Articles by Eddie Senatore
Your construction client knows their revenue, but has no idea about their margin
Business A builder calls me in a panic. They've been trading for eight years, turning over $4 million annually, and suddenly they can't make payroll. 05 January 2026 • By Eddie Senatore, Eddie Senatore Advisory • 12 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied! I ask the question I always ask: "Which of your projects are actually profitable?" Silence. You’re out of free articles for this month Username or Email Keep me signed in on this device.
Your builder client just won a $2m contract - here's why you should be worried
Business I've been liquidating construction companies for over 35 years, and I can tell you exactly when small builders fail. 30 December 2025 • By Eddie Senatore, Eddie Senatore Advisory • 12 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied! It's not when business is slow. It's when they land their biggest contract yet. Accountants celebrate when construction clients win major projects. I've watched these "wins" trigger insolvency more times than I can count.
Why the most profitable client on your list might need to close down tomorrow
Business I regularly liquidate profitable businesses – not because they ran out of money, but because the owners made strategic decisions to exit. 23 December 2025 • By Eddie Senatore, Eddie Senatore Advisory • 10 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied! Sometimes liquidation is success, not failure. The profitable business that closed anyway You’re out of free articles for this month Username or Email Keep me signed in on this device.
The accountant who thought they were helping (and created a $200k liability instead)
I've been liquidating businesses for over 35 years now, and lately I'm seeing something that troubles me: accountants creating liability for themselves while genuinely trying to help their clients. • • 13 minute read Last month, a director called me in a panic. She'd bought a business, agreed to pay off the seller's tax debt as part of the purchase price, and now found herself personally liable for director penalties she didn't even know existed.
The questions that actually get clients talking
This is free. My scripts on how to gain more traction with clients in conversation. Most accountants are having the wrong conversations with their clients. Here's how to fix it. • • 10 minute read Your best advisory opportunities are walking out the door every day. They're sitting across from you in client meetings, giving polite one-word answers to your questions, then paying someone else for the strategic advice you could have provided.
The $2m shareholder agreement that nearly killed a company
I've been mediating shareholder disputes for years, but the case that landed on my desk last month revealed a dangerous blind spot in how accountants approach shareholder agreements. • • 11 minute read A profitable professional services company. Three decades of consistent dividends. A comprehensive shareholder agreement that looked bulletproof on paper. Yet when two major shareholders decided to exit, the company was 24 hours away from insolvency. The twist?
Beyond compliance: Why are accountants letting construction clients fail?
I've been liquidating businesses for over 30 years, and I can tell you something that should terrify every accountant with construction clients: construction has always topped the failure charts, and it's getting worse. • • 13 minute read Data from ASIC tells a frightening story. In 2005, construction made up 20.1 per cent of all corporate failures in Australia. For the next 15 years, it hovered consistently around 20–24 per cent.
Why clients won't pay for your advisory services
Recent research we have conducted with accountants and bookkeepers dove into why so many businesses are ending up in failure, and whether they are truly “trusted advisers” to their clients. Spoiler alert: Most aren’t. • • 14 minute read We recently conducted over 100 interviews with accountants and bookkeepers, exploring why so many businesses are ending up in failure, and whether they're truly "trusted advisers" to their clients. Spoiler alert: Most aren't.
Cracks in construction won’t be filled by home owners warranty
The building sector has witnessed another two large-scale collapses in the last 10 days with the demise of home builder Porter Davis in Victoria and community building constructor Lloyd Group in Queensland. According to some in the industry, more collapses are likely in the next few months.
How delays become the weak spot in any building project
Bad weather, supply disruptions or design changes can sink a builder’s bottom line. By Eddie Senatore•24 March 2023•1 minute read In a recent article I explained how the construction sector produces one of the highest rates of business failure in Australia. Many complex factors challenge a builder’s survival. The very act of signing a client requires a builder to invest significant time and resources before seeing any cash.
How builders buckle under the weight of work-in-progress
The answer is that there are many factors. One of these is the management of work-in-progress, projects under construction. When I work with builders, I often see the analysis or interrogation of work-in-progress being left for formal reporting processes, often performed annually and, in my experience, a best guess between builder and accountant.
Canberra mates kick global goal with Sponserve
Daniel Oyston and Mark Thompson of Sponserve. In three short years, two Canberra mates have taken their solution for managing sporting sponsorship contracts across much of the globe to help create the world’s biggest sports technology company. After launching in 2015, their Canberra-based sponsorship activation platform SponServe has been acquired by United States sports management company, KORE Software, a global leader in sponsorship and season ticket sales management.
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