When you start a business, it’s easy to be caught up in the fun stuff like the branding, the website and the marketing.

But something that we see time and time again are businesses that were not set up with longevity in mind. A good business accountant is going to be a valuable resource in helping get you on track.
In this episode, Shannon Smit talks about business structure and setting yourself up with the right foundations to ensure a stable ground to encourage business growth, hiring, expansion and compliance.

Produced by ACE Radio

When you start a business, it’s easy to be caught up in the fun stuff like the branding, the website and the marketing.
But something that we see time and time again are businesses that were not set up with longevity in mind. A good business accountant is going to be a valuable resource in helping get you on track. In this episode, Shannon Smit talks about business structure and setting yourself up with the right foundations to ensure a stable ground to encourage business growth, hiring, expansion and compliance.
Produced by ACE Radio

Welcome to The Accountant That Builds, a workshop style business and finance podcast focused on providing actionable advice to empower individuals and business owners to build lives and businesses they really love.

When host Shannon Smit decided to start her own accounting and business advisory firm, she had a vision from the beginning. With a career spanning global firms in New York, Prague, Amsterdam and Melbourne, Shannon chose to forgo a partner position at a Big 4 firm in New York, in favour of setting up a globally minded, local approach firm offering strategic tax, business and financial advisory in her local region, Mornington Peninsula. She wanted to give local business owners access an advisor with extensive global expertise, without having to travel to the city.  17 years on, and she’s got stories to tell about business and wealth building! Are you ready to build your business and your wealth?  

www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au/podcast

Welcome to The Accountant That Builds, a workshop style business and finance podcast focused on providing actionable advice to empower individuals and business owners to build lives and businesses they really love.
When host Shannon Smit decided to start her own accounting and business advisory firm, she had a vision from the beginning. With a career spanning global firms in New York, Prague, Amsterdam and Melbourne, Shannon chose to forgo a partner position at a Big 4 firm in New York, in favour of setting up a globally minded, local approach firm offering strategic tax, business and financial advisory in her local region, Mornington Peninsula. She wanted to give local business owners access an advisor with extensive global expertise, without having to travel to the city.  17 years on, and she’s got stories to tell about business and wealth building! Are you ready to build your business and your wealth?  
<a href="https://www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au/podcast/">www.smartbusinesssolutions.com.au/podcast</a>

The Accountant That Builds

Welcome to The Accountant That Builds, a workshop style business and finance podcast focused on providing actionable advice to empower individuals and business owners to build lives and businesses they really love.

When host Shannon Smit decided to start her own accounting and business advisory firm, she had a vision from the beginning. With a career spanning global firms in New York, Prague, Amsterdam and Melbourne, Shannon chose to forgo a partner position at a Big 4 firm in New York, in favour of setting up a globally minded, local approach firm offering strategic tax, business and financial advisory in her local region, Mornington Peninsula. She wanted to give local business owners access an advisor with extensive global expertise, without having to travel to the city.

17 years on, and she’s got stories to tell about business and wealth building! Are you ready to build your business and your wealth?  

Welcome to The Accountant That Builds, a workshop style business and finance podcast focused on providing actionable advice to empower individuals and business owners to build lives and businesses they really love.
When host Shannon Smit decided to start her own accounting and business advisory firm, she had a vision from the beginning. With a career spanning global firms in New York, Prague, Amsterdam and Melbourne, Shannon chose to forgo a partner position at a Big 4 firm in New York, in favour of setting up a globally minded, local approach firm offering strategic tax, business and financial advisory in her local region, Mornington Peninsula. She wanted to give local business owners access an advisor with extensive global expertise, without having to travel to the city.
17 years on, and she’s got stories to tell about business and wealth building! Are you ready to build your business and your wealth?

Business Structure: Getting it right for stability and growth

In this episode of The Accountant That Builds, Shannon Smit sits down with Olympic champion
turned business leader Grant Hackett to explore what it takes to perform at the highest level and
sustain it over time. From breaking world records in the pool to leading an ASX-listed financial
services company, Grant shares the mindset, discipline and leadership lessons that have shaped
his journey from elite athlete to CEO.
Grant reflects on his transition from sport to business, why he now finds greater fulfilment in
leadership, and how the habits built through elite training became the foundation for his approach
in the corporate world. He also shares a defining career moment where he was given the chance
to prove himself, delivering strong results and setting the foundation for long-term business
growth.
The conversation dives into what separates high performers from the rest, highlighting the
importance of consistency, clear goals, and disciplined routines. Grant also shares a powerful
lesson from the Olympic stage about blind spots and awareness, and how that experience
continues to shape his decision-making in business today.
Grant Hackett will be speaking live at the B.I.T.E. Business Conference at Mornington
Racecourse on 5 August, where he’ll expand on these insights and share practical leadership
strategies for business owners and leaders.

In this episode of The Accountant That Builds, Shannon Smit sits down with Olympic champion turned business leader Grant Hackett to explore what it takes to perform at the highest level and sustain it over time. From breaking world records in the pool to leading an ASX-listed financial services company, Grant shares the mindset, discipline and leadership lessons that have shaped his journey from elite athlete to CEO. Grant reflects on his transition from sport to business, why he now finds greater fulfilment in leadership, and how the habits built through elite training became the foundation for his approach in the corporate world. He also shares a defining career moment where he was given the chance to prove himself, delivering strong results and setting the foundation for long-term business growth. The conversation dives into what separates high performers from the rest, highlighting the importance of consistency, clear goals, and disciplined routines. Grant also shares a powerful lesson from the Olympic stage about blind spots and awareness, and how that experience continues to shape his decision-making in business today. Grant Hackett will be speaking live at the B.I.T.E. Business Conference at Mornington Racecourse on 5 August, where he&rsquo;ll expand on these insights and share practical leadership strategies for business owners and leaders.

From The Pool To The Boardroom with Grant Hackett

For many small business owners, “doing it all” has become the norm - but it’s also the very thing
limiting growth. In this episode of The Accountant That Builds, Shannon Smit reframes AI not as
a complex, technical trend, but as a practical opportunity to take pressure off and reclaim time.
Rather than seeing AI as a content-writing tool, Shannon encourages business owners to think of
it as their first digital team member - one that can handle repetitive tasks, streamline decision-
making, and support day-to-day operations in a meaningful way.
A key shift explored in the conversation is the move from basic AI tools to AI agents. While many
are familiar with asking platforms like ChatGPT to rewrite content, Shannon explains that the real
opportunity lies in systems that can take action - drafting emails, pulling data, triggering
workflows, and supporting processes across marketing, customer service, admin, and sales. This
evolution allows business owners to move beyond small efficiency gains and start removing
entire layers of low-value work, freeing them up to focus on higher-impact activities that actually
drive the business forward. .
What makes this especially powerful is the advantage small businesses have right now. Without
the layers, restrictions, and slower adoption cycles of larger organisations, small businesses are
uniquely positioned to experiment, adapt, and embed AI quickly. Shannon makes it clear that this
moment isn’t about becoming more technical - it’s about becoming more effective. The
businesses that lean in, test, and iterate will be the ones that gain a competitive edge, simply by
moving faster and smarter than the rest.
Importantly, getting started doesn’t require a complete overhaul. The most effective approach is
to start small and stay practical: pick one repetitive task, trial one tool, and build from there. The
goal isn’t automation for the sake of it - it’s about creating real time savings unique to your
business. Ultimately, the biggest transformation comes from a mindset shift: moving away from “I
have to do everything” and towards asking, “What should I stop doing?” Once that shift happens,
AI becomes less about technology and more about creating space to focus on the work that truly
matters.
Shannon will be diving deeper into these ideas in her upcoming keynote at the B.I.T.E Business
Conference on 5 August, 2026 at Mornington Racecourse, where she’ll share practical, step-by-
step ways to integrate AI into everyday business operations. Designed specifically for non-
technical business owners, her session focuses on real-world application—helping attendees
walk away with clear actions they can implement immediately to reduce workload, improve
efficiency, and start wearing fewer hats in their business.

For many small business owners, &ldquo;doing it all&rdquo; has become the norm - but it&rsquo;s also the very thing limiting growth. In this episode of The Accountant That Builds, Shannon Smit reframes AI not as a complex, technical trend, but as a practical opportunity to take pressure off and reclaim time. Rather than seeing AI as a content-writing tool, Shannon encourages business owners to think of it as their first digital team member - one that can handle repetitive tasks, streamline decision- making, and support day-to-day operations in a meaningful way. A key shift explored in the conversation is the move from basic AI tools to AI agents. While many are familiar with asking platforms like ChatGPT to rewrite content, Shannon explains that the real opportunity lies in systems that can take action - drafting emails, pulling data, triggering workflows, and supporting processes across marketing, customer service, admin, and sales. This evolution allows business owners to move beyond small efficiency gains and start removing entire layers of low-value work, freeing them up to focus on higher-impact activities that actually drive the business forward. . What makes this especially powerful is the advantage small businesses have right now. Without the layers, restrictions, and slower adoption cycles of larger organisations, small businesses are uniquely positioned to experiment, adapt, and embed AI quickly. Shannon makes it clear that this moment isn&rsquo;t about becoming more technical - it&rsquo;s about becoming more effective. The businesses that lean in, test, and iterate will be the ones that gain a competitive edge, simply by moving faster and smarter than the rest. Importantly, getting started doesn&rsquo;t require a complete overhaul. The most effective approach is to start small and stay practical: pick one repetitive task, trial one tool, and build from there. The goal isn&rsquo;t automation for the sake of it - it&rsquo;s about creating real time savings unique to your business. Ultimately, the biggest transformation comes from a mindset shift: moving away from &ldquo;I have to do everything&rdquo; and towards asking, &ldquo;What should I stop doing?&rdquo; Once that shift happens, AI becomes less about technology and more about creating space to focus on the work that truly matters. Shannon will be diving deeper into these ideas in her upcoming keynote at the B.I.T.E Business Conference on 5 August, 2026 at Mornington Racecourse, where she&rsquo;ll share practical, step-by- step ways to integrate AI into everyday business operations. Designed specifically for non- technical business owners, her session focuses on real-world application&mdash;helping attendees walk away with clear actions they can implement immediately to reduce workload, improve efficiency, and start wearing fewer hats in their business.

Smart and Practical Hacks to Wear Less Hats in Small Business with Shannon Smit

What does it really take to stop discounting yourself and start charging what you’re truly worth?

In this episode of the The Accountant That Builds Podcast, host Shannon Smit sits down with Andrew Griffiths, Australia’s #1 small business author and one of the most respected voices in business and personal growth. With over four decades of entrepreneurial experience and fourteen bestselling books sold in more than sixty‑five countries, Andrew brings a rare mix of street‑smart insight, lived experience and powerful storytelling.

From his early journey as an orphan navigating survival, to becoming a global authority on future‑proofing businesses, Andrew shares the lessons that have shaped his work, his writing, and his belief that business is always personal. Andrew is also a keynote speaker at the B.I.T.E. Business Conference 2026, where he will take the stage with his powerful message:
“Someone has to be the most expensive – why not make it you?” 

In this conversation, Andrew and Shannon explore why so many small businesses undervalue themselves, how pricing is deeply connected to confidence and identity, and why being the cheapest option is one of the biggest risks in today’s business environment.

This episode is essential listening for business owners who want to rethink their value, reinvent how they position themselves, and reignite sustainable growth. Want to watch on YouTube? Click here: https://youtu.be/FYmVoG0GxM0

What does it really take to stop discounting yourself and start charging what you&rsquo;re truly worth?
In this episode of the The Accountant That Builds Podcast, host&nbsp;Shannon Smit&nbsp;sits down with&nbsp;Andrew Griffiths, Australia&rsquo;s #1 small business author and one of the most respected voices in business and personal growth.&nbsp;With over four decades of entrepreneurial experience and fourteen bestselling books sold in more than sixty‑five countries, Andrew brings a rare mix of street‑smart insight, lived experience and powerful storytelling.
From his early journey as an orphan navigating survival, to becoming a global authority on future‑proofing businesses, Andrew shares the lessons that have shaped his work, his writing, and his belief that business is always personal.&nbsp;Andrew is also a&nbsp;keynote speaker at the B.I.T.E. Business Conference 2026, where he will take the stage with his powerful message: &ldquo;Someone has to be the most expensive &ndash; why not make it you?&rdquo;&nbsp;
In this conversation, Andrew and Shannon explore why so many small businesses undervalue themselves, how pricing is deeply connected to confidence and identity, and why being the cheapest option is one of the biggest risks in today&rsquo;s business environment.
This episode is essential listening for business owners who want to rethink their value, reinvent how they position themselves, and reignite sustainable growth. Want to watch on YouTube? Click here: <a href="https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/Sd0KC71GXMHmzxMvc8fAUoLhAz?domain=youtu.be" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/Sd0KC71GXMHmzxMvc8fAUoLhAz?domain%3Dyoutu.be&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1778115975913000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3CSYHnK44PwAZQoawV38-9">https://youtu.be/FYmVoG0GxM0</a>

Business Structure: Getting it right for stability and growth

In 1 playlist(s)

The Accountant That Builds

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips