Mid Year Check In - Is Your Business on Track?
The halfway mark is the perfect moment to pause, review, and reset. A calm, honest look at the first six months helps you protect profit, steady cash flow, and focus your team on what matters for the rest of the year. Think of it as a service for your business: check the gauges, make small adjustments, and keep moving confidently.
Start with the scoreboard
Begin with a short, sharp view of the numbers:
- Revenue & gross margin: Are you where you expected to be? If revenue is fine but margin is slipping, look for discount creep, input cost rises, or scope changes.
- Operating expenses: Overheads drift. Compare the year-to-date run-rate with budget and last year. Trim or realign, don’t slash.
- Net profit & cash: Profit is the plan; cash is the reality. Make sure both tell a coherent story.
Cash flow: the next 90 days
Map inflows and outflows month by month. Confirm:
- Debtors: Are invoices out on time? What’s truly collectible in the next 30 days?
- Payroll & super: Lock in dates; remember January/April patterns later in the year.
- Tax/BAS: Put likely payments into the forecast now so they don’t surprise you later.
If there’s a gap, act early - tighten collections, stage purchases, or line up a buffer.
Customers, pipeline, and pricing
Ask three practical questions:
- What’s driving wins and losses? Double down on what’s working; fix or drop what isn’t.
- Is the pipeline real? Age, probability, and timing matter more than headline value.
- Are prices still fit for today’s costs and service levels? Small, well-explained changes can restore margin without hurting relationships.
Capacity and delivery
Match your promise to your resources. If demand is strong but delivery is stretched, adjust lead times, sequence work, or refine scope. If there’s slack, repurpose capacity into service add-ons, customer success, or process improvements that cut cycle time.
Budget vs actuals: learn, then revise
A budget is a living document. Identify the handful of variances that explain most of the gap (positive or negative). Update the forecast so the next six months reflect what you now know - this turns insight into action and avoids wishful thinking.
A 60-day plan
Keep it simple and focused:
- Three priorities (one each for revenue, margin, cash).
- One owner per priority, with a weekly metric.
- Quick reviews to keep decisions moving.
Small, visible wins create momentum; momentum compounds.
Make improvements stick
Document the change (rates, terms, processes) and update your systems and budget so gains don’t evaporate. Add one or two “unit metrics” to your monthly pack - cost per order, margin per job, debtor days - so progress stays in view.
Bottom line: The mid-year review is not a post-mortem, it’s a tune-up. A clear read on performance, a realistic forecast, and a short, focused plan will carry you into the second half with confidence.
To find out more about how we can help you, please contact one of our team at admin@wrightsca.com.au.
**Important notice:** This article provides information rather than financial advice. The content of this article, including any information contained in it, has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the information, taking these matters into account, before you act on any information.
