The Sounds of the Baskerville

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty take a fascinating detour into the world of business ideas. The good, the bad, and the ones that consume everything a founder has and still don't fly. From zombie unicorns burning through venture capital to the classic small business trap of pouring personal savings into a product the market never actually wante...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty explore one of the great inequalities in Australian business, the stark difference between what's at stake for a small business director versus the director of a large corporation when things go wrong.  Chris unpacks why small business owners intertwine their entire lives. Family home, personal assets, reputatio...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty pick up where they left off, exploring the wave of business distress building across Australia and what it really means for directors, accountants, and advisors navigating an increasingly complex environment.  Chris unpacks the psychology of the director who holds on until the bitter end, why accountants are bea...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty take stock of where Australian small businesses find themselves right now. Budget changes, tightening capital gains tax concessions, a harder ATO, and rising interest rates on second-tier lending have quietly closed the escape hatch that many directors have been relying on — drawing equity from the family home t...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty bring the SBR vs Voluntary Administration debate to life with real war stories from the coalface. First up: a nightclub owner who poured his personal injury compensation into a business, only to find himself trapped in the wrong restructuring tool and how switching to VA changed everything. Then Chris flips the...

In this second instalment of The Sounds of the Baskerville's deep dive into restructuring, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty get into the mechanics of the decision, what Chris calls the Creditor Matrix. Because the right path isn't just about cost or control. It's about who you owe money to, how much power they hold, and whether they like you.  Chris unpacks why the ATO dominates nearly 80% of...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty go head-to-head on one of the most important decisions a distressed business can face. Both tools exist to restructure and preserve viable companies, but they are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one could cost you dearly.  Chris breaks down the key differences: who stays in control, what the eligibil...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and Pierce Carstensen are back — and this time the gloves are off. Pierce delivers two jaw-dropping war stories that bring the family law and insolvency crossover to vivid life: a diamond merchant framed on death row, and a debtor who tried to hide everything behind a conveniently timed divorce. But beneath the remarkable storytel...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville is joined by James Flaherty and family law specialist Pierce Carstensen for a fascinating deep-dive into one of the most overlooked intersections in the insolvency world — where family law and insolvency law meet head-on. Pierce reveals why insolvency practitioners routinely leave money on the table when a family law element enter...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty tackle one of the most common and quietly dangerous traps facing Australian businesses right now: the labour and margin squeeze.  When you can't hire enough people to meet demand, and rising costs are eating into what little margin you have left, the ceiling on what your business can earn becomes very real, very...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty take a candid, unscripted look at the economic storm clouds gathering over Australia. From the cascading effects of global conflict on fuel prices, to the squeeze on household disposable incomes, to tightening credit across second-tier lenders, the conditions for a wave of business distress are quietly falling i...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and Ginette Muller take stock of where the SBR landscape stands today. After years of record uptake, the numbers are starting to dip and the reason why matters for every business owner, accountant, and advisor in the room. The ATO, creditor in 93% of all SBRs, has sharpened its scrutiny. Red flags like poor compliance history, Div...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, Chris Baskerville and James Flaherty tackle one of the most overlooked conversations in business: how to close up shop the right way. Whether you're exhausted, retirement-bound, locked in a deadlocked shareholder dispute, or simply watching a once-great business run out of road, there's a world of difference between walking away cleanly and watchin...

In Episode 112 of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James and Chris are joined once again by restructuring specialist Ginette Muller to explore one powerful concept every director should understand: being “match fit.” Before walking into liquidation, voluntary administration, or Safe Harbour, are directors truly prepared for what lies ahead? Ginette and Chris unpack the full toolkit available to stru...

In this riveting episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, insolvency expert Chris Baskerville pulls back the curtain on the shadowy world of money laundering, Ponzi schemes, and financial crime. From poker machines in 1980s pubs to cryptocurrency wallets hiding stolen millions, Chris reveals how fraudsters are getting smarter and how investigators are getting smarter right alongside them. Discove...

In this high-stakes episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James, Chris, and Stephen unpack the difficulties of running a small business. Looking at one of the most confronting realities facing Australian directors, the Director Penalty Notice. As ATO enforcement accelerates, unpaid PAYG and superannuation can quickly shift from company debt to personal liability, often catching directors off g...

Season Six of The Sounds of the Baskerville kicks off with a powerful question. How do you run a business when the world refuses to behave predictably? From COVID shutdowns and supply chain shocks to tariff tensions, population surges, labour shortages, and the rapid rise of AI, James and Chris unpack the reality of operating in an era of permanent uncertainty. Reflecting on global events, economi...

A year in review, looking back at some highlights and lowlights of small business restructuring. 

What really happens when a business collapses and creditors want their money back? In this gripping episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James and Chris dive deep into the emotional, financial, and often unpredictable world of creditor behaviour. From million-dollar grain traders who rally behind the liquidator, to small business owners devastated by losing just a few thousand dollars, Chris...

In this compelling new episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James Flaherty sits down with Chris Baskerville to explore one of the most powerful and misunderstood tools in business survival: time. From Voluntary Administration to Safe Harbour, Small Business Restructuring, and even the mysterious “holding DOCA,” Chris breaks down the real mechanisms struggling businesses can use to press pause...

Strap in for one of The Sounds of the Baskerville’s wildest episodes yet! Host James Flaherty and resident “hound” Chris Baskerville are joined by special guest Hanzel Hizola from Jirsch Sutherland to share unbelievable stories from the front lines of insolvency. From toothless cows and crocodile trainers to million-dollar tax debts and small business rescues, this episode is equal parts jaw-dropp...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, hosts James Flaherty and Chris Baskerville dive deep into the world of insolvency to answer one big question: what truly makes a good liquidator? Forget the stereotypes, this candid conversation explores the balance between empathy, integrity, and commercial acumen that defines the best in the business. Chris shares insights from 20 years in the in...

In this episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James Flaherty and insolvency specialist Chris Baskerville shine a spotlight on what happens when dodgy directors and their advisors get caught out. From illegal phoenix activity to sham asset transfers, Chris explains how regulators, including ASIC, the ATO, and the Illegal Phoenix Taskforce, step in to dismantle fraudulent schemes and why the fal...

In this hard-hitting episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James Flaherty and insolvency specialist Chris Baskerville shine a light on the shadowy tactics some directors and advisors use to “game the system.” From exploiting loopholes in Small Business Restructuring rules to creating the illusion of being a secured creditor, Chris explains how these strategies often unravel and why they rarely...

In this milestone episode of The Sounds of the Baskerville, James Flaherty and insolvency specialist Chris Baskerville reflect on over 100 episodes of insights, lessons, and hard truths for business owners and creditors. From risk alerts and creditor tools to the evolution of Small Business Restructuring (SBR), they unpack the strategies that protect businesses when cash gets tight and the traps t...