The Holistic Accountant
A holistic accountant goes beyond tax returns, aiming to offer proactive advice to maximise clients' wealth after all taxes. Stuart Wemyss and Mena Abraham explore multifaceted considerations weekly, highlighting the need for a holistic approach. Each episode is succinct and to the point with no fluff or sales pitches. For further details, check out www.prosolution.com.au.
Episodes
171 episodes
Ep 171: The gross margin lie: your mark-up math is wrong
You think you’re making 40%. In reality, you might be making 15%.In this episode, Stuart and Mena expose the “mark-up illusion”, the common mistake of calculating margin on materials alone while ignoring direct labour, superannuation, pa...
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Season 5
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Episode 59
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13:36
Ep 170: Data room first: exit readiness starts 24 months early
You cannot scramble your way to a premium exit in 90 days.In this episode, Stuart and Mena explain why serious exit preparation begins at least two years before you plan to sell, and why buyers immediately discount businesses that look m...
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Season 5
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Episode 58
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16:17
Ep 169: Shadow Equity: Incentives without giving away shares
At some point, every growing business owner faces the same dilemma: how do you get owner-level thinking from key staff without handing over real equity?In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the concept of shadow equity incentive...
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Season 5
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Episode 57
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18:22
Ep 168: The key person discount & the sabbatical stress test: why your business is devaluing you
Here’s a confronting question: If you disappeared for 30 days, what actually breaks?In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the Key Person Discount, the invisible valuation penalty applied when a business is overly depend...
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Season 5
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Episode 56
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9:24
Ep 167: The Finance Function Evolution: bookkeeper → controller → virtual CFO
Many business owners feel stuck in the uncomfortable middle: too big for basic bookkeeping, but not ready or willing to pay for a full-time CFO. The result? Numbers that exist, but don’t drive decisions.In this episode, Stuart and Mena b...
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Season 5
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Episode 55
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10:15
Ep 166: Philanthropy at Scale: Private Ancillary Funds & Giving With Governance
Philanthropy changes when wealth reaches a certain scale. It stops being about one-off generosity and starts becoming a question of structure, intent, and legacy.In this episode, Stuart and Mena explore Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs)<...
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Season 5
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Episode 54
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10:22
Ep 165: When choosing an accountant on price may quietly cost you more
Most business owners believe accounting is a commodity. The tax return gets lodged, the ATO is paid, and everything looks fine, so why pay more?In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack why choosing an accountant purely on price can quietl...
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Season 5
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Episode 53
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12:48
Ep 164: Financial Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make in Their First Three Years
In the early years of running a business, most financial mistakes aren’t dramatic; they’re subtle, common, and quietly destructive. And by the time many entrepreneurs realise something is wrong, the damage is already done.In this episode...
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Season 5
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Episode 52
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15:30
Ep 163 : Best of 2025 - How to read financial statements like a CFO
Most business owners glance at their financial statements and move on. CFOs do the opposite; they use them as a decision-making tool to spot risks early, improve performance, and protect cash flow. In this episode, Stuart and Mena b...
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Season 5
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Episode 51
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14:09
Ep 162: Best of 2025- How to tax effectively get money out of a company
In this episode, Stuart and Mena explore one of the most common and misunderstood questions business owners face: how to tax-effectively get money into and out of a company. Whether you’re starting a business, investing in one, or managing reta...
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Season 5
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Episode 50
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12:26
Ep 161: Best of 2025- Navigating the main residence 6-year rule CGT exemption
In this episode, Mena and Stuart unpack the ins and outs of Australia’s often misunderstood 6-year CGT exemption rule for main residences. They explore how this powerful tax concession can help homeowners maximise profits when selling a propert...
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Season 5
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Episode 49
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13:26
Ep 160: Best of 2025- Strategies to minimise CGT
In this episode, Stuart and Mena take a deep dive into one of the biggest and often most misunderstood taxes investors face, Capital Gains Tax (CGT). Whether you're dealing with property, shares, or business assets, they explain why the smartes...
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Season 5
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Episode 48
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15:37
Ep 159: Best of 2025- Tax changes for 2025-26 financial year
In this episode, Mena and Stuart unpack the latest tax updates for the 2025–26 financial year, helping listeners navigate changes that could impact their personal finances and business planning. They kick off with the Super Guarantee (SG) incre...
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Season 5
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Episode 47
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10:36
Ep 158 : 500+ of interviews, top 5 lessons: what every successful business owner must know
In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the five lessons that kept surfacing across 500+ founder interviews from The School of Hard Knocks, and translate them into actions for ambitious owners. First: persistence beats genius. Treat growth like...
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Season 5
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Episode 46
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10:24
Ep 157: The strategic shortcut- 5 questions that transform business growth
In this episode, Stuart and Mena unveil a strategic shortcut for time-poor founders: five questions that cut through noise and pinpoint the few moves that truly move the needle. They start with “Why frameworks matter,” showing how focusing on c...
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Season 5
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Episode 45
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12:14
Ep 156: 10 important business tips from Verne Harnish
In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack ten punchy lessons from Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up, plus a sharp LinkedIn distillation by Jennifer Berkowitz, and translate them for Australian SMEs. They start with the big two: why speed wins (...
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Season 5
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Episode 44
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15:14
Ep 155: When to Rethink Your Advisors- Red Flags With Your Accountant or Advisor
In this candid episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the red flags that signal it’s time to rethink your accountant or business advisor, and what “great” should look like instead. They start with the biggest warning sign: a reactive advisor who only ...
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Season 5
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Episode 43
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13:15
Ep 154: Redefining success: What does it really mean in business?
In this thought-provoking episode of The Holistic Accountant, Stuart and Mena challenge the traditional metrics of success in business. While financial milestones like profit, revenue, and market share have long been the gold standard,...
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Season 5
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Episode 42
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15:42
Ep 153: When Partnerships Fall Apart: Why Some Business Collaborations Just Don’t Work
In this episode of The Holistic Accountant, Stuart and Mena dive into the complexities of business partnerships, why they’re formed, where they go wrong, and how to prevent them from falling apart. While many partnerships start with go...
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Season 5
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Episode 41
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11:05
Ep 152: The Synergy Effect – How Smart Integration drives business growth
In this episode, Stuart and Mena explore the powerful concept of synergy and how strategic integration can fuel sustainable business growth. They start by demystifying what synergy really means: intentional alignment, not accidental collaborati...
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Season 5
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Episode 40
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13:41
Ep 151: Don’t trust your accountant
In this episode, Stuart and Mena unpack the provocative, but crucial message behind the title “Don’t Trust Your Accountant.” It’s not about questioning your accountant’s integrity, but recognising the limits of what they can (and shoul...
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Season 5
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Episode 39
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11:52
Ep 150: Conducting a health check of your business
In this episode, Stuart and Mena explore why every business owner should conduct regular health checks, not just when things go wrong, but as a proactive strategy for long-term success. They break the health check process into six core areas, s...
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Season 5
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Episode 38
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12:06
Ep 149: 1%ers in business that can benefit your personal lifestyle
In this episode, Stuart and Mena explore the lesser-known “1%ers” in business—small, smart strategies that can make a big difference to your personal lifestyle when implemented correctly. While most business owners focus solely on income, emplo...
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Season 5
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Episode 37
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6:39
Ep 148: Young entrepreneurs and building wealth outside their core business
In this episode, Stuart and Mena shift the focus to young entrepreneurs, those building businesses but wondering how to build wealth beyond them. It’s easy to pour everything into your business when it feels like your best asset. But what happe...
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Season 5
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Episode 36
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19:07
Ep 147: Maximising your EV FBT Benefits as a business owner
In this episode, Stuart and Mena break down one of the most generous tax perks currently available to employees and employers alike: the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption for electric vehicles. With so few genuine “free kicks” in the tax syst...
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Season 5
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Episode 35
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6:57