Business Structure Accounting Advice

Create a strong business foundations from the start

A wealth of experience

In our 40 year history, we've helped all kinds of businesses. We have an in-depth understanding of how your business structure impacts your finances and risks.

Capable and qualified

We are more than capable of advising you on the right business structure for your circumstances, as well as providing a wide range of financial services.

Systems and processes

All our services are backed by systems are processes we have developed and improved over our 40 years of experience.

Long-term client partnerships

Setting up your business with the right structure is the first part of a long relationship. We build partnerships with all our clients so we can give you the best possible advice.

About our business structure advice team

Choosing the right business structure will mitigate much of the risk associated with starting a business. We will take the time to understand your business goals so we can give you the best possible advice.

Our team has a wealth of knowledge about how different structures will impact your personal risks and business outcomes.

Meet the team

We have worked with Liston Newton Advisory for over a decade. During that time, our business has grown substantially both organically and through purchases. This wouldn’t have been possible without Liston Newton Advisory to assist with our business planning, providing proactive advice and ensuring our accounts were always compliant in a complex and volatile industry.

Karsten Horne

CEO, Reho Travel

Liston Newton Advisory analysed our financial and business situation and helped us implement strategies to improve our position. Their strategies turned our business from making a loss, to recording a 6-month net profit of 36 per cent. And we are now on track to show a 240 per cent increase in turnover over the next financial year.

Lisa Clarke

SL Constructions

Liston Newton Advisory helped us move our accounting over to Xero. They managed the set up and training so we felt comfortable with the software. We now have all our processes streamlined which gives us improved visibility of our business performance. This has allowed us to open 2 more stores without a significant increase in administration effort.

Peter Luskan

Pandora

Expertise you can trust

We can help you set your business up right, from business structures to financial advice.

Our case studies

Papermill Media

We restructured Papermill Media and moved them to cloud accounting. Papermill was listed at number 43 in the Australian Financial Review's Fast 100 List in 2017.

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Cambridge Plumbing

We have helped Cambridge Plumbing to manage and forecast cash flow. We've also provided the director with advice on wealth creation and asset allocation.

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Quality Energy

After helping them transition to Xero, we conducted quarterly business coaching with Quality Energy and helped increase their profits by 90 per cent.

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Choose the right structure

Start your business with the best possible foundation. We can help you choose the right structure.

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Frequently asked questions

Should I be operating as a company or a sole trader?

Many factors will influence your decision to operate as a sole trader or another business structure, such as a company. Your personal life circumstances, as well as your type of business, will have a bearing on which structure is right for you.

Every different structure will have strengths and weaknesses in regards to tax minimisation and asset protection amongst other things, the key here is to match these up with your personal circumstances and long-term goals to get the right fit.

How do I set up a business?

Apart from setting up the correct structure, there are several other considerations in setting up a new business. You will need to consider doing things such as registering for GST, starting individual bank accounts for the business, applying for business names, and setting up an accounting system to keep all of the appropriate records for your business. All of these items will be covered off by a good business adviser during your business set up process.

Why is a business structure so important?

Choosing the correct business structure is hugely important as it can have a dramatic effect on your business in the future regarding tax minimisation and protecting you from potential risks.

Getting this right from the start is key. While you can change structure in the future, there may be certain restrictions. This includes some capital gains consequences in many cases. Getting the right business structure in place from the outset will be the most importance aspect of your business setup.

What’s the best structure for my business?

Different business structures will offer different tax rates, concessions, and abilities to stream profits to associated individuals or entities. Every individual business will have an ideal business structure to minimise tax as much as possible.

You need to plan for the future as well when choosing the right structure, considering questions such as:

Am I planning on selling my business in the near future?
How big do I plan on growing on my business?
What do I want to do with the profits from my business?
Do I want to reinvest profits in the future or take them for my personal wealth?
Do I want to bring onboard other investors or employees to my business?

How you answer any of these questions will influence which business structure is right for you.

Related resources

June 14, 2018

Take the paperwork out of your hands with a MYOB to Xero conversion

Compared to traditional desktop accounting software, Xero offers faster, more efficient systems and processes. Here's how to make your MYOB to Xero conversion as smooth and seamless as possible.

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June 5, 2018

Xero vs MYOB: which will work better for your business?

Which cloud-based accounting software will best suit your small to medium-sized business? We settle the Xero vs MYOB debate once and for all by comparing their features, pricing, and more.

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April 23, 2018

5 signs you’ve outgrown your small business accountant

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Read all

Accounting

Taxation

Business Advisory

Business structure

Start your business with the right foundation

Expert business structure advice

Create a strong business foundations from the start

A wealth of experience

Capable and qualified

Systems and processes

Long-term client partnerships

About our business structure advice team

Meet the team

Kieran Liston

Shaun Newton

Jeremy Liston

Our method for business success

Expertise you can trust

Our case studies

Papermill Media

Cambridge Plumbing

Quality Energy

Choose the right structure

Frequently asked questions

Should I be operating as a company or a sole trader?

How do I set up a business?

Why is a business structure so important?

What’s the best structure for my business?

Related resources

Take the paperwork out of your hands with a MYOB to Xero conversion

Xero vs MYOB: which will work better for your business?

5 signs you’ve outgrown your small business accountant

Our clients