NDIS providers can lose a surprising amount of money without there being one obvious thing going wrong. An unpaid invoice might look like the problem, but the real issue can sit much further back in the business, from service agreements and participant budgets to staffing, systems and the way invoices are coded.

In this episode of the NDIS Provider Growth Journey, Michael speaks with Dion Tobi about the financial problems he sees inside NDIS businesses and how providers can get better at finding the real cause. Dion explains how he works with businesses that have money outstanding, why fixing the invoice alone is often not enough, and how better systems can help stop the same problem happening again.

They also get into some of the expensive mistakes providers can make without realising it. Dion talks about SIL and community access providers overscheduling supports and suddenly finding themselves $30,000 or $40,000 into a participant's budget with little chance of recovering it. They also discuss incorrect invoice coding, delays from plan managers and how seemingly small administrative problems can create much bigger cash flow issues.

The conversation goes beyond unpaid invoices too. Dion explains why businesses should look at where referrals are being lost before spending more money trying to generate new ones, how the true cost of losing a staff member can be much higher than their salary, and why expensive employees doing low-value tasks can quietly eat into profitability.

Michael and Dion also talk about building a business from the other direction. Instead of starting with an idea and hoping the numbers eventually work, Dion explains why he prefers to start with the end goal, work backwards into the income and hours required, and then decide whether the business model actually makes sense.

If you run an NDIS business and want to better understand where money may be leaking out, why invoices are being delayed or rejected, and how to build a business that is financially stronger rather than just busier, this episode is worth listening to.

That was a great podcast.

If you want some one-on-one support, get in touch with me, michael@athletickoala.com.au.

67!

The NDIS and allied health world is changing quickly, and a lot of providers are realising that the way they built their businesses over the last few years may not be the way they need to run them going forward. Pricing changes, reduced travel income and tighter funding are forcing business owners to look much more closely at where their money is coming from, how their team is spending time and whether their business is actually sustainable.

In this episode of the NDIS Provider Growth Journey, Michael speaks with Alyce Svensk about what she is seeing across allied health businesses right now. They talk about why providers can no longer assume referrals will simply keep turning up, why relying almost entirely on NDIS funding creates risk, and why having a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C is becoming increasingly important. Alyce explains that some providers are now having to learn business skills they never really needed before, including marketing, private client acquisition and understanding other funding pathways.

They also get into the difference between simply having a caseload and actually building a strong business. For years, many allied health providers could grow without doing much marketing because demand was already there. That environment is changing. Michael and Alyce talk about why providers need to understand what they are genuinely good at, become known for something and make a conscious decision about the type of clients and work they want rather than taking whatever happens to arrive.

Alyce also talks about the importance of having other leaders around you. Running a business can be isolating, and trying to work everything out yourself can waste an enormous amount of time. She shares what she is building through her business hub, where allied health business owners can learn from each other, keep up with changes affecting their businesses and have a place to talk through the practical problems that come with running a team.

If you run an NDIS or allied health business and you are wondering how to protect your profitability, diversify where your clients come from and build something that can keep working as the sector changes, this episode is worth listening to.

That was a great podcast.

If you want some one-on-one support, get in touch with me, michael@athletickoala.com.au.

The SCHADS Award is one of those things most NDIS providers know they need to get right, but very few people feel completely confident about. The problem is that getting it wrong can cost you in both directions. You can underpay staff without realising it, or you can overpay because you are trying to protect yourself from making a mistake.

In this episode of the NDIS Provider Growth Journey, Michael speaks with Garth Belic from Paycat about where providers are losing money through wages and rostering without even knowing it. They get into sleepovers, minimum shift requirements, broken shift allowances, rest periods between shifts, overtime and what happens when someone gets called in at the last minute and suddenly pushes into a much more expensive pay rate.

Garth also explains why rostering should not just be about filling a shift. Every rostering decision can have a wage consequence, and providers often do not discover that cost until payday. A staff member in their 77th hour of the fortnight, a short shift around a sleepover, or the wrong break between shifts can quickly eat into already small margins. For providers working under price caps, understanding those costs before the roster is finalised can make a big difference.

They also talk about what to do if you discover you have been paying staff incorrectly, why getting employment contracts right from the start matters, and why trying to manage SCHADS calculations manually in spreadsheets becomes risky as a team grows. Garth explains how Paycat approaches the problem by interpreting timesheets against the award and turning them into compliant payslips, as well as how wage costs could increasingly be surfaced while providers are actually building their rosters.

If you employ support workers, manage rostering, or find yourself spending hours trying to work out whether your payroll is actually right, this episode will help make the SCHADS Award a lot less mysterious.

That was a great podcast.

If you want some one-on-one support, get in touch with me, michael@athletickoala.com.au.