Visit our dedicated small business restructuring site for small business owners facing financial distress.
Sydney CBD - Advisor Services
A registered practitioner your clients can see in the city.
For Sydney accountants, bookkeepers, lawyers and advisers, TTJ Advisory gives your clients direct access to a registered liquidator, bankruptcy trustee and SBR practitioner. We assess the position, explain the options and keep you involved.
Castlereagh Street, Sydney CBD · Registered liquidator, SBRP and bankruptcy trustee · Direct access to the practitioner · Your client relationship stays yours
In the CBD, close to your practice
When a client is under pressure, a practitioner nearby makes it easier to get everyone in one room.
In the Sydney CBD. Our office at 160 Castlereagh Street is available for meetings with you, your client, or both.
Meetings that work for everyone. In person, by phone or by video, with appointments outside business hours by arrangement.
Specialist input alongside your advice. We assess personal and company debt, explain the available pathways and keep you in the loop as the trusted adviser.
You can speak with us confidentially before making an introduction, or set up a joint meeting with your client.
When to seek help
When an early call makes a difference
Timing changes what's still available to a client. These are the points where an early conversation usually helps:
The client has renegotiated an ATO payment plan more than once
A Director Penalty Notice has arrived, or a personal guarantee is in play
A statutory demand or winding-up application has been served
Lodgements are falling behind, which narrows the options left
You suspect the company is trading while insolvent
The client's personal and company positions have started to overlap
You want a professional view before recommending anything
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WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH:
Thyge Trafford-Jones
Thyge is an ASIC Registered Liquidator (No. 458321), Registered Small Business Restructuring Practitioner and AFSA Registered Bankruptcy Trustee (No. 1582).
He is a member of the Australian Reconstruction, Insolvency & Turnaround Association and CPA Australia. He is also a Justice of the Peace.
Thyge handles the assessment himself. You won't be passed to a case manager, and you'll get a straight answer about what is and isn't available.
WHO ELSE YOU WILL WORK WITH:
Melissa Daubney
Client Liaison
Melissa brings a rare blend of business acumen and compassion to her role at TTJ Advisory.
With a background in sales and marketing, and firsthand experience running her own small business, Melissa is known for going above and beyond to support individuals and small business owners through challenging times, ensuring they feel heard, understood, and in control of the path forward.
When she’s not supporting clients, Melissa is a proud mum of four boys and a master of juggling family life with work. Her secret weapons? Coffee, spreadsheets, and a great sense of humour.
Working alongside your practice
You hold the client relationship and the history. We add the insolvency assessment and, where appointed, run the process.
What your client can expect
A plain conversation about where the company stands, what's still available and what each option would involve. Thyge will say when a restructure isn't realistic, rather than start a process that can't work.
Where a matter needs a different practitioner, you'll both be told at the start.
One practitioner across personal and company debt
You shouldn't have to work out whether a client's problem is personal, corporate or both before you refer them. When a director has guaranteed company debts, or company money and personal finances have mixed, the lines are hard to draw.
Thyge holds all three registrations: Registered Liquidator, Registered Bankruptcy Trustee and Small Business Restructuring Practitioner. From the first conversation, he can map where each liability sits, outline the processes that may apply, and flag issues that are easy to miss when only one side is looked at.
If a separate independent practitioner is needed for part of the matter, Thyge will say so early. Your client gets a clear next step, and you stay involved.
CASE STUDIES
Building contractor facing personal exposure
The notice arrived. The clock had already started.
Challenges
Fixed-price work, higher costs and delayed progress payments pushed a busy contractor behind with ATO and super obligations. A Director Penalty Notice brought the director's personal position into the matter.
Assets
Work in progress, contract receivables, vehicles, tools and equipment.
Debts
ATO and super liabilities, suppliers and finance commitments, with possible personal exposure for the director.
Proposal
The director's commercial lawyer brought Thyge in urgently for the insolvency assessment while retaining the legal matter. The company's position, the notice and the director's exposure would be reviewed separately, with timing treated as critical.
Outcome
No outcome is assumed. What remains available depends on the notice, lodgement history, timing and the underlying viability of the business.
Services Rendered
PRIMARY: Small Business Restrucuring
SECONDARY: Directors Penalty Notice Amendment, Statutory Trustee, Bankruptcy Advice
Retail or lifestyle business
Stock was on the shelves. Cash was not.
Challenges
A local retailer overbought stock before demand slowed. Cash became tied up in inventory while rent, suppliers and tax obligations continued to fall due.
Assets
Saleable stock, online store, customer relationships, fixtures and equipment.
Debts
ATO liabilities, suppliers and lease commitments.
Proposal
The bookkeeper saw aged payables and tax liabilities worsening and suggested an early conversation. Thyge would assess whether a profitable core remained, what value could be recovered from stock and whether the cost base could realistically be reset.
Outcome
No restructuring outcome is promised. Early review helps determine whether the business can be stabilised or whether an orderly exit would preserve more value.
Services Rendered
Professional services firm
A major client left. The tax debt stayed.
Challenges
An established consultancy relied heavily on one client. When the contract ended, receivables slowed but staff, software and occupancy costs continued. BAS and PAYG liabilities accumulated before the cost base could be reset.
Assets
Debtors, work in progress, client relationships, business IP and equipment.
Debts
Legacy ATO debt, employee entitlements and ordinary trade creditors.
Proposal
The firm's accountant made an early introduction. Thyge would first test whether the business remained viable at a lower cost base, then compare the available informal and formal pathways against a revised forecast.
Outcome
No outcome is assumed. The point is to assess the position while the client book, staff and underlying business may still hold value.
Services Rendered
Hotel and pub
Paid 18c in the dollar
Challenges
COVID-19 lockdowns, a 70% drop in monthly sales and high fixed and operating costs.
Assets
Debts
$280,000 unsecured, including $200,000 owed to the ATO
Proposal
A payment plan arranged with the ATO and other creditors to repay $40,000 over ten months.
Outcome
Creditors accepted the proposal. Unsecured creditors received their scheduled payments. The business avoided liquidation and the cost of voluntary administration, enabling future profitability and stability.
Services Rendered
Restaurant group
Paid 22c in the dollar
Challenges
COVID-19 lockdowns, a significant drop in customer foot traffic and increased supply costs.
Assets
Debts
$240,000 unsecured, including $180,000 owed to the ATO
Proposal
$52,800 to unsecured creditors, paid over eight months, supported by a cashflow forecast prepared for the repayment plan.
Outcome
Creditors accepted the proposal. Employees received their full superannuation and kept their jobs. Unsecured creditors received their scheduled payments. The business avoided liquidation and the cost of voluntary administration, allowing for future growth and stability.
Services Rendered
Custom cabinetry business
Paid 20c in the dollar
Challenges
Supply chain issues, higher material costs, fixed expenses and the impact of COVID-19.
Assets
Debts
$150,000 unsecured, including $125,000 owed to the ATO
Proposal
$30,000 lump sum for unsecured creditors, presented as a better return than liquidation.
Outcome
Creditors accepted the proposal. The business continued trading without significant debt and avoided voluntary administration.
Services Rendered
Construction business
Paid 15c in the dollar
Challenges
COVID-19 restrictions, supply chain disruption, increased material costs and project delays.
Assets
Cash at bank, vehicles and equipment
Debts
$300,000 unsecured, including $240,000 owed to the ATO
Proposal
$45,000 to creditors as a lump sum, supported by a detailed cashflow forecast and a private investor.
Outcome
Creditors accepted the proposal. Unsecured creditors received their dividend. The business avoided liquidation and the cost of voluntary administration, and continued trading.
Services Rendered
Get to know Thyge before you need him. You don't need a matter on your desk to start. A short introduction now means you know who to call when one arrives.
What happens when you refer a client
A confidential call. No client name needed to start.
An assessment of the position, and a plain answer on what is realistically available.
An agreed approach, including how the client is contacted and what you're told.
Viability comes before every other question.
Whether the business can trade profitably once the legacy debt is dealt with decides which pathways are worth considering. It's the first thing Thyge will look at.
Eligibility, timing and outcomes depend on the facts of each matter. Nothing on this page is advice about your client's situation, and no pathway described here is available to every individual or business.
FAQ
The questions Sydney accountants, bookkeepers and lawyers ask us most often.
Do you work with advisers outside the CBD?
Yes. We work with accountants, bookkeepers, lawyers and advisers across Sydney, and can meet by phone or video wherever your practice is.
Can my client and I meet you in the city?
Yes. Our office at 160 Castlereagh Street is available by appointment for meetings with you, your client, or both. Phone and video are also available.
Does every referral lead to bankruptcy or liquidation?
No. We assess the circumstances and explain the options that may be suitable. A formal appointment is only one possible next step.
Will I stay involved?
We agree on your involvement with your client, including updates, information requests and ongoing responsibilities.
Do you help with personal debts as well as company debts?
Yes. We assess both, including matters where personal and business finances overlap.
Can we meet without a client to refer?
Yes. We welcome the chance to get to know you and your practice before you need our help.
Can I call before speaking to my client?
Yes. You can discuss your concerns confidentially before making an introduction.
Tools & Resources
SBR eBook for Accountants
Sole Trader Bankruptcy in NSW: Complete 2025 Guide by Licensed Trustee
Read Our Blog
SERVICES
LEGAL
EVERYTHING ELSE
AUSTRALIA OFFICES:
NORTHERN BEACHES:
Suite 222, 20 Dale St
Brookvale NSW 2100
Thyge Trafford-Jones
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Principal — ASIC Registered Liquidator (No. 458321) · AFSA Registered Trustee (No. 1582)
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Member, Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (ARITA)
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Member, CPA Australia
TTJ Advisory is a registered business name of Restructure My Small Business Pty Ltd (ACN 670 511 476).
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
© 2026 TTJ Advisory.
TTJ Advisory acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we operate, live and gather as employees, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
