It was a remarkable success story for F45 to reach unicorn status in 2021, a stratosphere usually reserved for tech startups. Hell, they even had Hollywood A-lister Marky Mark Wahlberg on the cap table.  But since its IPO, the business has been plagued with problems.  The share price tanked from an ATH of $16 to just 53 cents.  Their CEO and CFO have resigned.  They’re facing multiple lawsuits from investors. And their franchisees are going under.   In this financial teardown, I’ll uncover what went south with this Aussie fitness brand. What is F45?  The sto ..read more

Back in the early days of launching my first company, I must admit I had no idea what I was doing. Sure, I knew how to do all the technical work, but when it came to identifying my ‘ideal client’, well, I had no idea what they might look like. And when it came to acquiring new clients, the truth is I was far from picky. I didn’t care who they were or what industry they hailed from, as long as their wallets weren’t empty. My primary concern was keeping the lights on and covering payroll. But the tricky thing about business, especially when you’re just starting, is that it’s very hard to say no ..read more

Whenever I drop into my local brick-and-mortar bookstore, I make a beeline for the ‘business’ section.Among the shelves packed with wisdom, there are the familiar classics – The Lean Startup, 7 Habits, Good to Great, The E-Myth – I could go on. These brilliant books are like comfort food for my entrepreneurial soul, with timeless principles and refresher courses all rolled into one.But in a sea of business reads, it’s rare to find books on finance and accounting. This is understandable. Publishers tend to play it safe with tried-and-true subjects, and avoid number-crunching subject matter that ..read more

I was lucky enough to hang out with some very successful folks last month when Pete Seligman, the unofficial ‘Don of Search Funds’, hosted the EtA Forum in Sydney. It’s a two-day event that brings together business dorks to share ideas and compare notes. My kind of people! Shameless plug For the uninitiated, ETA is short for Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition – or, in other words, entrepreneurship through buying a business. It’s a strategy wherein folks buy an existing company and build it, rather than starting a new one from scratch.  As someone who has built a couple of businesses ..read more

For digital agencies, balancing creativity with profitability is a delicate dance that requires expert guidance. The perpetual questions around how to appropriately price services and achieve sustainable growth weigh heavily on the minds of agency founders.  One such agency looking for an innovative solution to this problem was The Content Division. Known for their commitment to pushing creative boundaries and delivering exceptional content strategies, settling for a one-size-fits-all approach to finances was simply not an option for them.  SBO Financial worked with The Content Divi ..read more

It’s been a bit of a dry spell for tech IPOs since the COVID Boom of 2021. The mood has been dampened by a correction of tech valuations driven by aggressive interest rate hikes from the central banks. But that’s about to change. Klaviyo has just made its intentions clear – it’s just filed to go public. Now, if you don’t happen to play in the ecommerce neighbourhood, Klaviyo might not ring a bell. But in ecommerce circles, it’s a titan of B2B MarTech (or business-to-business marketing technology, if you’re not up on the lingo). At SBO Financial, we manage the financial matters of more than 50 ..read more

It’s been nine months since Elon Musk bought Twitter.  Just when you thought he might have enough on his plate, Elon has swooped in to rescue the Twitterverse. Yep, in between launching rockets and digging tunnels, he’s taken on another seemingly impossible task – turning around the cash-burning bird app. The turnaround journey has been tumultuous to say the least: Significant layoffs Product issues Competition from Meta with the launch of Threads A rebrand to “X.com” Reports have suggested that Musk’s Twitter investment has so far been a dud, with the bird app’s valuation halving sin ..read more

In the fast-paced world of beauty, where trends come and go in the blink of an eye, Iris Smit dared to dream big and revolutionise the way makeup is applied with The Quick Flick.  But as the business expanded, Iris encountered a new challenge – managing and understanding her finances.  In search of a solution, Iris turned to SBO. Here’s how we helped Iris gain control over her finances and make informed decisions that would propel The Quick Flick to new heights. Winging it Operating from her dining room table, Iris Smit founded The Quick Flick in 2017 when she was just 21 years old ..read more

Australia’s tax laws are a bit like that one friend who constantly changes their mind. Just when you think you’ve got your plans sorted, they throw you a curveball.  It’s no wonder, then, that Australia has one of the most complex tax systems in the world. From deducting sunglasses to your spouse’s income affecting your own tax bill, taxes can be quite the rollercoaster. And while it may seem like the big corporates always get the upper hand, there are still plenty of benefits for small and medium-sized businesses to take advantage of, if you know where to look. In this article, we’ll ou ..read more