Gavin is the founder of The Profit Analyst, a leading financial coaching business that is on a mission to empower business owners through their numbers. An experienced entrepreneur himself, Gavin owns multiple successful businesses.
Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Gavin honed his financial expertise as a CFO for various international brands, having lived and worked in London, Dubai, and Singapore. He is a qualified accountant with a background in one of the world’s top accounting firms, KPMG.
Gavin’s true passion lies in demystifying financials and guiding fellow business owners to success in their businesses.
For more details, visit their website here.
Here we sit down with Gavin, to know a bit more about his journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Gavin: From a young age I loved business. While I spent the first part of my adult life pursuing a finance career, it was always with the focus of what skills could I acquire for when I started my own business.
Q. How did you get started?
Gavin: After a 10-year international finance career, I moved home to the Sunshine Coast for family reasons, and it was at this point that I started my entrepreneurial journey. I started a Pilates studio (no multiple studies) and purchased a bar (now multiple bars), but throughout this small business journey, my passion lay in helping other business owners with their numbers, and this is where The Profit Analyst was born.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge and what did you learn?
Gavin: You need to have the right commercial model to make the business work. I overcame this by being a learner and always talking and sharing with other business owners to find out what has worked (or not) for them.
Q. What is the most memorable thing you’ve done since you started your business?
Gavin: I’m most proud of the fact we have built 3 sustainable and growing businesses (the bars, the studios, and The Profit Analyst). Over a 5 year period we’ve grown into a collective team of about 80 people, and it’s continuing to grow. It’s nice to know that our creation supports this many people with jobs before we even consider the impact our businesses are actually making on the wider community.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Gavin: For business, I really love Scaling Up by Verne Harnish. I think if you could only read one business book this would be it. It’s a great summary of Strategy, Execution, People and Finance.
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Google Sheets – so powerful and versatile.
Loom – I like the personal touch of having your face in the corner while communicating via video.
Xero – so easy to use and a must for any business owner.
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Gavin: I hate that finance and numbers are such a challenging component for most business owners. It’s really unnecessary, as it’s actually quite easy (once you’re shown how), and it is so empowering for business owners when they know their numbers.
My goal is to make a significant impact in this huge area of weakness for business owners, empowering them with their numbers so they can in turn make a greater impact with their businesses.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Gavin: Don’t just ‘know’ your numbers, learn how to ‘use’ them. They are there whether you like it or not, so you may as well embrace them. When you do, you will see that they always show you exactly what your next right move is in your business, what you should focus on, and how you can continue to scale your profitability.
To keep up to date with Gavin and his journey, connect with him on Instagram.