Have you ever made a decision for your business that you’d handle differently if you had your time again?

We’re not talking putting pods versus an old-school coffee maker in the break room. We’re talking about the big calls that shape the future of your business.

The ones around hiring. Expansion. Investment. The choices where the stakes are high and the consequences linger.

If it’s striking a chord (or prompting a shudder), take heart – you’re in good company.

According to new research from Findex’s SME Growth Index 2026, nearly half of Australian small and medium business owners and decision makers say they have made a wrong business decision or avoided making one altogether.

One in four say this has happened more than once, and that it’s not down to carelessness, rather not knowing where to get the right advice.

In other words, too much information out there, not enough specificity to your situation.

Michelle Sinclair (pictured above), head of business performance at Findex, says it’s a common pattern she sees in growing businesses, and one she’s passionate about correcting.

When your business outgrows your advice

“Many business owners come to us frustrated that they can’t get advice on getting their business to the next level,” Michelle tells Business Builders.

“In the early days of my finance career, clients would bring us their bank statements, and we would build reports from scratch. That was the job. But automation has made it easy to produce data and clients often come armed with reams of it.

“Now, a good advisor should be helping you understand what the numbers mean and what to do next – how to turn that information into action.”

The survey of more than 500 businesses found that most already have an advisor and engage with them regularly.

And yet, more than four in five small business owners said they don’t have the advice they need to operate effectively.

Nearly two-thirds believe their accountant or business advisor lacks the capabilities to properly support them with strategic decision-making.

It’s not that accountants or business advisors aren’t doing their jobs – it’s that expectations and needs are fundamentally changing.

The growing pains of growing a business

As businesses grow and decisions become more complex, that gap only widens. The problem becomes most visible when a business moves to scale, and the Index reveals medium-sized businesses feel this most sharply.

Almost all say they lack the strategic support required for growth. More specifically, three-quarters said their advisor falls short in industry insight, digital fluency, or strategic planning.

Michelle tells Business Builders this is also exactly the stage where founders feel the pressure most.

Hiring senior staff. Expanding into new markets. Investing in technology. Taking on debt. These are not small calls, and they are difficult to reverse if they go wrong.

Often, it’s not a crisis that exposes the gap, but a moment of growth – when decisions start to feel heavier and harder to unwind. And technology has only amplified that pressure.

“In the past, businesses were largely constrained by geography. Now you set up your online presence, your website and your socials, and you are instantly accessible to customers anywhere in the world,” Michelle explains.

It makes having the right advice more consequential, and earlier than many founders expect.

It’s not just about the numbers, it’s about the full picture

Founders should be looking for an advisor who seeks to understand the full picture, Michelle says.

“They should be curious about you as a founder. How you work. What your personal situation looks like, what your wealth creation goals are and what you actually want from the business. Those things matter because they shape the strategy.”

She says the impact of better advice is significant when founders can finally see what is really driving performance in their business, giving the example of a clothing business she worked with who came to Findex frustrated that their bank balance did not reflect their sales.

“They knew their customers. They understood what would sell and to whom. And they were right about those calls,” she says.

“However, when we drilled into their data, we could see that some product lines were barely contributing to the bottom line and import duties and shipping costs meant some overseas sales were far less profitable than they realised.”

Once the true cost per item was mapped, the picture changed.

“We were then also able to reset pricing, build a proper 18-month cashflow forecast and show them when money would actually hit the account.”

“That meant they could plan properly. They could see when major supplier payments were coming due and renegotiate payment terms so they were not hit with a big cash drain at the wrong time.”

For the founder, the difference was profound.

They finally had clarity on what was driving profit, what was holding it back, and how to make decisions with confidence.

For many Australian business owners, the hardest part isn’t ambition or effort. It’s making the right call at the right moment.

And increasingly, the difference lies in whether they have the advice to do so with confidence.

Book your complimentary discovery meeting with a Findex business advisor today. Visit findex.com.au/business-advisory.

This article is brought to you by Business Builders in partnership with Findex.

Feature image: Michelle Sinclair from Findex. Supplied.