Your Business Growth Partner
GUIDING THE 'BEST KEPT SECRETS' TO #1 IN THEIR MARKET
Trent Butler is a Chartered Accountant who acts as a Business Coach, Growth Advisor and Marketing Strategist to growth-minded professional service business owners.
We'll help you increase your profits, implement systems to improve operations and build a team that can operate without you - giving you the money and freedom to live the life you want.
Your Business Growth Partner
GUIDING THE 'BEST KEPT SECRETS' TO #1 IN THEIR MARKET
Trent Butler is a Chartered Accountant who acts as a Business Coach, Growth Advisor and Marketing Strategist to growth-minded professional service business owners.
We'll help you increase your profits, implement systems to improve operations and build a team that can operate without you - giving you the money and freedom to live the life you want.
Just a few of the 'best kept secrets' we've worked with:
"I was attracted to Trent's clarity of what could be achieved, his process driven approach to achieving objectives, coupled with his knowledge and experience. It's been absolute pleasure working with Trent and his team. I am extremely pleased with the results...”
Giles Hill
Director, EQ Property
The Truth Is You Have A Lot On Your Plate When It Comes To Being #1 In Your Market...
You Might Be Struggling With:
Identifying & attracting the right type of higher-value client
- Past efforts have attracted the wrong type of client.
- Prospects just want to know 'price' and don't seem to care about anything else.
- Leads seem to take forever to sign-up and become a client.
You just want to attract higher-value clients who value your expertise and expect to pay a fair premium to work with you.
Monitoring cash flow & tracking return on investment
- You’re unsure what metrics to be tracking.
- You’re not clear on what benchmarks to aim for.
- You're not sure if your marketing is making or losing money.
You just want to understand dollars-in vs dollars-out and whether or not it's all worth it.
Developing process and people to handle the next growth phase
- Growth is starting to cause other operational challenges.
- Getting the right people in the right seats has become easier said than done.
- The team can never quite seem to follow process or consistently achieve what is expected.
- You're getting pulled in a hundred different directions and clients are beginning to notice.
You just want to get everyone on the same page and following processes that actually work and scale.
Figuring out what to do and what not to do next from a marketing and business development standpoint
- Exactly who is our ideal client and how do we get more of them?
- Just what is our point of difference (or do we even have one)?
- Do people see us as a commodity service provider?
- What 'tactics' would work best specifically for our firm and stage of business?
- Where should we be spending our marketing dollars and efforts?
You just want to know what you should be doing and why.
Aligning the leadership team on strategy, planning and execution
- The leadership team is losing sight of the bigger picture (core mission, vision and values).
- Key team members just can't seem to agree on what should be done next, how and why.
- Problems use to be handled quickly but now take weeks/months to resolve.
- Important but not urgent activities are just not getting done.
You just want everyone in the business aligned and beating to the same drum.
Just a few of the 'best kept secrets' we've worked with:
"I was attracted to Trent's clarity of what could be achieved, his process driven approach to achieving objectives, coupled with his knowledge and experience. It's been absolute pleasure working with Trent and his team. I am extremely pleased with the results...”
Giles Hill
Director, EQ Property
THE TRUTH IS YOU HAVE A LOT ON YOUR PLATE WHEN IT COMES TO BEING #1 IN YOUR MARKET...
You Might Be Struggling With:
Identifying & attracting the right type of higher-value client
- Past efforts have attracted the wrong type of client.
- Prospects just want to know 'price' and don't seem to care about anything else.
- Leads seem to take forever to sign-up and become a client.
You just want to attract higher-value clients who value your expertise and expect to pay a fair premium to work with you.
Monitoring cash flow & tracking return on investment
- You’re unsure what metrics to be tracking.
- You’re not clear on what benchmarks to aim for.
- You're not sure if your marketing is making or losing money.
You just want to understand dollars-in vs dollars-out and whether or not it's all worth it.
Developing process and people to handle the next growth phase
- Growth is starting to cause other operational challenges.
- Getting the right people in the right seats has become easier said than done.
- The team can never quite seem to follow process or consistently achieve what is expected.
- You're getting pulled in a hundred different directions and clients are beginning to notice.
You just want to get everyone on the same page and following processes that actually work and scale.
Figuring out what to do and what not to do next from a marketing and business development standpoint
- Exactly who is our ideal client and how do we get more of them?
- Just what is our point of difference (or do we even have one)?
- Do people see us as a commodity service provider?
- What 'tactics' would work best specifically for our firm and stage of business?
- Where should we be spending our marketing dollars and efforts?
You just want to know what you should be doing and why.
Aligning the leadership team on strategy, planning and execution
- The leadership team is losing sight of the bigger picture (core mission, vision and values).
- Key team members just can't seem to agree on what should be done next, how and why.
- Problems use to be handled quickly but now take weeks/months to resolve.
- Important but not urgent activities are just not getting done.
You just want everyone in the business aligned and beating to the same drum.
Professional business coaching can help you:
Improve operations, implement systems and remove bottlenecks so that you get your time back.
Hire and train the right team, communicate better with each other and eliminate people problems.
Grow your business with bigger and better clients.
Overcome cash flow issues and improve your financial management.
Make better decisions and become more profitable.
WELL... YOU CAN!
Butler & Co Advisory is a small team of experienced entrepreneurs coaching aspiring entrepreneurs. We are experts in one thing – growing profitable companies through an appropriate mix of business coaching, growth advisory and marketing strategy consulting.
Whereever you're stuck, we can help:
MORE LEADS, SALES, AGGRESSIVE GROWTH?
YOU GOT IT.
MORE LEADS, SALES, AGGRESSIVE GROWTH? YOU GOT IT.
You won’t believe how easy it is to get your phone ringing with top-shelf, ready-to-buy prospects until you see our methodology for yourself. It’s time for you to set the pace and leave your competitors behind.
RECRUIT & RETAIN WINNERS INSTEAD OF LOSERS?
COMING RIGHT UP.
RECRUIT & RETAIN WINNERS INSTEAD OF LOSERS? COMING RIGHT UP.
Only the very best hiring managers win the perpetual war for talent. You’ll join the ranks of elite recruiters when you learn how the top guns do it. It’s time to get the rock stars you deserve and let the rest work for the others.
CONTROL YOUR CASH AND STASH MONEY AWAY?
EASY.
CONTROL YOUR CASH AND STASH MONEY AWAY? EASY.
Smart business owners know how to control costs, forecast and manage cash, and grow profits. It’s time to control the flow of money through your business and build a large pile of cash in your bank account.
GET YOUR BUSINESS READY TO SELL FOR BIG BUCKS? LET’S ROLL.
Any business can be turned into a cash machine that runs with minimal to zero daily involvement of the owner(s). It’s time to turn your staff into a team that will run your business like they own it, so you can sell it to whomever you wish, whenever you wish.
Who We Work With
We work primarily with established business owners in the following categories.
Advisory Firms
Accounting firms, consulting firms, real estate agencies, medical clinics and marketing agencies.
Professionals
Consultants, coaches, real estate agents, accountants, mortgage brokers, medical practitioners, marketers and freelancers.
Our Founder & Lead Business Coach, Trent Butler
The vision of Butler & Co Advisory is to be the undisputed market leader in business growth advisory services in Australia.
Our plan to achieve that vision is to work hand-in-hand with a smaller volume of exceptionally talented industry experts, taking each of them to 'market-leader' status in their respective niches and/or geographic locations. We then let their results do our talking.
A Chartered Accountant, Trent has over 10 years experience working across three different firms spanning the three 'tiers' of the accounting profession; a small boutique firm, a mid-tier firm and the ‘big 4’ firm – Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Since founding Butler & Co Advisory in 2018, Trent has worked with over 50+ Australian professional service businesses. He deeply understands the nuances, growth challenges and stakeholder dynamics that present at every stage of a firm's life cycle.
Trent knows how both prospective clients and professional staff conduct their due diligence and choose a professional service provider in the modern digital world.
He understands that as your business grows and thrives, so will our partnership. So let’s talk, we promise it will be a breath of fresh air.
Our Founder & Lead Business Coach, Trent Butler
The vision of Butler & Co Advisory is to be the undisputed market leader in business growth advisory services in Australia.
Our plan to achieve that vision is to work hand-in-hand with a smaller volume of exceptionally talented industry experts, taking each of them to 'market-leader' status in their respective niches and/or geographic locations. We then let their results do our talking.
A Chartered Accountant, Trent has over 10 years experience working across three different firms spanning the three 'tiers' of the accounting profession; a small boutique firm, a mid-tier firm and the ‘big 4’ firm – Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Since founding Butler & Co Advisory in 2018, Trent has worked with over 50+ Australian professional service businesses. He deeply understands the nuances, growth challenges and stakeholder dynamics that present at every stage of a firm's life cycle.
Trent knows how both prospective clients and professional staff conduct their due diligence and choose a professional service provider in the modern digital world.
He understands that as your business grows and thrives, so will our partnership. So let’s talk, we promise it will be a breath of fresh air.
What is Trent like to work with?
Click on the images below to watch the videos.
LOCATE BUYERS AGENCY
"Their [Trent's] approach with us has been fantastic and I really like that they actually care about their clients. They're actually interested in you getting the best results possible, and that shows up in how they work and how they approach what they do.
They're very strategic. They'll come up with great ideas and great ways in which you can improve on your business."
Shane Hiscock, Founder & Buyers Agent, Locate Buyers Agency
“They listened to our requirements and concerns and formulated a plan tailored to our specific circumstances. We feel they delivered a practical and detailed strategy that suits our needs and reflects our values and we are now working with Butler & Co to implement this.”
Chris Clarke
Partner, Clarke & Brownrigg Chartered Accountants Adelaide
CFO-ONE ADVISORS
“It took us a couple of months to really get clicking, and then around months three or four, we really started to see a huge return on investment which was fantastic.”
Mike Urness, CEO, CFO-One Advisors
“Wow very promising stats actually…Can’t wait to ramp this up next year given the high enquiry to click through rate and high organic search rate (with no SEO!)”
James Livingston
Founder & Partner,
Arc Medical Accountants
PROPERTY FRONTLINE
"What a positive experience it was working with Trent. What I particularly liked was the mix of tools and feedback that helped me connect with clients in a systemised and targeted way, which saved me so much time."
Debra Beck-Mewing, Founder & CEO, Property Frontline
“Working with Butler & Co has been such a positive experience, helping me develop a suitable marketing strategy and generate high quality leads. Butler & Co are very professional and have a very strategic approach with lead generating. We’ve achieved outstanding results and through my experience, I can honestly recommend Butler & Co and the services 100%.”
Maryanne Drosos
Founder & Director,
Blue Diamond Recruitment
B2B LEADS
“Being a lead gen and marketing guy, I thought my sales process was down pat to be honest...
He [Trent] showed me his methods of conducting sales calls and strategy sessions, which turned out to be way more effective."
Ryan Caswell, Founder, B2B Leads
“I'm so grateful for the support and guidance that Butler & Co’s business coaching has provided me thus far. Without them, I’m not sure if I would have continued in business. I'm now excited for the future and for what's next – we’re only just getting started!”
Kristie Oldfield
Founder & Director,
Parabroker.au
ACHIEVE MARKET LEADING STATUS WITHOUT:
The hassle and risk of taking on a business partner or prematurely hiring and managing a full-time marketing, finance or operations person.
Replacing your existing team members.
Throwing away what is already working.
Schedule a call to see if our approach can help take your business to #1 in your market.
ACHIEVE MARKET LEADING STATUS WITHOUT:
The hassle and risk of taking on a business partner or prematurely hiring and managing a full-time marketing, finance or operations person.
Replacing your existing team members.
Throwing away what is already working.
Schedule a call to see if our approach can help take your business to #1 in your market.
COACHING WILL PAY OFF OVER THE LONG TERM - AND WE GUARANTEE RESULTS.
'Win/Win' is a core value here at Butler & Co Advisory, which is why we offer a return on investment guarantee.
Investment presumes that there will be a return. Otherwise, it’s just an expense.
If you qualify – and do the work – we offer a guarantee:
After 17 weeks of coaching, you will agree that coaching has paid for itself - or we will work with you at no charge until that is true.
This drives us to do great work and ensure we're only commencing relationships with those who we're sure will see commercially positive outcomes.
Our latest articles to help you grow your business
If It Feels Uncomfortable, You’re Probably Growing: 5 Signs You’re on the Right Path
1. Why Growth Rarely Feels Good
You know that moment in business when everything feels a bit shaky? Your confidence is off. You're unsure what decision to make. You’re learning something new but questioning whether you’re doing it right. Part of you wonders if you’re falling behind.
That uncomfortable space? It’s not failure.
It’s growth.
Because growth rarely feels calm and controlled in the moment. It often feels like chaos, doubt, and doing things poorly before you do them well.
But that discomfort isn’t the problem. It’s the price.
The real danger isn’t in struggling - it’s in expecting things to feel easy when they shouldn’t. That mindset can keep you stuck, repeating the same patterns, avoiding the changes you need to make.
2. The Myth of “Easy” Growth
Many business owners expect that growth should be smooth. That if you’re on the right track, you’ll feel motivated, clear, and in control the whole way.
But here’s the truth: growth comes with friction. Especially when you're levelling up your leadership, learning new financial skills, or redesigning your systems.
Comfort often means you're doing what you’ve always done. It may feel safe, but it’s usually a sign you're standing still.
“If the owner wants a better business, first the business needs a better owner.”
That transformation doesn’t happen in your comfort zone.
3. The 3 A’s of Growth: Attitude, Activity, and Acumen
When you’re doing hard things in your business, it helps to have a framework to make sense of the discomfort. We use a simple but powerful lens with clients: the 3 A’s.
A. Attitude – Willing to Be Uncomfortable
Growth starts with your mindset.
If you're willing to be uncomfortable, to admit “I don’t know yet” or “this isn’t my strong suit,” then you're on the right path. That willingness is a leadership superpower and one most business owners resist.
This is part of the price to be paid in learning something new: being willing to do it to a ‘less than perfect’ standard, until you can do it well.
B. Activity – Doing the Work (Even When It’s Messy)
Progress doesn’t come from knowing the theory. It comes from doing the reps.
Whether you're building a forecast, running hiring interviews for the first time, or managing a new default diary - you won’t get it perfect. But you’ll get feedback, and feedback is the only path to improvement.
The mistake many business owners make? Waiting for perfect clarity before they act.
But in reality, motion creates clarity.
Structure supports it.
And focused activity - like setting clear 90-day goals or weekly priorities - is what transforms effort into results.
C. Acumen – Developing New Skills Over Time
It’s one thing to do the work. It’s another to improve how you do the work.
That’s acumen - the deepening skill and judgment that comes with time, reflection, and repetition.
Think of it like swimming: many people can splash around in the water and claim to swim freestyle, but Olympic athletes swim with power and precision. They’ve built acumen through learning proper technique and improving over time.
In business, that might mean:
Making sharper financial decisions
Becoming a more strategic delegator
Leading with calm authority instead of reactivity
All of which feel uncomfortable at first - until they don’t.
4. Five Signs You’re on the Right Path (Even if It Feels Hard)
Here are five clear signals you're growing, even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment:
1. You Feel Like a Beginner Again
If you feel clunky, unsure, or “not good at this yet” - good. You’re doing something new. That’s where transformation starts.
2. You’re Asking Better Questions
You’re less focused on defending old ways and more curious about better ones. Growth always starts with better questions.
3. You’re Delegating More (and Feeling the Tension)
Letting go isn’t easy. But it's necessary if you're going to build a business that works without you. Discomfort is part of that process.
4. You’re Focusing on Fewer, Bigger Priorities
You’re no longer chasing every rabbit. You’re committing to 3-5 quarterly goals that actually matter - and saying no to everything that doesn’t align.
5. You’re Becoming the “Chief Reminding Officer”
You’re not just doing the work. You’re reinforcing expectations. Guiding the team. Keeping the drumbeat going. That’s leadership.
5. The Payoff: Growth That Sticks
Here’s what happens when you push through the discomfort:
You develop stronger systems
You build a more capable team
You get a business that runs more predictably - with or without you
Most importantly, you grow as a leader.
Not just smarter or more efficient, but more confident. Clearer. Calmer under pressure.
Because comfort doesn’t come before capability.
It comes after.
Important Note:
While discomfort is often a natural part of growth, it’s also important to know your limits. If your business is experiencing serious financial distress or you’re concerned about your legal obligations, it’s critical to seek advice from a licensed insolvency practitioner or legal expert. Business coaching is not a substitute for professional financial or legal advice.
6. Why Coaching Can Help You Stay the Course
Let’s be honest - doing this alone is tough.
The self-doubt creeps in. Priorities blur. You get pulled back into old patterns or distracted by shiny new projects.
That’s where coaching makes the difference. It gives you:
A proven structure to follow
An outside perspective when you’re too close to see clearly
Weekly accountability to stay focused and follow through
Most owners know what they should be doing. The problem is doing it - consistently, in the right order, without getting lost.
That’s what we do with our clients.
7. Conclusion: The Growth Equation
At the heart of it, here’s the growth formula:
Growth = Attitude + Activity + Acumen, multiplied by your willingness to stay uncomfortable long enough to improve.
So if you’re in the thick of it - and it feels hard - don’t panic.
You’re probably on the right path.
Discomfort is not a signal to stop. It’s often a sign to keep going.
And if you’re ready to push through with clarity and support, coaching might be the next step.
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or insolvency advice. You should seek independent professional advice tailored to your specific situation.
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Schedule a call to see if our approach can help take your business to #1 in your market.
No pie-in-the-sky. No generic ideas.
No hard sell.
Just straight-forward analysis of your approach to marketing and sales, team-building skills, gross and net profitability, and business transfer readiness.