Structure Your Banking: A Scalable Approach for Growing Companies

Scope and depth. A Banking Relationship Audit is a forensic review of every banking product, fee, covenant, and service agreement — typically for companies with $20M–$400M in revenue and complex multi-institution relationships. It involves cataloguing every fee charged over 12 months, benchmarking against anonymized data from our engagement history, and producing a prioritized optimization roadmap. Foundations is a streamlined program that builds banking infrastructure where little or none exists. Think of Foundations as constructing the house; the Audit is renovating one that's been standing for years. If you already have sophisticated banking relationships that need optimization, the Audit is a better fit. If you're building from a basic chequing account and credit line, Foundations gets you to institutional-grade infrastructure in four weeks.

Yes. We've completed Foundations engagements in as few as 21 days when investor timelines demanded it. The Beacon Digital Media engagement — 28 days to investor-ready banking infrastructure — is the benchmark, not the ceiling. Angela Chen coordinates the compressed timeline while parallel workstreams run simultaneously across the team. Call us directly at (778) 546-4467 and we'll assess whether your timeline is feasible. If it's too compressed for quality delivery, we'll tell you that honestly too.

That's the plan. The infrastructure we build is designed to scale. The knowledge we transfer is designed to compound. If your banking complexity eventually requires a full Banking Relationship Audit, a credit facility advisory engagement, or a treasury redesign, we're here for that engagement too — but the Foundations work won't be wasted. It becomes the baseline for every future banking decision. Your account hierarchy scales with you. Your cash flow forecasting model adapts to higher volumes. Your finance lead's training gives them the vocabulary and analytical framework to engage with more complex banking products. About 30% of our Foundations clients return for a second engagement within 18 months — not because the first engagement failed, but because their growth created new complexity worth optimizing.

Probably not yet. Below $2M, banking needs are generally manageable with a competent bookkeeper and a good relationship at your local credit union or bank branch. The economics of a $15,000–$25,000 engagement don't make sense when your banking fees are $3,000 a year and your cash management needs are straightforward. Save our number for when the complexity outpaces your internal capacity — you'll know when that moment arrives. In the meantime, our free downloadable tools, including the Account Analysis Statement Checklist and Covenant Compliance Tracking Spreadsheet, can help you build good habits now.

Not necessarily. The banking partner evaluation is part of the program, but the recommendation might be to stay where you are — with a restructured account hierarchy and renegotiated terms. In roughly half of our Foundations engagements, the existing bank is the right fit, and the work focuses on optimizing the relationship rather than replacing it. If your current bank is a poor fit for your growth trajectory — limited commercial lending appetite, inadequate digital banking tools, merchant processing rates significantly above market — we'll tell you that directly, present the alternatives with data, and manage the transition if you choose to move. The decision is always yours.

Fixed. Scoped in advance. Documented in a letter of engagement before work begins. The range reflects complexity: a single-entity company with straightforward banking needs and one banking relationship will fall near $15,000. A multi-entity structure preparing for a complex funding round with multiple banking relationships to evaluate will trend toward $25,000. We'll quote a specific number during the scoping call — no ambiguity, no surprise invoices, no "additional workstream" add-ons. Standard payment terms are 50% at engagement start, 50% at completion. See our Pricing page for more detail on how we structure all engagement fees.

Thirty days of post-engagement support for implementation questions — included in the fee. Access to our quarterly education workshops for as long as you want them — no charge. Workshop topics rotate through account analysis interpretation, covenant compliance, merchant processing economics, and other subjects relevant to growing companies. If you'd like ongoing advisory support, we offer quarterly retainers starting at $5,000 per quarter through our Covenant Compliance & Monitoring service. Most Foundations clients don't need that immediately, and we'll tell you so. The goal is independence — if we've done our job right, you won't need us again until the problem changes.

Yes. We serve growth-stage companies across both British Columbia and Alberta. For Alberta engagements, Derek Tsang typically leads the on-site work — combining 2–3 day visits with remote advisory. Travel costs are included in the fixed engagement fee; there are no surprise line items for flights or hotels. The banking partner evaluation for Alberta companies includes ATB Financial and Alberta-specific commercial lending appetites alongside the national Schedule I and Schedule II banks. See our Locations page for more detail on our Alberta service model.