Direction

What Direction does

Direction Business Services Pty Ltd is a privately held, founder-owned Australian accounting and business coaching firm headquartered in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, with a secondary office in Newcastle. Founded by David Ross, a Chartered Accountant and Business Coach with a claimed 20+ year track record working with 1,200+ businesses, the firm serves SMB clients across the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions of NSW, as well as other parts of Eastern Australia, in industries including Trades, Retail, Hospitality, and Health. The offering is organized around four pillars — 'Your Numbers' (bookkeeping and cloud accounting), 'Your Tax' (tax returns and planning), 'Your Business' (business coaching), and 'Your Life' (life and wealth coaching) — supplemented by three lifecycle-stage programs (Go Getters, Grow Getters, Time to Go Getters), a published book ('Awesome Business Awesome Life'), and a podcast ('Every Business Needs a Hero').

The underlying technology stack is built on certified partnerships with major cloud accounting platforms (Xero as primary, with QuickBooks and MYOB also supported), Receipt Bank/Dext for automated receipt capture, and industry-specific add-ons such as Build X-Act and Servicem8 for trades clients. The firm is affiliated with Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand (CA ANZ). Its competitive_advantages rest on a proprietary 5-step methodology, founder-led personal brand ('The SuperCoach'), and long-tenured client relationships of 18-20+ years.

The business model is professional services fee-based, with revenue generated from accounting and tax compliance, premium business coaching engagements, cloud advisory services, and ancillary one-time book sales. Go-to-market is consultative and direct: free downloadable business reports serve as lead magnets, Calendly powers self-serve appointment booking, and outreach blends in-person regional office meetings, onsite client visits across Eastern Australia, and virtual consultations. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no institutional investors, and a 1-10 employee headcount band.

Name

Direction

Legal name

Direction Business Services Pty Ltd

Website

https://direction.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Direction is a founder-owned Australian accounting and business coaching firm based in Port Macquarie, NSW, serving SMB clients across Eastern Australia with integrated bookkeeping, tax, business coaching, and wealth advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting & Business Advisory Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Succession & Exit Planning (Owner Exit Readiness) (FSAEAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate Planning & Trust Structuring Advisory (FSAEAKAC), Sell-Side M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAA)

Keywords

• Accounting services
• Tax planning advisory
• Business coaching services
• Cloud bookkeeping
• Exit planning advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Macquarie

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Accounting & Tax Services: Core accounting services including tax returns (business and individual), tax planning, bookkeeping, and financial reporting. Revenue generated through professional service fees for compliance and advisory work.
2. Business Coaching: Business development and coaching services targeting small business owners at various lifecycle stages. Positioned as a premium service beyond basic accounting, helping clients achieve profit, cashflow, and exit planning goals.
3. Book Sales: Sale of the 'Awesome Business Awesome Life' book at $34.95 per copy, plus postage. Bulk orders available for teams (5+ copies) at discounted rates.
4. Cloud Advisory Services: Xero certification and cloud integration support services, including setup, training, and ongoing support for cloud accounting systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Direction provides integrated accounting, tax, business coaching, and life/wealth advisory services to small business owners in regional New South Wales, Australia. The firm delivers these through four service pillars (Your Numbers, Your Tax, Your Business, Your Life) supported by three lifecycle-stage coaching programs (Go Getters, Grow Getters, Time to Go Getters) and industry-specific advisory for trades, retail, hospitality, and health professionals. It also sells a published business book and operates a business podcast as supporting content.

Product overview

Direction is an accounting and business coaching firm offering a suite of integrated services centered on four core pillars: Your Numbers (bookkeeping and cloud accounting), Your Tax (tax returns and planning), Your Business (business coaching), and Your Life (personal financial and life coaching). The firm operates primarily as a Xero-certified advisor and integrates with cloud accounting platforms including Xero, QuickBooks, and Receipt Bank, as well as industry-specific tools such as Build X-Act and Servicem8 for trades clients. Direction supplements its core services with structured coaching programs — Go Getters (startup), Grow Getters (growth stage), and Time to Go Getters (exit planning) — a published book ('Awesome Business Awesome Life'), a business podcast ('Every Business Needs a Hero'), and industry-specific advisory for Trades, Retail, Hospitality, and Health sectors. The offering functions as a unified financial advisory service rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Go Getters: Business lifecycle stage program for new and starting businesses; provides mentorship and guidance through the crucial first 12 months of operation
• Grow Getters
• Time to Go Getters

Products and services

• Your Numbers (Bookkeeping & Cloud Accounting)
• Your Tax (Tax Returns & Tax Planning) Business and individual tax return preparation, annual tax planning reviews, and application of tax-effective strategies to minimize tax prior to year-end, backed by 25+ years of tax experience.
• Your Business (Business Coaching) Business coaching service focused on increasing profit and cashflow, accountability for business plans, and support for major business decisions including starting, growing, and exiting a business, targeted at small business owners.
• Your Life (Life & Wealth Coaching) Coaching service focused on personal financial goals and life outcomes, including retirement planning, asset protection, family financial security, and achieving the original objectives for going into business, targeted at business owners.
• Go Getters Program Structured business development program for new or early-stage business owners, providing a Go-Getter mentor, help establishing the right business structure, and creation of actionable business plans to survive the first 12 months of operation.
• Grow Getters Program Business coaching program for established businesses experiencing growth challenges such as increased costs, staff issues, cashflow needs, or the need to achieve the next level of sales growth, providing outside guidance for continued success.
• Time to Go Getters Program Exit planning and business sale preparation program for business owners looking to sell or retire, addressing the 'Magic Number' concept, business value evaluation, and bridging value gaps before exit, including wealth management, investment, capital gains tax, and succession matters.
• Awesome Business Awesome Life (Book) Amazon #1 Bestseller paperback book authored by David Ross, providing a 5-step structured approach to achieving business and personal financial goals, priced at $34.95 plus postage, with bulk discounts available for team purchases.
• Industry-Specific Advisory (Trades, Retail, Hospitality, Health) Specialized accounting and business coaching advisory services tailored to specific industries: Trades (bookkeeping, cloud tools, tax planning, job profitability), Retail (POS systems, inventory, margins, customer growth), Hospitality (margin monitoring, occupancy, rostering, data dashboards), and Health (practice efficiency, cashflow, wealth planning, business structuring).

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients achieve 30%+ growth in business value through applying the structured business principles
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationXero is a primary accounting software partner. Direction is a Certified Xero Cloud Integration partner providing setup, training, and ongoing support for Xero to small business clients. They offer Xero Training workshops and cloud advisory services.
• QuickBookscoreTechnology or IntegrationQuickBooks Online is a core accounting software partner alongside Xero, providing cloud accounting solutions for clients.
• MYOBcoreTechnology or IntegrationMYOB is a supported cloud accounting platform providing another option for small business clients seeking cloud accounting solutions.
• Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand (CA ANZ)coreTechnology or IntegrationDirection is affiliated with Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand, providing credibility and professional standards alignment for their accounting services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pilot Partners: Mid-tier Australian chartered accounting firm offering business advisory, tax and growth consulting to private businesses; broader portfolio but overlapping SMB advisory and exit-planning services.
• BDO Australia: Large national accounting and advisory network offering business advisory, tax and transaction services across Australia; broader incumbent alternative to Direction's SMB-focused exit and growth advisory.

Direct peers

• BlueRock: Australian accounting and advisory firm combining compliance tax, business coaching and advisory services for SMB owners and founders; overlaps with Direction's full-service advisory positioning.
• Succession Plus: Specialist Australian exit planning, succession and business sale advisory firm; directly comparable to Direction's 'Time to Go Getters' program covering Magic Number, CGT planning and business sale preparation.
• Botany Accounting & Business Advisors: Small-to-mid Australian chartered accounting firm combining tax, bookkeeping and business advisory for local SMBs; comparable in service mix and SMB client focus to Direction.
• Smithink: Australian accounting and advisory firm that layers business coaching, advisory and growth services on top of compliance work for SMB clients - a near-direct analogue to Direction's Your Numbers / Your Business / Your Life model.

Others

• BOQ Specialist (Business Bank): Australian specialist bank serving professionals and SMBs (doctors, dentists, allied health) with finance and wealth solutions - adjacent to Direction's health professionals vertical where Direction provides accounting and exit planning.

Emerging players

• The Win+Win Project: Australian business coaching and advisory community for accountants advising SMBs; comparable as a peer because it competes for the same SMB owner audience that Direction targets with its coaching programs.
• Accounted / Grow My Accounting Firm (The Profitable Firm): Australian coaching, consulting and content business specifically helping accounting firms add advisory and coaching services - competes indirectly for the same SMB clients Direction serves, and could also serve Direction itself as a vendor.

Regional players

• Asia Business Consulting Group: Asia-Pacific business sale, M&A advisory and exit planning firm; comparable to Direction's Time to Go Getters exit advisory service but focused on Asian-headquartered businesses looking to transact in the region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DirectionAccounting
• Facebookfacebook.com/DirectionAccountingBusinessCoaching
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/direction-accounting---port-macquarie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Direction