Financial planning documents and activity analysis

Born from Real Business Frustration

Back in 2019, I watched my father struggle with traditional budgeting for his manufacturing business. He'd spend weeks creating detailed forecasts that became outdated almost immediately. The numbers looked perfect on paper, but they didn't reflect what was actually happening on the factory floor.

That's when I started researching activity-based budgeting. Not as some academic exercise, but because I needed to help solve a real problem. Turns out, many Australian businesses face the same issue. They're using budgeting methods designed decades ago for completely different operations.

elynoravex started in 2021 as a way to share what I'd learned. We focus on practical application rather than theory. Most of our clients come to us after trying conventional approaches and finding them disconnected from their actual business activities.

How We Actually Work

Activity-based budgeting sounds complicated, but it's really about understanding where your money goes based on what you actually do. Not what you think you do, or what your spreadsheet says you should do.

Activity Mapping

We start by identifying what drives costs in your business. This isn't about broad categories like "marketing" or "operations." It's about specific activities: customer onboarding, quality checks, supplier negotiations. Each activity has different resource requirements and cost patterns.

Resource Allocation

Once we know your activities, we can see where resources actually go. Sometimes the results surprise people. You might discover that administrative tasks consume more time than core production. Or that certain high-volume activities are surprisingly efficient while others drain resources.

Continuous Refinement

Budgets need to adapt as your business changes. We build systems that update based on activity levels rather than calendar quarters. When demand shifts or new processes emerge, your budget framework adjusts accordingly without requiring complete reconstruction.

Who's Behind This

Small team. Years of experience working with Australian businesses from retail to manufacturing. We're not consultants who parachute in with generic advice and leave. We stick around to make sure things actually work.

Background

CPA Australia, 2014
Master of Management Accounting
12 years in cost accounting
Previously with mid-size manufacturers

Saoirse Brennan

Director of Client Services

I spent eight years in traditional accounting roles before discovering activity-based approaches. The difference was striking. Instead of allocating costs based on arbitrary percentages or outdated assumptions, we could trace expenses to actual business activities.

What I enjoy most is working with businesses during growth phases. That's when conventional budgeting really breaks down. Your cost structure changes, new activities emerge, old processes become inefficient. Activity-based budgeting gives you visibility into these shifts as they happen.

Most of my clients operate in sectors like retail, logistics, or light manufacturing. These are businesses where activity levels fluctuate significantly and traditional budgeting methods create more confusion than clarity. We typically work together for 6-12 months, building systems that remain useful long after our engagement ends.

The Australian market has been slow to adopt activity-based methods compared to North America or parts of Europe. But that's changing. More business owners are recognizing that complexity requires better tools. You can't manage a modern operation with budget frameworks designed for simpler times.

What Matters to Us

Honest Assessment

Activity-based budgeting isn't right for every business. If you're a small operation with straightforward processes, traditional methods might serve you better. We'll tell you that upfront rather than overselling our approach.

Real Implementation

Theory means nothing without execution. We focus on building systems you can actually use. That means working within your existing tools and processes rather than forcing wholesale changes that create disruption.

Long-term Thinking

Quick fixes rarely work in financial planning. We're interested in helping you build capability that lasts. Most clients continue using the frameworks we develop together for years after our formal engagement concludes.