The Alternative Board Gordon

The Alternative Board Gordon The Alternative Board™ helps owners and leaders of businesses practice and reach their financial a

Owner isolation and burnout is quietly everywhere. Nobody really talks about it. That was the thread running through our...
24/08/2026

Owner isolation and burnout is quietly everywhere. Nobody really talks about it. That was the thread running through our last TAB meeting.

We say the quiet part out loud. The owners in the room had all felt it at some point. So the value wasn't a pep talk, it was hearing the stuff you don't admit to many people. The nagging question of whether you're actually making money. The realisation that most of it only happens because you're the one doing it. The habit of saying no to outside things until your whole world shrinks to the business.

None of it was "here's how to feel better." It was "yeah, me too, and here's what helped me."

That's the whole idea behind the board, experienced owners who carry the same weight and remind you that you're not the only one holding it all up.
Because running a business shouldn't mean going it alone.

"I'm out of my cave and talking to people again, as opposed to just AI."That's what one of our members said after a rece...
12/08/2026

"I'm out of my cave and talking to people again, as opposed to just AI."

That's what one of our members said after a recent meeting, and it stuck with me. Running a business, it's so easy to end up stuck in your own head. Heads down, not looking up, these days only really talking things through with a screen. What they loved was being back in a room with people who get it: talking business, talking competition, thinking out loud with owners on the same wavelength.

That's the bit AI can't give you. It has its place, but it doesn't replace real conversations with people who've been where you are. When did you last properly talk shop with people who just get it?

15/07/2026

Everyone tells you how to fund a business. Nobody tells you what it's like afterwards.

That was the conversation at our last Alternative Board meeting. And to be clear, nobody around our TAB table was there to tell anyone how to finance their business. That's not what we do.

What we do is share what actually happened to us. The owners in the room had taken on all sorts of finance over the years. So the value wasn't advice, it was hearing the things you don't find in a guide. The option someone hadn't even considered. The knock-on effect that only shows up months after the money lands. The pressure, the repayment reality, the decisions that get harder once you're committed.

None of it was "here's what you should do." It was "here's what caught me out so it doesn't catch you out too."

That's the whole idea behind the board. Not consultants handing down answers, but experienced owners opening you up to things you hadn't thought of, and challenges you might not see coming.

Because running a business shouldn't mean going it alone.

One for the business owners - what's something about business finance that caught you out afterwards, that you wish you'd known going in?

Stop Procrastinating: The Power of LimitsWe've been talking a lot recently about just doing it rather than procrastinati...
29/06/2026

Stop Procrastinating: The Power of Limits

We've been talking a lot recently about just doing it rather than procrastinating. And I've been thinking about why that's so hard for most of us.

The honest answer? We're usually drowning in too many things at once. Here's what I've noticed... if you simply set yourself three things to do in a day, and you'll find a way to finish all three. If you set too many you do a bit of everything and nothing to completion. When we have too much on our plate, we tend to expand the work to fill that space, overthinking, second guessing, adding complexity.

The truth is your brain can only handle so many high level decisions in a day. The ideal number of daily work tasks is three to five. So "just doing it" doesn't mean doing everything. It means being ruthless about what three things actually matter today.

Try it. Write down three priorities tomorrow. ONLY Three.
Then watch what happens. You might be surprised.

If you try it we want to hear all about it! 👇

Here's some feedback we received recently. It's had me thinking about Friday's meeting all week. The conversations were ...
22/06/2026

Here's some feedback we received recently. It's had me thinking about Friday's meeting all week. The conversations were honest, the insights were real, and genuinely inspiring.

A huge thanks to everyone. The willingness to share openly, that's what makes TAB work. I can't wait for next month.

One of our members summed up what happens in the room the other day and it just stuck with me."We're out there wrestling...
06/05/2026

One of our members summed up what happens in the room the other day and it just stuck with me.

"We're out there wrestling with ourselves and our clients, then we come in here, talk about our stuff, and our challenges just spin around."

Because it's exactly what happens and I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone describe it so perfectly. You walk in with something that's been sitting on your chest and you're not even sure how to explain it. But you start talking, people around the table nod, someone shares something similar that happened to them, someone else asks you a question you hadn't thought to ask yourself. And somewhere in that conversation the thing that felt so stuck just... moves.

Nobody fixed it for you. You just finally said it out loud to people who actually get it.

You've got a decision to make and you're not quite sure which way to go, so you research it. Then you second guess the r...
30/04/2026

You've got a decision to make and you're not quite sure which way to go, so you research it. Then you second guess the research. Then you try one approach, it doesn't quite work, so you try another. And before you know it weeks have gone by and you're still not where you need to be. Sound familiar?

Not because they're lazy or disorganised. But because figuring everything out on your own is slow. Really slow.

That's just the reality of running an SME. There are so many moving parts and so many decisions, and most of them you're making without anyone who's actually been there before sitting next to you.

This is the thing nobody talks about when it comes to getting different perspectives in the room. It's about the time you save. When someone around the table has already navigated what you're going through, you don't have to start from scratch. You get the shortcut. The honest version of what worked, what didn't, and what they wish they'd known earlier.

That hour sitting with the right people can save you weeks of going around in circles on your own.That's not just valuable. That's everything.

When you're running a business, you spend a lot of time in your own head. Dealing with the same challenges, seeing thing...
27/04/2026

When you're running a business, you spend a lot of time in your own head. Dealing with the same challenges, seeing things from the same angle, drawing on the same experiences you've always had. After a while that becomes its own kind of limitation, even if you don't realise it's happening.

What changes everything is sitting in a room with people who've been where you haven't been yet. Who've already made the mistake you're about to make, or found the way through the problem you're stuck on. Not consultants, not people selling you something, just other business owners being genuinely honest about what they know and what they've lived.

That's what our TAB boards are. Every person around that table brings a different level of experience, a different industry, a different perspective. And because it's a space where people actually feel comfortable, where there's no judgement and no agenda, people share things they wouldn't say anywhere else. The stuff that's really going on. The decisions they're wrestling with. The things they got wrong.

And when you leave the meeting, you're walking out with information. You've heard something that shifted how you were thinking. Someone asked you a question you hadn't thought to ask yourself. That's the thing you can't replicate on your own, no matter how experienced you are.

There's something quietly powerful about knowing you don't have to figure it all out alone. Interested in coming along? Call me on 0400 165 828 and come along to our next meeting.

- Andrew

Are they actually the right clients for you?It's a question most business owners don't let themselves ask often enough. ...
22/04/2026

Are they actually the right clients for you?

It's a question most business owners don't let themselves ask often enough. You're busy, the work is coming in, and on the surface everything looks fine. But there's this low level drain that's hard to explain. Certain clients take more than they give. The work feels heavy instead of energising. You find yourself dreading the calls you used to look forward to.

That's usually a sign worth paying attention to.

The right clients don't just pay your invoices. They value what you do, they trust your thinking, they make the work feel worth it. And when you're working with people like that, something shifts. You show up differently. You do better work. The energy comes back.

So how do you actually figure out who that is? Start by looking at who you already have. Think about the clients that light you up versus the ones that wear you down, and get really honest about the difference. What do the good ones have in common?

The you shift your focus. What kind of work do you actually want to be doing more of, who needs exactly that and here do those people show up? Critically, are you presenting yourself in a way that attracts them or are you keeping things so broad that you're attracting everyone - and no one at the same time?

Simply remember, You don't have to take every client that comes your way.

Have you ever worked with a client and known pretty early it wasn't the right fit? What did you do?

Address

Turramurra, NSW
2074

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Alternative Board Gordon posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Alternative Board Gordon:

Shortcuts

Share

Category