6 worked Business Coaches & Advisors case studies — the position a client typically comes to us with, what we do, and what it is worth. Each is an illustrative example built on the rules that apply to business coaches & advisors work, not a specific client's file.
Case Study 1 · Backlog brought current
5 Years Filed, $27,000 Removed From The Assessed Balance — Insurance Brokerage, Halifax
Client: An insurance brokerage. Where: Halifax, Nova Scotia. Engagement: 7 weeks, fixed fee.
Years filed5
Assessed balance removed$27,000
CollectionsStopped
Case 1: the situation
An insurance brokerage in Halifax, Nova Scotia had not filed for 5 years. The CRA had issued arbitrary assessments. The business was carrying equipment and asset classes assigned by guesswork rather than the CCA schedule. That came on top of a growing interest balance.
Case 1: what we did
We started with the oldest year and worked forward so each year's closing balances fed the next. We reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances. We filed the years in sequence rather than all at once.
Case 1: the result
Every year is now filed and assessed on actual figures. The notional assessments were vacated and $27,000 of the estimated balance came off, with a payment arrangement covering the rest.
Case Study 2 · Sale and succession
Share Sale Restructured, $320,000 Less Tax On Closing — Marketing Agency, Red Deer
Client: A marketing agency. Where: Red Deer, Alberta. Engagement: 6 weeks, fixed fee.
Tax saved on closing$320,000
PriceAs agreed
Post-closing adjustmentsNone
Case 2: the situation
A marketing agency in Red Deer, Alberta was preparing to sell. Due diligence surfaced no valuation on file to support the price the parties had agreed. That would have reduced the price or killed the deal outright.
Case 2: what we did
We cleaned up the historical file. We aligned the reporting calendar with the sector’s own seasonal cycle rather than a generic year-end. Then we prepared the due-diligence package the buyer's advisers actually asked for.
Case 2: the result
The deal closed at the agreed price. $320,000 of tax was saved against the structure originally proposed, with no post-closing adjustment.
Case Study 3 · Missed incentive claimed
Incentive Review Recovered $76,000 Across 4 Open Years — Two-Partner Engineering Practice, Lethbridge
An incentive review at a two-partner engineering practice in Lethbridge, Alberta started from a simple question: what has never been claimed? The answer ran to 4 years. It was driven by development and improvement work written off as ordinary overhead.
Case 3: what we did
We documented the positions to the standard the CRA applies to this sector specifically. We documented eligibility to the standard a reviewer would apply rather than the standard a claim form requires.
Case 3: the result
The credits produced $76,000 across the open years. The tracking now in place means the following year's claim is documented as the work happens rather than reconstructed afterwards.
Case Study 4 · CRA review defended
$62,000 Reassessment Reduced To Nil On Review — Surveying Practice, Winnipeg
A review notice arrived at a surveying practice in Winnipeg, Manitoba, covering business coaches & advisors accounting and tax for two tax years. The auditor's working position was an adjustment of $62,000. It was driven by a chart of accounts that told the owner nothing about business coaches & advisors margin.
Case 4: what we did
Rather than negotiate, we rebuilt the record. We reviewed every sector-specific deduction against the current rules and claimed the ones that had been missed. We then submitted a point-by-point response that answered each proposed adjustment with the document behind it.
Case 4: the result
The auditor accepted the documented position and closed the review without adjustment, protecting $62,000 and leaving the prior filings undisturbed.
Case Study 5 · Scaling without breaking
Scaled To 65 Staff With $144,000 Of Working Capital Freed — Recruitment Firm, Brampton
A recruitment firm in Brampton, Ontario was growing fast, with headcount reaching 65 in eighteen months. The back office had not kept up. Industry-specific reporting obligations nobody had flagged was the first thing to break.
Case 5: what we did
We rebuilt the chart of accounts around how a business coaches & advisors business actually earns and spends. We built the compliance calendar for the size the business was becoming rather than the size it had been.
Case 5: the result
The business reached 65 staff with no missed remittance and no late filing. $144,000 of working capital was freed in the process.
Case Study 6 · Planning that cut the bill
$70,000 Cut From The Annual Tax Bill — Management Consultancy, Barrie
A management consultancy in Barrie, Ontario was compliant but paying more than it needed to. The prior year had been filed correctly. It still left a previous accountant with no experience of this sector on the table.
Case 6: what we did
We modelled the current position against the alternatives before changing anything. Then we reassigned the asset classes on the CCA schedule and corrected the opening balances.
Case 6: the result
The change saved $70,000 in the first year and repeats annually. Nothing about the filings became more aggressive. The position is simply the one the rules already allowed.
Reviewed by Udit Gupta, Founder and Tax Accountant for the 2025 tax year. These case studies are illustrative worked examples composed from the CRA rules that apply to this type of work, not specific client files; figures are representative and outcomes depend on your own facts.
