Business and Financial Advisory

Overview

Business and financial advisory is a defined piece of advice on a decision you are facing, such as which structure to operate in, how to fund growth, why cash is tight, whether to expand, or how to price and control costs. It is different from a recurring accounting or compliance engagement. You describe the question, Zenith assesses your numbers and context, and you receive a written view of the options with the trade-offs and a practical plan.

Because the quality of advice depends on facts, the first step is always a short discovery conversation and a review of your records.

Who needs it

• Founders choosing between a proprietorship, partnership, LLP or company, or planning to change structure.
• Owners whose profit looks healthy but whose cash does not.
• Businesses planning expansion into a new city, product or channel and wanting the numbers tested first.
• Startups and small companies exploring funding routes: bank loans, schemes, angel or venture investment.
• Owners who want an outside review of costs, margins and pricing before making a large commitment.

What Zenith does

Zenith listens first, confirms the question and scope, and gives a tailored quotation. A relationship manager is assigned and the work is organised as a project with a defined output.

• Clarifies the decision, constraints and timeline in a discovery call.
• Reviews financial statements, bank records, receivables and payables, and existing plans.
• Analyses the options: for example structure comparison, working-capital needs, funding mix or break-even by product.
• Tests assumptions with simple scenarios, such as slower collections or higher costs.
• For cash flow: identifies where money is tied up, such as unpaid invoices, stock or overheads, and proposes actions along with a short-term cash forecast.
• For funding: explains the options, prepares a financial summary and projections, and identifies the documents lenders or investors will ask for.
• Delivers a written assessment with recommendations, risks and next steps, and walks you through it.
• Optionally supports implementation or reviews progress after an agreed period.

Advice on tax, company law or contracts is given within what an accountant or company secretary can advise; where a lawyer is needed, Zenith will say so. Zenith does not promise revenue growth, funding or returns.

Eligibility and key rules

• There is no registration or eligibility test; any business or founder can ask for advice.
• Advice is only as good as the data. Zenith relies on the information and documents you provide and states its assumptions.
• Regulated activities such as arranging securities investments, giving investment advice to the public or acting as a lender are outside the scope; Zenith will refer those to authorised intermediaries.
• Where a recommendation involves a filing, for example a change of structure or an allotment of shares, the filing is a separate engagement.
• Funding decisions remain with lenders and investors, who apply their own credit and diligence criteria.

Documents required

• Last two to three years of financial statements and tax returns, where they exist.
• Current year books or management accounts and bank statements for the last 6 to 12 months.
• Existing business plan, pitch deck or budget, if any.
• Details of loans, credit lines and major commitments.
• Customer and supplier terms, and the list of unpaid invoices.
• Constitutional documents: incorporation certificate, partnership deed or LLP agreement, MOA and AOA.
• For funding questions: shareholding details and any term sheet or sanction letter.

Process and timeline

1. Discovery. A call to define the question, goal and constraints.
2. Scoping. Deliverable, timeline and fee are agreed.
3. Data review. Records are reviewed and gaps raised with you.
4. Analysis. Options, scenarios and numbers are prepared.
5. Advisory report. A written assessment with recommendations and an action plan.
6. Discussion. A walkthrough call and a chance to challenge the assumptions.
7. Follow-up. Optional implementation support or a progress review.

Duration depends on the scope: a focused question can be answered quickly, while a funding plan or restructuring takes longer.

Government fees, penalties and due dates

There are no government fees for advice. If a recommendation leads to a filing, such as incorporation, a conversion, a share allotment or a loan-related charge, the relevant government fees and deadlines apply to that filing and are shown separately in the quotation. Advisory work often saves penalties by surfacing deadlines early: the AGM is due within six months of the year end, AOC-4 within 30 days of the AGM and MGT-7 within 60 days, and GST and tax dates apply by registration type.

Amounts and dates above reflect public sources read in October 2026 and change with notifications, so Zenith confirms the current figures in your quotation.

Common mistakes

• Asking a broad question ("how do I grow?") rather than a specific decision with a budget.
• Sharing only the good numbers; hidden liabilities change the advice.
• Over-hiring or spending ahead of revenue without a funding plan.
• Mixing advice with implementation without agreeing who does what.
• Choosing a structure for one benefit without considering compliance cost and exit.
• Treating a bank loan as the solution to a margin problem.

FAQs