Building Businesses, Not Just Slides: Launching Consulting at Hall Chadwick WA
Ash Little | Consultant, Hall Chadwick WA
Ash shares his perspective on what consulting means to him, the experiences that have shaped his career, and what he’s most looking forward to as the Consulting division continues to grow at HCWA.
Consulting means different things to different people. For me, it’s never been about frameworks for the sake of frameworks, or producing glossy decks that sit untouched on a shelf. It’s about people, businesses, and the real-world challenges that come with trying to build something meaningful — often with limited time, capital, or certainty.
I’ve spent more than 20 years as a CEO and business leader, building businesses from the ground up, scaling operations, growing revenue, navigating governance, managing risk, and learning — sometimes the hard way — what actually works. That experience shapes how I approach consulting today. I’m not a career consultant whose only experience is consulting. I’ve lived the decisions, the trade-offs, the sleepless nights, and the responsibility that comes with leading organisations and backing your people.
Why Consulting Still Excites Me
What I enjoy most about consulting is working alongside passionate business owners, boards, and leadership teams — people who care deeply about what they’re building. I love hearing their stories, understanding where they’ve come from, and giving them the space to be heard and genuinely understood.
From there, the real work begins: unpacking opportunities and challenges, pressure-testing ideas, and finding practical, creative, and proactive solutions grounded in reality. My focus is always on giving clients tangible tools they can actually use — not just advice, but clear steps for implementation, growth, and long-term sustainability.
Providing an independent, outside perspective — and helping businesses move from intent to action — is where I take the greatest pride.
A Diverse Range of Work, One Common Thread
Since launching the Consulting practice at Hall Chadwick WA, I’ve had the privilege of working across a wide range of industries, including technology, mining, professional services, NDIS, construction, agriculture, aviation, transport and logistics, farming, marine services, training and development, and marketing and design.
While the sectors differ, the common thread is always the same: people with ambition, ideas, and a desire to build something better.
Highlights and Early Wins
Some of the most rewarding work so far has included:
- Supporting the development of a new marine services business, taking it from concept to reality and helping secure engagement with major contractors to unlock long-term opportunities.
- Assisting an established residential business to transition into the commercial market, unlocking broader growth potential and a more scalable operating model.
- Supporting multiple businesses with grant and funding applications, enabling them to expand, diversify, and strengthen their operations.
- Delivering feasibility studies and acquisition due diligence to support informed investment and growth decisions.
- Assisting with the establishment and development of not-for-profit organisations, including governance frameworks, compliance requirements, strategic planning, and access to funding.
- Developing strategic plans for newly acquired businesses, refreshing vision and objectives with a strong focus on sustainability and long-term value creation.
- Facilitating and delivering an Indigenous Business Masterclass series, designed to strengthen foundational management and financial capability for Aboriginal businesses across Western Australia.
Together, these projects showcase the breadth of capability within the Consulting practice — but more importantly, they reflect our commitment to practical outcomes, not theoretical advice.
Looking Ahead
Over the coming months, the Consulting division is focused on deepening engagement with the existing Hall Chadwick WA client base — sharing our experience, skills, and insights, and offering a truly integrated, firm-wide solution that goes beyond traditional accounting services.
We’re also excited to continue enhancing our Grants Hub, providing clients with more timely and up-to-date visibility of funding opportunities across multiple sectors, and expanding our hands-on support for grant and funding applications from start to finish.
At its core, consulting at Hall Chadwick WA is about helping businesses grow with clarity, confidence, and capability. It’s about partnering with people who are building something real — and helping them turn opportunity into outcomes.
And yes, sometimes it even involves a whiteboard, a strong coffee, and a good laugh along the way.
