How an Indigenous Construction Company Improved Profits and Cashflow in Real Time
- zoeovenden
- Dec 6, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Our initiative was to help an indigenous-owned construction company increase profitability by improving its financial management. By enabling timely access to financial information, we could empower them to make informed decisions regarding cashflow forecasting, profitability targets, and budgeting, all leading to tangible improvements in their bottom line.
The first step was to move the bookkeeping and accounting to a modern cloud-based system. This change was pivotal in saving administration time and, more importantly, empowering management planning and decision-making.
The Client: An Indigenous-Owned Construction Company
The client is an indigenous-owned construction company in its second year of operation, with 18 to 20 staff, including a General Manager and Administrator. They were using traditional accounting software, which gave the General Manager limited access to the financials produced by an external bookkeeper. This meant errors were harder to spot.
The Challenge: Disconnected Operations and a Lack of Real-Time Data
The construction industry is very dynamic, challenged by tight margins, high levels of investment, tight cashflow, and high workforce turnover. A General Manager often has to wear many hats, driving sales, managing administration, and bidding on new work.
With poor information, there was a disconnect between the company's operations and their financial implications, which caused frustration for our client.
Estimating and bidding on larger projects relies on accurate historical and current performance data, which they lacked. Manual data entry was time-consuming and led to errors. The lack of real-time reporting meant decisions were not data-driven, and Accounts Receivable were often slow to collect, leading to cashflow challenges.
The Solution: Cloud-Based Tools and Strategic Partnership
The most important tool is the ability to listen. We spent time understanding the unique challenges of this client, including their relatively remote location and limited labour pool.
We developed a strong relationship with the General Manager, acting as a partner to reduce the gap in understanding between operations and financial management. We made time to talk, to prioritise, and to plan together.
The technical solution included:
Introducing Cloud-Based accounting in the form of QuickBooks Online (QBO).
Using QBO Time on employee’s phones to accurately record hours worked by job.
Having our Payroll Compliance Professional run payroll.
Creating an annual budget and building a ‘Bidding template’ to accurately and consistently quote on new opportunities.
Implementing weekly planning sessions, bi-weekly cashflow forecasts, and monthly detailed analysis of KPI’s using a reporting tool called Fathom.
The Results: Improved Profitability and Predictable Cashflow
The client now has a system and set of processes that support management decision-making and the ability to report to shareholders. Both revenue and profitability improved, and cashflow challenges became easier to predict and manage.
This new system allows the client to:
Access financial information whenever they want.
Analyse Accounts Receivable and chase overdue accounts in a timely manner.
Use the planning tool within QBO to accurately predict cashflow pinch-points.
Ensure all employee time is accounted for and correctly allocated to jobs for billing.
Reduce payroll administration and errors, ensuring employees are paid on time.
Key Takeaways
Understanding the industry and the specific challenges the client faces is the first step to offering strategic support.
Open and responsive communication is paramount. The consulting team needs to listen actively and coach generously.
Choosing the right tools for the client’s priorities increases the chance of success in the cloud-based accounting environment.
A solid, professionally qualified team is essential, from a CPA to a Payroll Compliance Professional and qualified bookkeepers.
Accurate, real-time Financial Data allows for regular reporting, which is the basis for strong decision-making and wealth generation.
Want to save time and get clearer insights into your finances? Our CPA team helps businesses move to the cloud with confidence.