enabling you to make informed decisions that will be beneficial to both you and your family.

Tax planning

Taxation is complex and continually changing.  Saward Dawson provides specialised knowledge so you can optimise your tax situation for both your business and personal affairs.

Compliance and legal obligations

As a business owner there are many legal obligations and compliance issues that need to be addressed. We can make them as seamless as possible by processing and managing the many tax reporting and payment obligations.

There are many other obligations. Let us ensure they get done so that you can concentrate on what is really important to you, your family and your business.

Published : July 2009