We Started with a Question
Back in 2019, we noticed something odd. Businesses across Canberra were sitting on cash reserves they couldn't touch when genuine emergencies hit. Insurance wouldn't cover operational gaps. Bank loans took weeks. And budgets? They were treated like stone tablets rather than living documents that breathe with uncertainty.
Most companies plan for what they expect. We help them prepare for what they don't.
Why Contingency Planning Matters
Here's what surprised us when we started. A café owner in Braddon told us her espresso machine died on a Saturday morning. Simple fix, right? Except the repair cost ate her weekly margin, and she had no buffer.
Or the consulting firm that lost their biggest client in February 2024. They had savings, sure. But no framework for deciding how much to burn through before making tough calls.
These aren't dramatic disasters. They're the quiet crises that chip away at otherwise healthy businesses.
What We Actually Do
We build financial safety nets that you can actually use. Not theoretical reserve calculations that look good in board decks.
Think of it this way: your budget tells you where money goes. Our contingency plans tell you where it comes from when things go sideways.
We've worked with seventeen businesses in the ACT region since early 2023. Some had detailed budgets. None had tested their backup plans under real pressure until we walked them through scenarios.
How We Got Here
Started as weekend consulting for three local businesses struggling with cash flow visibility. All three survived the 2020 disruptions.
Turned our spreadsheet chaos into repeatable frameworks. Discovered that small businesses needed different approaches than medium-sized operations.
Working primarily across Canberra's business community. Our client retention sits at 94% because the work actually prevents problems rather than promising miracles.
Real Challenges We Address
Desmond Viklund
Lead Financial Strategist
Spent eleven years in corporate finance before realizing the tools that worked for large enterprises completely failed small businesses. Now I translate risk management concepts into frameworks that actually fit operations running on tight margins.
My clients typically have between eight and seventy employees. That sweet spot where you're too big to wing it but too small to hire a full finance team. Based in Canberra since 2018.
Let's Talk About Your Backup Plan
Most businesses discover they need contingency planning right when they need to use it. Better to build it during the quiet months. We're taking on new clients for autumn 2025 planning cycles.
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