Get expert help to stabilise, improve & scale your $5M to $100M+ construction business
Projects more complex, contracts smashing you, margins tighter, risk escalated, business harder to manage, can’t take a holiday? We’ve actually worked in construction companies, and we help you:
Trusted by construction business owners, directors and decision-makers throughout Australia.
As your construction business moves through the $5M, $10M, $20M, $50M and $100M revenue bands, new problems tend to emerge. The systems, structures and habits that worked at one size often create challenges at the next.
Projects are keeping everyone busy, yet profitability is not where you want it to be. Cash flow remains tighter than expected. Reporting takes longer to produce and often raises more questions than answers. Decisions that should be made elsewhere in the business still find their way back to the owner.
What looks like a cash flow problem may be a pricing problem. What looks like a profitability problem may be caused by project selection, procurement, contract management or reporting. Most construction businesses are dealing with several issues at the same time, not all of which have the same impact on performance or risk.
Understanding which issues deserve attention first is often where the real challenge begins.
Blaze Business & Legal works with construction businesses across two groups, each facing different problems at different stages of growth.
The owner is across everything. Revenue has grown faster than the systems and structure supporting it. Cash flow is tight relative to the volume of work going through the business. Reporting is informal, and key decisions, financial controls and client relationships run through one or two people.
The business may be profitable on paper, but the owner is not seeing that translate into financial security or time. These businesses need help working out what to stabilise first, then a structured plan to strengthen and grow from a more secure foundation.
The business has a management team and some reporting infrastructure in place. The problem is that profitability, cash flow, governance or accountability are not performing at the level the revenue would suggest. The Managing Director or Board can see that something is not working but the business has too many moving parts to diagnose the cause from the inside.
These businesses need an independent, experienced perspective across the whole business, not another adviser adding a recommendation to an already full list.
Most construction businesses are dealing with multiple issues at the same time, and those issues are often connected.
You may already have a lawyer, accountant, CFO, commercial manager, finance broker, governance adviser or other adviser helping your business. Each adviser may be providing valuable advice. The challenge is bringing those perspectives together and deciding which issues should be addressed first.
A recommendation that makes sense from a legal perspective may create tax consequences. A governance change may affect reporting and accountability. A cash flow issue may be caused by project selection, procurement, pricing or contract management.
Some issues are symptoms. Some are causes. Some create far bigger consequences than others. Everything cannot be priority number one. Construction business owners often need help deciding what to fix first, because some issues have a much bigger impact on performance than others, and the real cause of a problem is not always obvious.
“Before we engaged Rachelle and Shannon, we knew there were problems but we could not see which ones were causing the others. The Audit gave us a clear picture and a sequenced plan we could act on. Twelve months later the business is running better than it has in years.”Head Contractor, South East Queensland $18M turnover
“Before we engaged Rachelle and Shannon, we knew there were problems but we could not see which ones were causing the others. The Audit gave us a clear picture and a sequenced plan we could act on.”Head Contractor, South East Queensland $18M turnover
“We had been working with a lawyer and an accountant separately for years. What we were missing was someone who could look at the whole business and tell us what was connected. That is what Blaze Business & Legal did.”Civil Contractor, Brisbane $42M turnover
“Rachelle picked up three significant issues in our head contracts that our previous lawyer had not flagged. More importantly, she explained the commercial impact, not just the legal one.”Subcontractor, Brisbane Northside $9M turnover
A South East Queensland head contractor was experiencing persistent cash flow difficulties despite consistent project wins and strong revenue. The business had grown from $8M to $24M over four years without a corresponding update to its financial reporting, contract management or business structure.
The Construction Business Improvement Audit identified the primary driver as a combination of late recovery on variations, a contract form placing disproportionate time and cost risk on the contractor, and a management account structure that obscured true project profitability.
Working through the 13-Step Construction Business Improvement System, the business restructured its contract administration process, renegotiated its standard subcontract terms and implemented monthly management reporting that gave the Managing Director a reliable view of project and business performance for the first time.
A Brisbane civil contractor approaching a major infrastructure tender sought a full review of its governance structure, contract risk profile and financial controls before committing to the bid.
Rachelle and Shannon identified gaps in director liability protection, deficiencies in the business’s QBCC Minimum Financial Requirements compliance position, and terms in the proposed head contract that would have created significant unpriced risk.
The business used the Audit Recommendations to restructure before bidding and tendered with a clear understanding of the contractual risk it was pricing.
Most construction business owners already have advisers. The challenge is that somebody still needs to decide what happens first, coordinate competing priorities and ensure important improvements are implemented while the business continues operating.
Most advisers identify issues and provide recommendations. The owner is then expected to work out priorities, coordinate advisers and oversee implementation. That is where many businesses lose momentum.
Blaze Business & Legal helps bridge the gap between recommendations and implementation by providing practical support, broader construction industry experience and an independent perspective on what should happen next.
A business experiencing cash flow difficulties may also have issues with project selection, procurement, pricing, contract management or reporting. A governance issue may be affecting accountability. A business structure issue may be affecting succession planning, taxation and long-term strategy.
Looking at one issue in isolation can sometimes create new problems somewhere else. Understanding how issues interact is often just as important as identifying them.
The 13-Step Construction Business Improvement System gives construction business owners a structured way to assess cash flow, business structure, governance, contracts, commercial management, director protection and long-term growth. Not every business needs every step. The starting point depends on what the Audit identifies.
Blaze Business & Legal helps construction businesses Stabilise, Improve & Scale through three integrated service streams.
Sometimes you know exactly what the issue is. Our Business Advisory Services cover construction business structuring, financial management, cash flow forecasting, External CFO services, External Commercial Manager services, governance, compliance, succession planning, growth strategy, business performance improvement and business management consulting.
Businesses preparing for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic infrastructure work are also engaging Blaze Business & Legal now on bid strategy, capacity assessment, contract readiness and business structure review.
Learn more →Our Construction Business Improvement Services help construction business owners work out what is holding their business back, decide what to fix first and implement improvements over time.
Depending on your circumstances, this may begin with a Construction Business Assessment, a Construction Business Issues Review, a Construction Business Improvement Audit or the 13-Step System. You do not need to know what is wrong before making contact.
Learn more →Sometimes you do not need a whole-of-business solution. Our Construction Law and Commercial Law services cover construction contracts, contract reviews, contract negotiation, procurement and tendering, risk management, commercial law, governance and External General Counsel services.
Need legal advice? Call Rachelle direct on (07) 3063 3373 to discuss your matter.
Learn more →A rare combination of Construction Law, Commercial Management and Management Accounting experience from inside construction businesses.
Rachelle spent 25+ years as a front-end Construction Lawyer in top-tier law firms, including in-house as Acting General Counsel at Thiess and in-house counsel at DHA, with CASG and AGS, before spending six years full-time as a Commercial Manager at a Tier 2 Construction and Technology provider.
She has sat in the contractor’s chair during contract negotiations, managed commercial disputes from inside the business, and led legal and commercial teams on major construction projects. That experience changes the advice she gives, because she understands what a recommendation looks like when someone else has to implement it on a live project.
Shannon brings 25+ years of construction industry experience as a Management Accountant, Costs Accountant, Fractional CFO, Commercial Adviser and Business Adviser. He has worked inside construction businesses at every scale, from trade subcontractors to large head contractors, with direct responsibility for project profitability, financial reporting, cash flow modelling and commercial advisory.
“Many construction business owners and decision-makers already have a good idea what needs to be fixed and changed in their business. The problem is finding the time to implement those changes while still monitoring projects, managing staff, dealing with clients and suppliers, and keeping revenue flowing through the business.”Rachelle Hare, Construction Lawyer, Commercial Manager and Business Adviser
The difference between Business Advisory and Construction Business Improvement is that Business Advisory focuses on a specific issue, challenge, opportunity or decision that has already been identified. Construction Business Improvement focuses on the broader performance, profitability, resilience and long-term sustainability of the business as a whole. Many clients begin with a Free Construction Business Assessment, which helps clarify whether a specific advisory engagement or a broader improvement approach makes more sense for their circumstances.
Knowing what is wrong with your business before contacting Blaze Business & Legal is not required. Many construction business owners know something is not working as well as it should but cannot identify the cause or the right starting point. Helping you work out what is holding your business back is central to what Blaze Business & Legal does, and the Free Construction Business Assessment is designed specifically for that starting point.
Working out what to fix first when your advisers are giving conflicting recommendations starts with understanding how those recommendations interact and what the downstream consequences of each option may be. Blaze Business & Legal helps construction business owners assess competing advice, understand broader implications across legal, financial, structural and operational dimensions, and build a sequenced plan that accounts for how those dimensions connect. A Construction Business Issues Review is often the right starting point.
Engaging Blaze Business & Legal for Legal Services only is common. Many clients engage Blaze Business & Legal solely for Construction Law, Commercial Law, Construction Contracts, Contract Reviews, Contract Drafting, Contract Negotiation, Procurement or Tendering matters. You do not need to engage the Business Advisory or Construction Business Improvement services to work with Rachelle on a legal matter. Call Rachelle direct on (07) 3063 3373 to discuss your matter.
Blaze Business & Legal works with construction, civil and infrastructure businesses across Queensland and Australia. Business Advisory, Construction Business Improvement, Management Accounting and Commercial Advisory services are delivered directly and are not limited to Brisbane or Queensland. Legal services are subject to jurisdictional considerations. Contact Rachelle to discuss where your matter arose and whether Blaze Business & Legal is the right fit.
The Construction Business Improvement Audit is Step 1 of the 13-Step Construction Business Improvement System and the starting point for most clients. It is a structured review covering financial performance, cash flow, business structure, governance, contracts, commercial management and operational systems. The Audit produces three documents: a Fix, Strengthen and Grow Recommendations document, an Audit Insights document and an Audit Scorecard. Together these give the Managing Director or owner a clear picture of what is happening in the business and a sequenced plan for what to address first.
The full 13-Step Construction Business Improvement System runs across approximately 12 months, structured across three phases: Fix, Strengthen and Grow. Not every business needs all 13 steps. The starting point and scope are shaped by the results of the Construction Business Improvement Audit and your Triage Plan. Some businesses address two or three high-priority steps. Others work through the full System over the 12-month period.
Rachelle and Shannon work across legal, management accounting, commercial management and business advisory simultaneously. Most construction businesses already have a lawyer, an accountant and sometimes a business adviser. Each sees a different part of the business, and the owner is left to integrate the advice, resolve conflicts and decide what to prioritise. The recommendations Rachelle and Shannon make account for how a decision in one area affects every other area, which matters most when a business is carrying several connected problems at the same time. Blaze Business & Legal is one of the only firms in Australia where the Construction Lawyer and the Management Accountant have both held full-time roles inside the construction industry.
Blaze Business & Legal works with head contractors, subcontractors and trade contractors across residential, commercial, civil, infrastructure, mining services and defence. The Construction Business Improvement approach and Legal Services are both directly relevant to subcontractors, particularly those in the $5M to $30M range where the owner typically carries most of the commercial and legal risk personally.
Getting started with Blaze Business & Legal usually begins with a Free Construction Business Assessment. Call Rachelle and Shannon direct on (07) 3063 3373, or complete the assessment online. You do not need to have read anything or prepared anything in advance.
You do not need to know whether you need Business Advisory Services, Construction Business Improvement Services or Legal Services. You do not even need to know what is holding your business back. We will help you work out what is happening in your business, decide what to fix first and identify what makes sense next.
