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Edition: October 2026For Australian business ownersFree to read

Money before you need it

Know your numbers before you need the money.

A magazine for Australian owners on cash flow, pricing, hiring, tax time and growth — with free tools, plain-English guides and a lending team behind it for the moments a good plan needs funding.

Run the 13-week forecaster → See if you qualify

No credit check to enquire · no lead-selling · a real person calls

No. 1

No credit check to enquire

Asking the question costs your credit file nothing. A credit check only comes up if you choose to go ahead with an application.

No. 2

No spray-and-pray

We don't auction your enquiry to a list of lenders or lead buyers. One team looks at it, so your phone stays quiet.

No. 3

A real person on your file

Someone who understands business money reads your answers and calls you. Accurate answers mean the right option on the first call.

The 60-second runway check

How many weeks would your cash last?

Three numbers tell you whether next quarter is comfortable or tight. Try it now, then open the full forecaster to add wages, BAS and the lumpy bits week by week.

  • Finds your runway if cash goes out faster than it comes in
  • The full tool shows your lowest week and weeks below your minimum
  • Runs in your browser — nothing is stored or sent
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Your runway

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Open the full 13-week forecaster →

The columns

All features →

The cash flow column

Cash flow

Where the money goes, when it comes back, and how to stop the gap between the two from running your week.

How to improve cash flow in a small business How to improve cash flow in an Australian small business: 12 practical levers across getting paid, spending, stock and tax, with a worked example. Read the cash flow column →

The pricing column

Pricing

How to set prices, raise them, quote jobs and protect margin, because the price is the first finance decision you make.

How to price your services (without guessing) How to price your services in Australia: build a floor price from real costs and billable hours, then choose hourly, project or value pricing. Read the pricing column →

The tax time column

Tax time

BAS, PAYG, super, EOFY and structure, written for owners who want the cash ready before the due date arrives.

EOFY checklist for small business: what to do, and when A practical EOFY checklist for Australian small business, from May planning to July and August deadlines: stock, assets, super, bad debts, STP and tax. Read the tax time column →

The growth column

Growth

The numbers behind a first hire, a business purchase, a growth plan or a second location, before you commit.

Hiring your first employee: what it really costs, and what to do Hiring your first employee in Australia: the full cost beyond wages, an employer checklist, Payday Super, and how to fund the gap until the hire pays off. Read the growth column →

From the editor's desk

Most finance questions start as business questions.

Nobody wakes up wanting a loan. They wake up wondering why a busy month left the account thinner than a quiet one. Whether to take the bigger contract. What to charge the new client. Whether the first hire will pay for itself, or how on earth the BAS got so big.

That's what this magazine is for: the questions that come before finance. We write them up properly — with worked examples, official sources and the arithmetic laid out — so you can make the call yourself.

And when the numbers say a good plan needs capital, there's a lending team here too. No credit check to ask. Your details aren't auctioned to a list of lenders. A real person reads your situation and calls. If you fill in the form accurately, we can usually point you to the right option on the first call.

— The Business of Money editorial team

Five money myths

  1. A profitable business can't run out of cash.

    Profit and cash keep different calendars. Slow payers, stock and a BAS in the wrong week can empty the account of a business that's making money.

  2. Raising prices will drive customers away.

    Some may go. But because a price rise lands straight in gross profit, most businesses can lose a surprising share of sales and still come out ahead.

  3. Buying equipment in June is free because of the tax write-off.

    A deduction reduces tax; it doesn't refund the purchase. Buy because the asset earns its keep, then enjoy the timing.

  4. Borrowing is a sign something's gone wrong.

    Well-planned debt funds growth, bridges known timing gaps and pays for assets over their working life. The warning sign is borrowing without a purpose.

  5. Asking about finance will hurt my credit file.

    Not here. There's no credit check when you first enquire. A check only comes up if you decide to go ahead.

How it works

From reading to funding in three moves

  1. I

    Run the numbers

    Read the column that fits your question and put your own figures through the forecaster or price-rise calculator. Know the gap before you ask about it.

  2. II

    Tell us in about a minute

    Amount, purpose, turnover and any property you own. There's no credit check when you enquire, and your details stay with our team.

  3. III

    A real person calls

    Someone who understands business money reads your enquiry and talks it through: what's realistic, which structure fits, and what's needed next.

Unsecured and cash-flow
$5,000 – $500,000

For trading businesses, sized on turnover and bank statements

Property-secured
$20,000 – $5,000,000

First or second mortgage, or caveat, over residential or commercial property

Credit history
Case by case

Past credit issues and ATO debt considered

Purpose
Business only

Working capital, equipment, tax, hires, purchases, growth

Start my 60-second enquiry →How it works in detail

Features

Every feature →
Business owner doing her weekly money routine on a tablet at home
Owner's desk

The 30-minute weekly money routine every owner should keep

Six checks, one coffee, every week. The habit that keeps cash surprises out of your business.

Read the feature →
Open door of a newly opened small shop
Owner's desk

First-Year Business Money Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Key business numbers on a laptop dashboard beside a coffee
Pricing & profit

10 Numbers Every Business Owner Should Know by Heart
Workshop owner thinking at his bench about a big new customer
Cash flow

Losing Your Biggest Customer: A Cash Flow Survival Plan
Business owner working on a laptop in her home office
Owner's desk

How to Pay Yourself as a Business Owner in Australia
Cafe owners reading a profit and loss report together
Pricing & profit

How to Read a Profit and Loss Statement (Owner's Guide)
Warehouse pallet racking ready for a big order
Growth

Winning a Big Customer: What It Does to Your Cash Flow

Questions readers ask

All FAQs →
What is The Business of Money?

An Australian business magazine about the money side of running a business — cash flow, pricing, margins, hiring, tax time, buying a business and growth — with free tools and a lending team behind it for the moments a plan needs funding.

Is the content and the forecaster free?

Yes. Every article, guide and tool on the site is free to use. The 13-week cash-flow forecaster and price-rise calculator run in your browser and don't store your figures.

Do you lend money to businesses?

Yes. Our lending team considers trading businesses for unsecured, cash-flow and line-of-credit facilities typically from $5,000 to $500,000, and property-secured business loans from $20,000 to $5,000,000 using first mortgages, second mortgages or caveats over residential or commercial property.

Will enquiring affect my credit score?

No. There's no credit check when you first enquire. We only talk about a credit check if you decide to go ahead with an application.

Will my details be sent to lots of lenders?

No. We don't sell or broadcast enquiries. One team looks at your situation and a real person calls you, so your phone won't fill up with calls from strangers.

Why don't you publish interest rates?

Because every facility is priced on the business's own circumstances — the amount, the term, the security, the trading history and the purpose. A headline rate would be misleading for most readers, so we give you a real answer after a conversation instead.

Can you help if I have ATO debt or past credit problems?

Often, yes. ATO debt and past credit issues are considered case by case. Tell us about them honestly on the form — it helps us find the right option the first time.

What can the funding be used for?

Business purposes only: working capital, stock, equipment, a new hire, tax bills, buying a business, a second site, bridging a big contract and similar needs.

The numbers say go? Let's fund the next move.

Tell us what you need and what it's for. About a minute, no credit check to enquire, and a real person who reads it properly.

See if you qualify → Call 03 4059 1829

No credit check to enquire

No spray-and-pray

A real person on your file