Know exactly
what to fix — and
in what order.
A 2–3 week, fixed-fee operational diagnostic that tells you where your business is leaking time and money, what the root causes are, and the exact sequence to fix them.
timeline
upfront
to continue
experience
What you receive
- Written operational diagnostic report (your business in plain English)
- Prioritised findings — what's hurting most and why
- 12-month operations roadmap with sequenced actions
- Quick wins you can action immediately (before we do anything else)
- Readout session with principals — no junior staff summaries
- Option to continue with Stage 2 (no obligation required)
An honest look at how your business actually operates — not how you think it does.
Most Perth SMEs that come to us know something is wrong. They're working harder than they should, margins aren't holding, or one person (usually the owner) is the bottleneck for everything. But they can't see clearly where the problem actually starts.
Stage 1 Diagnose is how we see it together. We spend 2–3 weeks inside your operations — talking to your team, mapping your processes, reviewing your numbers — and then we hand you a written report that tells you exactly what's happening, why, and what to do about it in sequence.
You can implement the roadmap yourself, or continue with us in Stage 2. Either way, you walk away with something tangible and specific to your business.
This is not a templated audit. Every diagnostic is built from scratch for that business. We've done this across trades, construction, civil, professional services, and retail — the output reflects the reality of your operation, not a generic framework.
Operational Diagnostic Report
A written, plain-English document covering what we found, what it means, and how critical each issue is to your bottom line.
Prioritised Issue List
Issues ranked by business impact — not by what's easiest to fix. You know exactly where to focus first.
12-Month Operations Roadmap
A sequenced action plan — what to tackle in months 1–3, 3–6, and 6–12, with expected outcomes for each.
Quick Wins List
Actions you can take in the first week — before any major change is made — that will recover time and margin immediately.
Principal Readout Session
A 90-minute session with the ACS principals to walk through findings, answer questions, and discuss next steps. No junior handoff.
How Stage 1 Diagnose works
Three phases, 2–3 weeks, fixed-fee. Here’s what happens from the moment you say yes.
Intake & Discovery
We meet with you and your key people. We map your current processes, review your financial and operational data, and get a clear picture of how the business actually runs — not how it's supposed to run.
- 2–3 structured interviews with owner and team leads
- Process mapping across key operational areas
- Financial and data review (P&L, job costing, scheduling)
- Physical or remote site observation as needed
Analysis & Synthesis
We build the picture. We identify root causes (not symptoms), quantify the business impact of each issue, and draft the prioritised diagnostic and roadmap.
- Root cause analysis for each identified issue
- Business impact quantified in time and dollars
- Benchmarking against WA SME peers where relevant
- Sequenced roadmap drafted and reviewed internally
Readout & Handover
You receive the written report. We walk you through it in a 90-minute readout session. You ask questions, we give straight answers. Then the report and roadmap are yours to act on — with or without us.
- Written diagnostic report delivered ahead of session
- 90-minute readout with ACS principals
- Q&A — no question is too basic
- Clear next steps discussed (Stage 2 optional, no obligation)
Built for Perth's owner-led businesses that have outgrown the way they currently operate.
If any of these describe where you are right now, Stage 1 Diagnose is the most useful thing you can do before committing to any major change.
- You're the bottleneck. Every major decision, problem, or client issue routes through you. You can't take a week off without the business stalling.
- Revenue is growing but margin isn't. Turnover looks good on paper but the owner's wage isn't reflecting the effort being put in.
- You're about to scale or hire. And you suspect you'd just be scaling the problems that already exist.
- You've been burned by vague advice before. You want something written, specific, and yours — not a generic presentation deck.
- Your quoting, scheduling, or cash flow is inconsistent. Good months and bad months with no clear reason why.
This is probably not for you if…
- You're pre-revenue or in the first year of trading
- You want a quick fix without wanting to understand the root cause
- You're looking for marketing or sales strategy (we can refer you)
We went from quoting every job by gut feel to having a proper system in eight weeks. The diagnostic showed us we were underpricing by an average of 14%.Perth Electrical Contractor · $4.2M Revenue
Fixed-fee. Agreed before we start. No surprises.
Stage 1 Diagnose is priced as a standalone, fixed-fee engagement. You know exactly what you'll pay before we do a single hour of work. No time-and-materials billing, no scope creep invoices.
- Fee agreed and invoiced before engagement commences
- 50% on agreement, 50% on report delivery
- All principal time, travel (metro), and report production included
- No obligation to continue with Stage 2 at conclusion
- If we find the engagement is outside scope during intake, we'll tell you before we proceed
Pricing varies by business size and complexity. Contact us for an accurate quote — we'll confirm the fee after a 15-minute scoping call.
Get a fee quoteStage 1 Diagnose
- Written operational diagnostic report
- Prioritised issue list with impact quantified
- 12-month sequenced operations roadmap
- Quick wins you can implement this week
- 90-minute principal readout & Q&A session
- Completed in 2–3 weeks from start date
If the report doesn't give you a materially clearer picture of your operations than you had before we started, we'll discuss what we missed and what we can do about it. We stand behind our work.
What Stage 1 Diagnose typically reveals
Ready to see your business clearly?
Start with a 30-minute fit call. We'll confirm Stage 1 Diagnose is the right engagement for where you are, agree a scope and fee, and get on the calendar.
If it's not the right fit, we'll tell you straight and point you somewhere better. Either way, 30 minutes of your time.
Reply within one business day. A real reply from a principal — not an automated sequence or a junior coordinator.