Business Owners Who Demand Precision: 10 Services. One Diagnostic-First Approach.
Every engagement starts with questions — 14 to 21 days of them. We map how your business actually moves money before recommending a single change. Here's what happens after we have the answers.
Engineered Solutions for Every Stage of Business Growth
Since 2011, our team of specialists has delivered these 10 service lines to over 300 businesses across British Columbia and Alberta. Each one follows our phased diagnostic methodology — because guessing is expensive. See our transparent pricing before you engage.
Phase 1 — Discovery (Days 1–14)
We perform a minimum 14-day cash flow analysis mapping inflows and outflows by frequency, predictability, and amount. We review your current account structure, earnings credit rate calculation, and sweep arrangement configuration. For businesses with seasonal revenue — construction firms billing on progress milestones, tourism operators with compressed peak seasons — we extend the analysis window to capture a full cycle. This phase typically involves reviewing 6–12 months of bank statements, account analysis reports, and transaction-level data exports from your accounting platform.
Phase 2 — Design (Days 15–21)
We architect a multi-tiered deposit structure — operating chequing, high-interest savings, notice deposits, cashable GIC ladders, zero balance accounts. Automated sweep thresholds are calibrated to your burn rate, accounting for upcoming payroll dates, rent payments, supplier terms, and CRA remittance deadlines. The design document specifies which of our 11 institutional partners offers the optimal combination for each tier, including rate comparisons and fee schedules.
Phase 3 — Implementation (Days 22–45)
We open accounts across the optimal institution(s), configure automations, and set up threshold-based alerts. Your team gets a one-page operating guide with clear instructions for day-to-day cash management. We handle all paperwork, KYC documentation, and signing authority coordination — so your operations aren't disrupted during the transition.
Phase 4 — Review (90-Day)
Impact measurement — incremental interest earned, liquidity visibility improvement, time saved on manual transfers. We compare pre- and post-engagement metrics in a written report and present findings to your leadership team. For our 2024 cohort, the median incremental yield on idle cash was 2.1% — money that was previously sitting in zero-interest chequing.
- Zero balance account management
- Automated sweep configuration
- Cashable GIC laddering
- Earnings credit rate optimization
- Multi-bank deposit strategy
- Seasonal cash buffer structuring
Phase 1 — Audit (Week 1–2)
Line-item interchange audit — every transaction analyzed against Visa and Mastercard interchange tables. We identify misqualifications, downgrade patterns, and opportunities to shift volume to lower-cost rails. For businesses processing more than $500,000 annually in card volume, we typically find 15–30 basis points in recoverable overcharges. We also review your processor's markup structure — interchange-plus versus tiered versus flat-rate — to determine whether your current arrangement is actually competitive.
Phase 2 — Architecture (Week 3)
Gateway selection, EFT batch processing design, wire transfer protocol setup, real-time payment rail evaluation. For multi-location businesses, master/sub-merchant structure configuration. We evaluate Interac e-Transfer for Business, pre-authorized debit arrangements, and virtual card programs — selecting the combination that minimizes total cost per transaction across all payment channels.
Phase 3 — Migration (Week 4–6)
Managed migration to optimized processing stack. PCI DSS compliance framework review — including tokenization strategy, network segmentation, and annual self-assessment questionnaire preparation. Chargeback management protocol implementation with real-time alert configuration. We coordinate directly with your new processor and gateway provider to ensure zero downtime during cutover.
Phase 4 — Monitoring (Ongoing)
Monthly interchange qualification reports showing exactly how each transaction settled. Quarterly rate benchmarking against our portfolio data from 300+ client engagements. If your processor's rates drift above market, we flag it immediately and initiate renegotiation. Our clients see these reports within the first week of each month — no waiting, no surprises.
- Wire transfer optimization
- Interchange qualification analysis
- Payment gateway selection
- PCI DSS compliance
- ACH/EFT batch processing
- Dunning sequence optimization
- Chargeback management protocols
Phase 1 — Diagnosis (Week 1–3)
Cash conversion cycle analysis — days payable outstanding (DPO), days sales outstanding (DSO), inventory days. Benchmarked against Statistics Canada industry medians and our portfolio of 300+ clients across BC and Alberta. We pull data from your accounting system, bank statements, and AR/AP aging reports to build a complete picture of how long every dollar takes to cycle through your business. For construction firms and professional services companies, we also analyze holdback periods and retainage patterns.
Phase 2 — Strategy (Week 4)
Solutions mapped to specific cycle compression opportunities: invoice factoring, supply chain financing, purchase order financing, billing cadence optimization, early-payment discount negotiations, working capital line of credit structuring. Each recommendation includes a projected impact in days and dollars — no vague promises. We model multiple scenarios so you can see exactly what happens at different implementation levels.
Phase 3 — Execution (Week 5–10)
Implement restructured billing cadence, set up supply chain finance arrangements with top suppliers, negotiate or restructure C&I (commercial and industrial) loan terms. For businesses with receivables concentration — where one or two customers represent more than 40% of revenue — we build contingency structures that protect cash flow if a major payer delays. We coordinate directly with your bank's commercial lending team or, when better terms are available elsewhere, manage a competitive process across our institutional partners.
Phase 4 — Measurement (90-Day)
Cash conversion cycle compression measured in days. Line of credit utilization reduction quantified. Annual interest expense savings calculated. We deliver a written impact report with before-and-after metrics. For our 2024 client cohort, median CCC compression was 26 days — translating to an average of $140,000 in freed working capital per engagement.
- Trade finance services
- Purchase order financing
- C&I loan advisory
- Working capital line of credit
- Supply chain financing
- Equipment financing structures
- AR/AP cycle optimization
Phase 1 — Intake (Week 1)
Review funding sources — investor capital, NRC-IRAP grants, SR&ED credits, Innovate BC funding, provincial programs. Map compliance reporting requirements for each source. We've worked with founders receiving funding from over 15 different grant agencies and know the specific documentation standards each one requires. If you're pre-revenue, we also assess your projected burn rate and runway to ensure the account structure supports 12–18 months of operations without manual rebalancing.
Phase 2 — Structure (Week 2–3)
Build segregated account structure with distinct sub-accounts for each fund source. Configure approval workflows, expenditure categorization, and automated reporting aligned to grant agency requirements. For founders managing both investor capital and government grants, we create firewall structures that prevent co-mingling — the single most common compliance failure we see in startups. Each sub-account has its own reporting dashboard so you can show any stakeholder exactly where their money went.
Phase 3 — Deploy (Week 3–4)
Accounts opened, automations configured, team trained. We provide a 60-minute walkthrough for your finance team (or your bookkeeper — we know most seed-stage companies don't have a CFO yet). Payment acceptance infrastructure is set up simultaneously: Stripe, Interac, or EFT, depending on your revenue model. If debt financing is part of the capital structure, we prepare loan application packages with the financial documentation lenders require.
Phase 4 — Ongoing Support
Monthly automated compliance reports generated. Business financial reviews prepared for investor updates and board meetings. Series A/B due diligence support — we've helped 23 portfolio companies through investor due diligence since 2019, and a clean banking structure accelerates the process significantly. Roughly 35% of our active clients came to us at the pre-revenue or seed stage.
- Grant fund segregation (NRC-IRAP, SR&ED, Innovate BC)
- Investor capital management
- Automated compliance reporting
- Loan application packages
- Business financial health scorecards
- Series A/B due diligence support
Phase 1 — Assessment (Week 1–2)
Review of monthly account analysis statements to identify unnecessary charges. Cash positioning analysis across all accounts and institutions. Bank fee benchmarking against our portfolio data from 11 institutional partners. We typically find $8,000–$25,000 in annual fee savings during this phase alone — charges for services you don't use, volume tiers you've outgrown, or earnings credit rates that haven't been updated in years.
Phase 2 — Strategy (Week 3–4)
Cash pooling configuration to consolidate balances and maximize earnings credit offset. Short-term investment policy development aligned to your liquidity requirements and risk tolerance. Lockbox services setup for high-volume receivables. Payroll services optimization — including direct deposit timing, tax remittance automation, and multi-provincial payroll coordination for companies operating in both BC and Alberta. Earnings credit rate calculation review and renegotiation.
Phase 3 — Implementation (Week 5–8)
Treasury management proposals delivered and executed across your banking relationships. Inter-company cash pooling structures deployed for multi-entity businesses. Automated cash positioning dashboards configured — giving you a single-screen view of every dollar across every account, updated daily. We also implement positive pay and payee validation controls to prevent fraud, which is increasingly critical for companies processing high wire transfer volumes.
Phase 4 — Retained Advisory (Ongoing)
Monthly cash positioning calls with your leadership team. Quarterly bank fee reviews with renegotiation triggers if costs drift above benchmarks. Annual treasury strategy refresh aligned to your growth trajectory. Our retained treasury clients have access to our team for ad hoc questions — covenant compliance concerns, acquisition financing scenarios, or sudden cash flow disruptions. See our rates page for retained advisory pricing.
- Lockbox services
- Payroll processing optimization
- Earnings credit rate analysis
- Cash pooling
- Treasury management proposals
- Short-term investment policy
- Positive pay & fraud prevention
Phase 1 — Assessment (Week 1–2)
We audit your current merchant account configuration across all locations and entities. For multi-location businesses — franchise groups, restaurant chains, co-operatives, multi-brand hospitality operators — we map transaction volumes per location, average ticket sizes, card-present versus card-not-present ratios, and chargeback rates. This data reveals whether your current structure is costing you money through fragmented volume that fails to trigger lower rate tiers.
Phase 2 — Architecture (Week 3)
Configuration of master/sub-merchant arrangements that aggregate volume across all locations under a single processing agreement while maintaining location-level settlement, reporting, and reconciliation. We design consolidated dashboards showing cash flow across all merchants in real time. For entities with different ownership structures — common in franchise models — we build compliant hierarchies that satisfy both processor requirements and your operational needs.
Phase 3 — Negotiation & Migration (Week 4–6)
We negotiate processor agreements leveraging aggregate volume across your locations and, where appropriate, across our broader client base. This means a 5-location restaurant group gets pricing that reflects the combined volume — not five separate small-merchant rates. Migration is managed end-to-end: terminal reprogramming, gateway reconfiguration, PCI scope assessment, and staff training at each location.
Phase 4 — Monitoring (Ongoing)
Monthly consolidated reporting with location-level breakdowns. Chargeback management protocol implementation with real-time alerts. Quarterly rate benchmarking to ensure your processor's rates remain competitive as volume grows. For the Granville Market Collective — a co-op with 12 independent vendors — we built a structure that cut processing costs by over $30,000 a year and delivered a single dashboard showing cash flow across all vendors.
- Master/sub-merchant configuration
- Location-level settlement & reporting
- Aggregate volume rate negotiation
- Chargeback management protocols
- Consolidated multi-entity dashboards
- PCI DSS scope assessment per location
Phase 1 — Compliance Audit (Week 1–2)
David Okonkwo — our Risk & Compliance Manager, formerly with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) — leads every compliance engagement. Phase 1 is a comprehensive review of your current regulatory posture: KYC/AML documentation completeness, beneficial ownership reporting accuracy, large cash transaction reporting protocols, and politically exposed person (PEP) screening procedures. We assess compliance against the Bank Act, FINTRAC guidelines, and BCFSA requirements simultaneously.
Phase 2 — Gap Analysis & Remediation Plan (Week 3)
Every gap is documented with a specific remediation action, responsible party, and deadline. We prioritize findings by risk severity — critical items that expose you to regulatory penalties are addressed first. For businesses operating in regulated industries (cannabis, cryptocurrency, money services), we apply enhanced due diligence frameworks that go beyond standard requirements. The remediation plan becomes a living document updated quarterly.
Phase 3 — Implementation (Week 4–6)
We build or update your compliance documentation: beneficial ownership registers, transaction monitoring procedures, suspicious transaction reporting workflows, and employee training materials. For companies that process large volumes of cash or wire transfers, we implement automated monitoring triggers that flag reportable transactions before they become compliance failures. All deposit, payment, and lending arrangements are verified against current Bank Act and FINTRAC requirements.
Phase 4 — Annual Review (Ongoing)
Annual compliance health checks ensure your documentation and procedures keep pace with regulatory changes. FINTRAC updated its guidance three times in 2024 alone — our clients were compliant within weeks of each update, not months. We don't treat compliance as a checkbox. It's the foundation everything else stands on, and it's why banks take our clients seriously when we bring them to the table.
- KYC/AML documentation review
- Beneficial ownership reporting
- FINTRAC compliance alignment
- PEP screening procedures
- Suspicious transaction reporting
- Employee compliance training
- Annual regulatory health checks
Phase 1 — Data Collection (Week 1)
We pull historical cash flow data from your bank statements, accounting platform (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage — we work with all of them), and AR/AP aging reports. Models are built in your existing tools — Excel, Google Sheets — because we don't force software adoption. If your team already knows how to use the tool, they'll actually maintain the model after we hand it off. We also interview department heads to capture known upcoming expenditures that don't yet appear in the data: equipment purchases, lease renewals, hiring plans.
Phase 2 — Model Build (Week 2–3)
We construct a 13-week rolling cash flow forecast with weekly granularity. Each line item is categorized by certainty level — contracted revenue versus pipeline, fixed costs versus variable. The model includes stress testing for 10%, 25%, and 40% revenue contractions, applied both uniformly and to specific customer segments. For businesses with concentrated revenue (common in B2B services and construction), we model the impact of your top 3 customers delaying payment by 15, 30, and 60 days.
Phase 3 — Action Plan Development (Week 3–4)
Each scenario includes a liquidity action plan — specific, sequenced steps if cash drops below defined thresholds. These aren't theoretical: they name the credit facility to draw, the expenses to defer, the receivables to accelerate, and the stakeholders to notify. Business financial reviews and business account statements are analyzed as inputs to calibrate the triggers. The output: a rolling 13-week view updated weekly, so you always know exactly where you stand.
Phase 4 — Handoff & Ongoing Support (Week 4+)
Your team receives a 90-minute training session on maintaining and updating the model. We provide a written update guide and are available for monthly check-in calls during the first quarter. For retained advisory clients, we update the model ourselves as part of the treasury management engagement — so your forecast stays current without adding to your team's workload.
- 13-week rolling cash flow forecasts
- Revenue stress testing (10%, 25%, 40% contractions)
- Customer concentration risk modelling
- Liquidity action plan development
- Scenario-based contingency planning
- Team training & model handoff
Phase 1 — Comprehensive Audit (Week 1–2)
Line-by-line review of every account, fee, rate, and covenant across all your banking relationships. We analyze account analysis statements, loan agreements, merchant processing contracts, and treasury service arrangements. Benchmarked against market data from 11 financial institutions and 142 audits we've completed since 2019. Every charge is categorized as competitive, above-market, or unnecessary — and we quantify the annual cost of each overpayment.
Phase 2 — Benchmarking & Strategy (Week 3)
We compile a detailed benchmarking report showing where your rates and fees sit relative to market. For each above-market item, we identify the specific leverage point: volume growth, competitive offers, relationship depth, or industry comparables from our portfolio. We prepare commercial loan proposals, fee waiver requests, and rate reduction arguments — each backed by data, not just a request. You'll see exactly what "good" looks like for a business of your size and complexity.
Phase 3 — Negotiation or Competitive Process (Week 4–6)
We either renegotiate with your current bank or manage a full competitive process — soliciting proposals from multiple institutions and running a structured evaluation. In 2024, we conducted 87 bank renegotiations with a 91% success rate (79 of 87 engagements achieved improved terms). For the 9% where the incumbent bank wouldn't move, we managed a full transition to a better-fit institution. We handle the entire process: proposal solicitation, term sheet comparison, migration planning, and implementation.
Phase 4 — Impact Report (Week 7–8)
Written impact report quantifying annual savings — lower fees, reduced interest rates, enhanced covenant flexibility, improved earnings credit rates. We also document qualitative improvements: better relationship manager access, upgraded online banking capabilities, or enhanced reporting. The average annual savings across our 2024 audit cohort was 23% of total banking costs. See real client results on our homepage.
- Account analysis statement review
- Fee benchmarking across 11 institutions
- Commercial loan proposal preparation
- Competitive banking process management
- Covenant renegotiation
- Earnings credit rate optimization
- Full-transition migration support
Phase 1 — FX Exposure Analysis (Week 1–2)
We map every cross-border payment your business sends and receives — by currency, amount, frequency, and counterparty country. For most BC businesses, the USD/CAD corridor dominates (78% of our cross-border volume), but we also see significant EUR, GBP, and Asian currency exposure among importers and tech companies. We calculate your total annual FX cost: the spread between the rate you're paying and the mid-market rate, plus all wire fees, intermediary bank charges, and correspondent bank deductions.
Phase 2 — Solution Design (Week 3)
Multi-currency account setup (USD, EUR, GBP, and others based on your needs) to eliminate unnecessary conversions. Forward contract advisory for predictable recurring payments — locking in rates 30, 60, or 90 days ahead to remove volatility. Cross-border payment routing optimization to minimize conversion spreads and intermediary bank fees. For BC importers overpaying on USD transactions, we typically identify 1.0%–1.5% in recoverable costs — which on $5M in annual cross-border volume translates to $50,000–$75,000.
Phase 3 — Implementation (Week 4–6)
Multi-currency accounts opened, FX provider relationships established, payment routing reconfigured. We set up automated payment workflows that route each transaction through the lowest-cost channel — whether that's a direct bank wire, an FX specialist platform, or a multi-currency account draw. Arjun Mehta's 14 years structuring cross-border facilities at DBS Bank in Singapore means we recognize FX routing inefficiencies that a purely domestic lens would miss. One client importing from three Asian countries was paying 1.8% in hidden FX conversion spreads per transaction. We restructured their payment routing — saving $67,000 annually.
Phase 4 — Monitoring & Rate Optimization (Ongoing)
Monthly FX cost reports showing your effective rate versus mid-market for each currency pair. Quarterly review of forward contract strategy as your payment patterns evolve. If your FX provider's spreads widen beyond the agreed threshold, we intervene immediately. For retained clients, we also monitor regulatory changes affecting cross-border payments — sanctions lists, correspondent banking relationship changes, and new payment rail availability.
- Multi-currency account setup (USD, EUR, GBP+)
- FX exposure analysis & cost quantification
- Forward contract advisory
- Cross-border payment routing optimization
- Intermediary bank fee elimination
- Correspondent banking relationship management
- Monthly FX cost reporting
Questions You're Probably Asking Right Now
A bank branch gives you products from its own shelf. We start with a 14-to-21-day diagnostic of how your business actually moves money — inflows, outflows, timing patterns, seasonal variation. No product pitch. No cross-sell agenda.
Then we design a banking architecture that might span one institution or several — whichever combination delivers the best rates, lowest fees, and most appropriate services for your specific operation.
We're not a bank. We're the firm that makes sure your banking infrastructure is engineered correctly. We work with 11 financial institutions across Canada to source the right combination. Learn more about our approach and team.
Our core clients range from pre-revenue startups with $1M–$5M in funding to established companies with up to $50M in annual revenue. We serve businesses across British Columbia and Alberta from our Vancouver office.
The common thread isn't size — it's complexity. Milestone-based funding, seasonal revenue, progress billing, multi-currency needs, high transaction volumes — these are our sweet spot. If your cash flow is straightforward and predictable, a standard bank relationship may be all you need. If it's not, that's where we add value.
We onboard roughly 50 new clients per year. That's deliberate — we'd rather do fewer engagements well than scale volume at the expense of depth.
You might be wondering about cost — so here's exactly how it works.
Banking relationship audits and interchange analyses are fixed-fee — you'll know the cost before we start. Ongoing treasury advisory and payment optimization are retained monthly. We publish our full fee structure on our rates page because we believe pricing should be transparent before you engage, not after.
In many cases, the savings we identify in the first 90 days exceed the annual cost. For our 2024 client cohort, the median first-year ROI on advisory fees was 4.2×. We track and report this for every engagement.
Yes. We do this routinely — it's one of our most requested services.
Banks respond differently when a client arrives with a detailed account analysis review, market-rate benchmarks from 11 institutions, and a clear alternative on the table. It's not adversarial — it's informed.
In 2024, we conducted 87 bank renegotiations with a 91% success rate in securing improved terms — lower rates, reduced fees, or enhanced covenant flexibility. The average annual savings was 23% of total banking costs. Start with a banking relationship audit.
Startups are where we do some of our most impactful work — and where mistakes compound the fastest.
The banking decisions you make in your first 12 months — account structures, fund segregation, payment acceptance, burn rate visibility — determine how much time you spend on compliance, how clean your books look to investors, and how quickly you can close your next round.
Fixing a poorly structured setup after two years costs significantly more than building it right from the start. Roughly 35% of our active clients came to us at the pre-revenue or seed stage. See our Startup Banking & Fund Segregation service for the full methodology.
From Our Research Desk
Original analysis from our advisory team — drawn from real client data, regulatory developments, and our portfolio of 300+ engagements since 2011.
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Read ArticleCash Conversion Cycle Benchmarks for BC Construction: 2025 Data
Original benchmarking data from our portfolio of construction clients vs. Statistics Canada medians. How billing cadence, holdback management, and supply chain financing compress the CCC by 15–30 days — with specific tactics for general contractors and subtrades.
Read ArticleStartup Fund Segregation: The Banking Setup That Saves 100 Hours a Year
A practical guide for founders receiving NRC-IRAP, SR&ED, or Innovate BC funding. The specific account structure — with automated reporting workflows — that eliminates manual tracking and keeps every grant agency satisfied at audit time.
Read ArticleCross-Border Payment Costs: How BC Importers Overpay by 1.2% on Every USD Transaction
Hidden FX conversion spreads, intermediary bank fees, and the real cost difference between wire transfers, FX forwards, and multi-currency accounts. A framework for estimating your annual savings — with real numbers from our client portfolio.
Read ArticleStop Paying for Banking Infrastructure That Wasn't Built for You
We onboard roughly 50 new clients per year. That's deliberate. If your business has complex cash flow, high transaction volumes, or you're just tired of being handed a product catalogue — let's talk. Our diagnostic call is free, takes 30 minutes, and you'll walk away with at least two actionable insights about your current banking setup.
Book Your Free 30-Minute Banking Diagnostic CallOr call us directly: (604) 660-1993