From Weekly Cash Losses to ~$10m EBITDA

Sector: Education
Timeframe: 12 to 18 months

The situation

A national vocational education provider had grown fast but without the financial controls to support it. Student acquisition was running at a loss, the workforce couldn’t service demand, and customer sentiment had collapsed. A related higher-education business was bleeding over $3m annually. The owner was facing a business that looked busy but was haemorrhaging cash.

When we engaged, the business was losing approximately $40k per week. The path to profitability wasn’t visible, and the pressure was mounting.

What we walked into

• Financially non-viable, with ~$40k per week in cash losses
• Consumer sentiment at an all-time low (<1.5 Google rating)
• Acquisition economics destroying value (cost to acquire ≈ course price)
• Workforce unable to service the existing student base
• Related higher-education business losing >$3m per year

What we did

• Reviewed and corrected acquisition hygiene so growth created margin, not losses
• Rebuilt financial management to restore visibility, control, and accountability
• Implemented a scalable workforce model to return hours and quality to students
• Applied the same discipline to the higher-education business to arrest ongoing losses

What changed

• Google rating improved from ~1.5 to ~4.5 stars
• Two national awards for customer service achieved
• Student base grew from ~7,000 to ~16,000, becoming the largest provider in the country
• Financial position shifted from weekly cash losses to ~$10m EBITDA
• Higher-education business moved from >$3m annual losses to breakeven within six months

The result

Within 18 months, the business transformed from a loss-making operation into the largest vocational education provider in the country with approximately $10m in EBITDA. Customer sentiment flipped entirely, staff capacity matched demand, and the higher-education business stabilised.

The turnaround required minimal additional owner investment. The value was already in the business. It just needed the right focus.