Owners planning the next phase of growth
New markets, new sites, acquisitions or significant investment.
Beyond — build lasting value
Business advisory for growing companies
Business advisory applies financial evidence to commercial decisions: where the business makes and loses money, how it should be structured, how growth should be funded and what will change the value of the company. SM2 advises owner-managed South African businesses using their own numbers rather than generic frameworks.
Service overview
SM2's advisory work starts from what the financial information reveals and moves into the decisions that follow. That covers profitability analysis by product, client or division; pricing and cost structure; growth and funding options; group and shareholding structure; governance appropriate to the size of the business; and support through transactions, including acquisitions and capital raising. Advisory is not a separate department here — it draws on the same team that prepares the accounts and manages the tax position, which means recommendations are grounded in verified numbers and consider the tax and compliance consequences from the start.
Who it is for
Businesses where growth has not improved profit
Turnover is up, margin is not, and nobody is sure why.
Shareholders thinking about value or exit
Preparing a business to be worth more, and to withstand due diligence.
Companies whose structure no longer fits
Group, shareholding or governance arrangements that were designed for a smaller business.
Common problems we are asked to solve
- Revenue growth is not turning into profit or cash.
- Nobody knows which clients or products actually make money.
- Pricing has never been tested against real cost data.
- A transaction is on the table and the numbers are not ready.
- Decision-making sits entirely with one person.
- Governance and controls have not kept pace with the business.
How SM2 helps
Profitability and cost analysis
Where value is created and where it leaks, at product, client, channel or site level.
Growth and funding strategy
What growth will cost, what it will require in working capital and how it should be funded.
Structure and shareholding
Group structure, shareholder arrangements and the tax consequences of each option.
Risk and governance
Controls, delegation, reporting and board discipline scaled to the business.
Transactions
Support through acquisitions, disposals and capital raising, from preparation through diligence.
What clients gain
- A clear view of where profit really comes from.
- Growth plans backed by numbers rather than optimism.
- A structure that fits the business you are becoming.
- Decisions that consider tax, cash and risk together.
- A business that is more valuable and more transferable.
How the engagement works
- 01
Understand the question
Advisory work begins with the specific decision or problem the owner is facing.
- 02
Test it against evidence
We interrogate the financial data behind the question rather than relying on assumption.
- 03
Set out the options
Realistic options with their financial, tax and risk consequences laid out side by side.
- 04
Support the execution
We stay involved while the decision is implemented and measured.
Frequently asked questions
What does a business adviser do?
A business adviser helps an owner make better commercial decisions using evidence. In an accounting firm that means analysing the financial data, setting out the realistic options with their consequences, and staying involved while the chosen option is implemented and measured. It is judgement applied to your specific numbers, not generic advice.
How is advisory different from accounting?
Accounting produces the record; advisory acts on it. The two work best together, because advice built on unreliable numbers is guesswork, and reliable numbers that nobody interprets do not change anything.
When does a business need better financial controls?
Usually when the owner can no longer personally see every transaction: when headcount grows, when more people can commit the business to spending, when stock or multiple sites appear, or when an external funder or investor comes in. The warning signs are surprises — unexpected costs, missing stock or payments nobody authorised.
Can you help us prepare the business for sale?
Yes. That typically involves getting several years of financial information into a defensible state, cleaning up structure and related-party arrangements, documenting the things a buyer will test, and improving the metrics that drive value well before a process starts.
Do you work with businesses outside Pretoria?
Yes. SM2 is based in Pretoria and works with businesses across Gauteng and the rest of South Africa. Most advisory work runs on a mix of on-site sessions and remote meetings.
How do advisory engagements start?
Many begin with the free SM2 Business Clarity Review, which scores the business across six financial-clarity lenses and produces a Now, Next and Beyond action plan. That gives both sides a shared starting point.
The SM2 expert behind this service
David Stoltz
Director, SM2 AccountantsDavid leads SM2's advisory and CFO work, combining Chartered Accountant training with more than 20 years of senior financial leadership, board-level and commercial finance experience across South African and international businesses. His experience includes financial strategy, governance, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and helping leadership teams turn complex financial information into practical decisions.
David Stoltz on LinkedInRelated services
CFO & finance leadership
Ongoing senior financial leadership behind the strategy.
Read about cfo & finance leadershipTax & SARS
Structure and transaction decisions have tax consequences.
Read about tax & sarsAccounting & reporting
Advice is only as good as the numbers underneath it.
Read about accounting & reportingUnderstand your financial position first.
The free SM2 Business Clarity Review scores your business across six financial-clarity lenses and returns a practical Now, Next and Beyond action plan in about ten minutes.