4 minute read

Running more than one business without the mess

How to keep separate businesses separate while still seeing the whole picture.

Plenty of owners run more than one business: a consulting firm and a training company, or a trades business and a property side line. The trouble starts when records, numbers and teams blur together.

Keep the records separate

Each business is its own entity with its own clients, invoices and obligations. Keep them in separate books so reporting, tax and any future sale stay clean.

Separate numbering and details on every invoice

Each business should issue invoices under its own name, ABN and numbering. Mixing them confuses clients and accountants alike.

GST is per business

GST registration belongs to each entity. One business may be registered and another may not, so the invoices from each need to match.

Give each team the right access

Staff in one business usually should not see the other's clients or finances. People who work across both, such as an owner or a shared administrator, need access to each.

But see the whole picture

As an owner you still need one view: what is owed across everything, what is booked this week, and where the pipeline stands.

How CAQA Ops helps

Each company in CAQA Ops has its own clients, numbering, GST setting, branding and team, and records stay visible only to that company's people. Owners switch between companies in a click, or choose All companies for one dashboard across the group.