Gellibrand Accountants

Based in Williamstown, on the western side of Melbourne, Gellibrand Accountants works with owners of small and medium-sized businesses. The firm describes its approach as going well beyond compliance accounting. Alongside annual accounts and tax work, clients get advice on growing the business, on marketing and on building personal wealth, with the firm working out how those goals connect to the numbers.

Accounts, tax and GST for owner-run businesses

The core service covers accounting, taxation and GST. The firm's stated aim is to secure the most favourable tax outcome the rules allow for each client, and part of that is working through the deductions a business can claim so that none are missed. The team wants to understand the business behind the figures, so before it gives advice it looks at the products and services a client sells, its finance needs and its day to day operations.

Reviewing the software and controls behind the books

Gellibrand reviews the software a business uses to run its operations and checks the systems and processes around it. The goal, in the firm's own words, is that owners gain complete control and confidence in how their records are kept. The review is treated as part of the ongoing accounting relationship rather than as a separate project.

Marketing, start-up mentoring and asset finance

Beyond the numbers, the firm offers marketing advice on branding, websites, social media and printed marketing collateral, with the aim of a better return on each marketing dollar a client spends. It has also mentored people starting new businesses, giving specialist guidance on the early decisions. Its asset financing advice sits within the same holistic approach, helping a client fund equipment or other assets as the business grows.

Retirement planning and self-managed super

For clients planning their retirement, the firm provides advice on self-managed superannuation funds. It treats wealth creation as an integral part of the tax planning process rather than a separate subject. The firm says this combination of skills and services is what sets it apart from compliance-based accounting practices in Melbourne.

Builders, legal firms, printers and property buyers

The client base spans many industries. The firm names builders and trades people, legal firms and printers among the businesses it has advised, and it also helps people who are thinking about buying an investment property. Its tagline, "Your pathway to business success", invites prospective clients to make contact and begin that conversation.

A quarterly newsletter and regular contact

The practice sends a quarterly newsletter, On The Money, which carries business development ideas and wealth creation material. Its team says it communicates regularly with clients so that it keeps a close understanding of their business, products, staffing and finance requirements. That regular contact is presented as the difference between this practice and a traditional tax and compliance firm.