For more than 30 years, we’ve grown alongside the businesses and families we serve. Same values. Deeper expertise. A sharper focus on what actually moves people forward.
Many Melbourne business owners don’t have a bad accountant. They just have one who’s hard to reach, reactive at tax time, and not particularly interested in the bigger picture.
Elev8 was built for something different.
We’re a boutique, director-led accounting and advisory firm based in Melbourne CBD. Our clients, including small and family businesses, investors, and high-income individuals, work directly with experienced directors who know their structure, understand their goals, and stay involved all year round.
No juniors. No handovers. No starting from scratch every year.
Just clear advice, plain-English explanations, and a genuine interest in the life your numbers are working toward.
We have had a very positive experience working with the Elev8 Accountants (ie SAACS) team, who have been responsive, practical, and clear in their advice. They have supported us through accounting transitions, bookkeeping recruitment, and complex matters such as motor vehicles and FBT, always providing timely and well‑reasoned guidance. Communication has been straightforward and professional, with proactive follow‑up when information was required. Overall, SAACS have demonstrated a strong understanding of our business needs and operate as a reliable extension of our finance function.
Working with Melody, Ruby and the team at Elev8 (ie Southern Accounting) has been an absolute pleasure. From the very beginning – when Hough Gardens was just getting off the ground – they have been a genuine business partner, not just an accountant.
Over the past ten years, they have helped us grow from a one-person operation to a team of 15. That growth did not happen by accident. Their team have been involved at every stage – setting up our structure properly from the start, keeping on top of our BAS lodgements and annual returns, managing our books, and connecting us with the right business contacts when we needed them.
What sets them apart is how well they understand our business. They do not just handle the numbers – 2 meetings each year they take the time to understand where we are heading and offer practical and tailored advice that gives me real confidence in the decisions I am making. And their responsiveness and attention to detail are a big plus.
I cannot recommend Elev8 team highly enough to any business owner looking for accounting and advisory support they can genuinely rely on.
Ruby and the team have been supporting me and my businesses for well over 10 years. They have been instrumental in helping me establish a B2B software company whose software is used across multiple countries by thousands of users. Their advice is measured, researched, and contemporary, and, importantly, it has helped me make smart decisions.
Elev8 did not begin as a traditional firm, and we have never aimed to be one.
For more than 30 years, we were known as Southern Accounting & Consulting Services (SAACS), originally established in the heart of Brighton. From those early days, we became a steady presence for Melbourne families, business owners and investors.
Over time, we grew alongside our clients, supporting multiple generations through different stages of business and life.
Why We Evolved
As our clients grew, their needs did too. Compliance wasn’t enough anymore. They needed a partner who could help them understand their options, plan ahead and feel genuinely confident in their decisions. That’s what sparked our shift.
Becoming Elev8
Elev8 wasn’t simply a new name. It was a commitment to go beyond compliance, to be more structured and proactive, and to show up differently for the people who rely on us. The relationships, the integrity, the care: those never changed. Everything around them got sharper.
Who Leads Us Today
Today, Elev8 is led by directors Ruby, Melody and Ashley, a trio who combine 73+ years of accounting, tax, advisory and business experience with a genuine and human approach.
We’ve kept the heart of our original firm, but we’ve elevated our strategy, communication, systems, and client experience to better support the people who rely on us.
The Heart of Our Story
Our story keeps evolving because our clients do. Business owners expanding into new markets. Families planning for the next generation. Investors building long-term wealth. Growth looks different for everyone. Our role is to guide it clearly, steadily, and with genuine care for what’s at stake.
Our mission is straightforward: simplify the numbers, empower the people behind them.
We help business owners, families and investors make clearer decisions, feel more confident about their financial future and build long-term wealth through advice that’s tailored, personal and genuinely easy to understand.
We lift the weight of compliance, translate complexity into plain English and stay involved long enough to make a real difference. In your business, and in your life.
To be the firm Melbourne business owners and families turn to when the stakes actually matter.
We’re working toward a future where the people running small and family businesses never feel alone in their financial decisions. Someone experienced in their corner at every stage, not just at lodgement time.
When our clients grow, we grow with them. That’s not a tagline. It’s how we measure success.
Connection:
We believe people do their best work when they feel understood. That’s why we take the time to build real relationships, listen to your goals, learn how you operate, and connect all the dots between your business and your life.
Integrity:
Doing the right thing matters, even when no one is watching.
We give honest advice, set clear expectations, and make decisions that protect your future, not just your present. You can rely on us to be upfront, thoughtful and careful with every detail.
Positivity:
We bring calm, warmth and a “let’s figure this out together” energy to every conversation.
We celebrate progress, help you look ahead with clarity, and make sure the process feels lighter than you expected.
Empowerment:
Knowledge creates freedom, so we share ours openly.
Instead of overwhelming you with jargon, we break things down simply, explain the ‘why’, and give you the tools to make decisions you genuinely feel confident about. Our goal is not to impress you with what we know; it’s to empower you with what you can do.
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Mostly established small and family businesses, high-income individuals and investors with more complex structures: trusts, companies, SMSFs, or a combination of all three.
Our clients tend to be past the startup phase and looking for an accountant who can keep up with where they’re headed, not just where they’ve been. Many have been with us for years. Some for decades.
Most of our clients stay for years — and many across generations. That’s not something we take for granted.
Long-term relationships are how we do our best work. The longer we know you, the better our advice gets. We understand your history, your structure and what you’re actually trying to build.
It means you work directly with experienced decision-makers. Advice, reviews and strategic discussions are handled by directors who understand your structure and long-term objectives.
Financial decisions compound over time. The good ones and the not-so-good ones. A consistent advisor who knows your history, understands your structure and genuinely cares about your goals will always give you steadier, smarter guidance than someone starting from scratch every year.
Continuity isn’t just convenient. It makes the advice better.
Our office is based in Melbourne CBD, but we support clients across Melbourne, Victoria and interstate. Conversations can take place via phone or video, allowing flexible support for these options.
