# Ascend Business Consulting > Brisbane-based consulting for Australian service business owners. Two-person implementation partnership (Jamie Cornes and Judy Sargeant) offering a six-week structured Accountability Program for solo and micro operators who know what to do but aren't doing it, and Strategic Consulting for established service businesses ready to document systems and delegate effectively. Right-sized systems for businesses at their appropriate scale — not enterprise complexity, not DIY chaos. ## About - [About Us](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/about-us): Ascend Business Consulting was founded by Jamie Cornes. Jamie brings 25+ years of operational consulting experience, translating enterprise process improvement methodologies into practical tools for $80K–$3M service businesses. Judy brings 22+ years building and running service businesses across cleaning, transport, and manufacturing. Together they focus on implementation partnerships — working alongside clients, not delivering reports and disappearing. - [Homepage](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au): Overview of Ascend's two service paths — the Accountability Program for owners who need structure and daily accountability, and Strategic Consulting for owners who need to remove themselves as the operational bottleneck. ## Services - [Six-Week Accountability Program](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability): Structured six-week group program with daily 15-minute stand-up sessions (Monday to Friday), weekly 90-minute workshops, weekly 60-minute planning sessions, and personalised weekly phone check-ins with Judy. Designed for Australian service business owners — solo operators and small teams — who know what to do but aren't doing it. Two tracks available: Operator Track (hands-on delivery, personal output) and Manager Track (managing a team but still the bottleneck). Maximum 12 participants per edition delivered online via Zoom. Investment: $959 for six weeks. - [Strategic Consulting](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/consulting): Three-month implementation partnership for established service businesses ready to extract systems from the owner's head, delegate effectively, and build a business that doesn't depend on them for everything. Led by Jamie Cornes. Covers documented systems, weekly financial rhythms, delegation frameworks, and a 24–36 month growth roadmap. Investment: approx. $2,500/month for three months. One to two sessions weekly, virtual or in-person. - [Accountability-Coaching Alternative](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability-coaching): Landing page addressing the gap between business coaching and daily execution. The Accountability Program fills the 30-day interval between coaching sessions — not a coaching replacement, but the daily structure that makes coaching investment pay off. - [Accountability-Isolation](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability-isolation): Landing page addressing the Solo Operator Paradox — the structural isolation that prevents execution. Peer accountability for solo and micro business owners who are exhausted from making every decision alone. - [Execution Gap](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability-execution): Landing page addressing the gap between what service business owners intend to do and what they actually do — not a knowledge problem or discipline problem, but a structural problem solved by daily accountability rhythm. - [Book a Call](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/book-a-call): Free 15-minute consultation to determine whether the Accountability Program, Strategic Consulting, or another path makes sense. ## Key Concepts - Execution Gap: The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Not a knowledge problem — it requires structure, rhythm, and daily accountability. Research on behaviour change shows daily feedback loops are essential; monthly coaching intervals are too long to sustain execution momentum. - Appropriate Scale: Not every business needs to scale to enterprise level. The goal is to identify and operate brilliantly at the right scale — whether that is solo brilliance or a thriving team of ten. - Right-Sized Systems: Business systems designed for solo operators to ten-person teams, not enterprise frameworks scaled down. Systems that fit $80K–$3M service businesses without corporate bloat. - 3×2 Priorities Framework: Ascend's structured weekly planning method — three business priorities and two measures, set on Monday and reviewed every morning in daily stand-ups. - Solo Operator Paradox: The structural condition where working alone means there is no one to answer to, and the urgent always beats the important — every time. Peer accountability is the structural fix, not willpower. - Daily Stand-Ups: Fifteen-minute weekday morning sessions where participants state their priority, report on yesterday's commitment, and commit to today's task. The short feedback loop is what drives behaviour change. ## Blog - [Advice vs Accountability](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/advice-vs-accountability): Why structured daily accountability programs outperform traditional business coaching for execution. When people commit to specific actions in front of peers, completion rates jump from around 25% to over 80%. The structural difference between advice (monthly interval) and accountability (daily interval). - [Breaking Free From Isolation](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/breaking-free): The hidden cost of working alone as a small business owner and how structured peer accountability breaks the cycle. Covers the Solo Operator Paradox, the Ascend Accountability Framework (Intentional Connection, Structured Rhythm, Transparent Progress Tracking, Community-Driven Growth), and research by Locke & Latham on goal commitment and accountability. - [The 15-Minute Weekly Check-in That Fixes Cashflow](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/weekly-financial-check-ins): How a simple weekly financial rhythm gives service business owners cashflow visibility, predictable revenue, and confidence to plan. Research shows firms without a formal accountability rhythm miss revenue forecasts by 30–50% on average. - [Four Principles That Make Profit a Habit](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/four-principles-that-make-profit-a-habit): Applying the Profit First methodology and four behavioural principles to transform business financial management. Treats profit as the first allocation, not the leftover. - [Stop Working in the Dark](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/light-the-dark): How to pick three priorities and two metrics (one leading, one lagging) that actually move the needle. Covers the Ascend Health Check method and the outside-in/inside-out framework for choosing the right three priorities. - [Marketing Funnel That Matters](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/2025/09/19/marketing-funnel): A four-stage funnel framework (Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Conversion) paired with offer architecture (core, complementary, viability) for predictable lead flow in service businesses. - [Choosing Your Customers](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/2021/04/02/choosing-your-customers): Using customer value segmentation and the Pareto Principle to focus on the right customers for growth and profitability. - [Drowning in Popcorn](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/blog/2020/11/29/drowning-in-popcorn): Why small business owners get trapped working in the business instead of on it, and how to start making the shift. ## Target Audience - Primary: Joey avatar — solo or micro service business owner (1–4 staff), overwhelmed and reactive, working in the business rather than on it, struggling with execution, procrastination, and isolation. Located in Queensland and across Australia. - Secondary: Sarah avatar — studio or small-team owner (2–5 staff) transitioning from hands-on operator to team leader. Juggling delivery and management, needs team accountability systems. - Both respond to messaging around accountability, peer support, daily structure, and the execution gap. ## Contact - Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - Email: info@ascend.business - Phone: 07 3185 4480 - Booking: Free 15-minute consultation available — https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/book-a-call ## Optional - [Testimonials — Chris Gent](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability-program): "The program had me working on my business in real time… my daily actions were the course." — Chris Gent, Happy Healthy HQ. - [Testimonials — Joey Drumm](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au/accountability-program): "I no longer fear overwhelm. I now step back, assess the situation, and carry forward." — Joey Drumm, Fetlock Windmills. - [Testimonial — Darryn Liebenberg](https://ascendbusinessconsulting.com.au): "Working with Jamie was easy and relaxed. I was stuck in a routine of work, work, work; now I'm looking forward to implementing my growth plan and reducing my hours." — Darryn Liebenberg, Plumbing Connexion.