Director, EQ Property
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Director, EQ Property
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Whereever you're stuck, we can help:
YOU GOT IT.
COMING RIGHT UP.
EASY.
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 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 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.
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
Partner, Clarke & Brownrigg Chartered Accountants Adelaide
Mike Urness, CEO, CFO-One Advisors
Founder & Partner,
Arc Medical Accountants
Debra Beck-Mewing, Founder & CEO, Property Frontline
Founder & Director,
Blue Diamond Recruitment
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
Founder & Director,
Parabroker.au
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.
Running a business isn’t a straight path. Some days feel steady and familiar, while others feel like you’re pushing right up against your limits. The reality is that growth requires discomfort, but not the kind that tips you into overwhelm.
The challenge for every business owner is this: how do you push yourself and your business forward without slipping from healthy growth into damaging panic?
That’s what we call the difference between the Comfort Zone, the Growth Zone, and the Panic Zone. Understanding where you are on this spectrum - and how to stay in the optimal zone - can be the difference between sustainable success and burnout.
Safe. Predictable. But stagnant. It’s where things feel easy but progress slows, often without you realising it.
Stretching without snapping. You’re taking on challenges that expand your skills, team, and business model. It feels energising - sometimes uncomfortable - but you can sense real progress.
This is where growth begins to turn into overload. Anxiety, sleepless nights, and firefighting dominate. Decision-making quality drops, and your team feels the ripple effect.
A prolonged panic state. This is where burnout, financial risk, or even business collapse becomes a real threat.
Visualise it as a spectrum: Comfort → Growth → Panic → Danger. The sweet spot is obvious - but getting (and staying) there consistently takes work.
Many owners drift between extremes:
Too much Comfort – sticking to what’s safe, repeating old patterns, and missing opportunities.
Too much Panic – overloading the plate, saying yes to everything, and running on fumes.
Both situations lead to stalled progress. One is too slow, the other unsustainable.
When you’re in the growth zone:
Challenges feel energising, not exhausting.
You’re learning, leading, and building momentum.
Risks are calculated, not reckless.
Progress compounds - today’s small wins lay the foundation for tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
It’s where businesses find balance: stretching beyond the comfort zone without redlining into panic.
Set Priorities First
Decide what truly matters (your “big rocks”) before letting small tasks fill your week.
Measure, Don’t Guess
Cash flow, capacity, and performance metrics keep you grounded. Panic often comes from uncertainty.
Pace the Journey
Growth is a marathon, not a sprint. Allow time for systems and people to adapt.
Build Buffer and Headroom
Financial reserves and blocked-out “thinking time” give you confidence to make clear decisions, even under pressure.
Common triggers include:
Overhiring without cash flow certainty.
Taking on too many projects at once.
Setting unrealistic deadlines.
Warning signs:
You’re constantly firefighting.
Anxiety outweighs excitement.
You feel like the business is running you, not the other way around.
The fix? Pause. Redesign the plan. Reset expectations. Re-enter the growth zone with clarity.
It’s easy to drift without realising it. I help you:
Spot blind spots before they become costly mistakes.
Stay accountable to a sustainable pace.
Reframe discomfort as progress, not failure.
Sometimes, the reassurance that “this is normal” is exactly what keeps you on track.
Every business owner wants results. But the real breakthroughs don’t happen in the comfort zone - and they certainly don’t come from living in panic. They happen in the growth zone, where challenge and capability are in balance.
Ask yourself:
Am I too comfortable, playing it safe?
Am I close to panic, trying to do too much at once?
Or am I operating in the growth zone, stretching in ways that compound into lasting results?
Growth is meant to feel uncomfortable, but it should never feel unsustainable. With the right priorities, pace, and guidance, it is possible to build a business that grows without burning you out.
If you’re ready to step into the growth zone and stay there, let’s start talking. At Butler & Co, we help service-based business owners reclaim control, grow sustainably, and build businesses that serve their lives - not consume them.
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Just straight-forward analysis of your approach to marketing and sales, team-building skills, gross and net profitability, and business transfer readiness.