Sean Dunne - Dominium Capital

03/09/2026

You’ve built a successful business. But what have you built outside it?

In this Origin to Ambition conversation, Peter Mercuri makes a simple but important point: a business plan without a personal plan is only half a plan.

Sustainable cashflow should ultimately create and protect wealth beyond the business—giving you clarity about WHAT you want, WHEN you want it and WITH whom.

Is your business creating genuine personal choice?

Book a Discovery Session via the link in our bio.

01/09/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆?

A new client said something recently that immediately caught my attention.

“Our goal is $10 million.”

Not for a bigger house, nicer car or to impress anyone.

Their reason was simple:

“𝗜𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀.”

I call that 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Then they admitted something else:

“To be honest… we don’t really understand how our income works.”

Successful business owners. Growing business. Young family. Bold vision.

Yet they weren’t entirely sure how money flowed between the business, themselves and their family.

That’s more common than you might think.

So before investments, superannuation, structures or eventually exiting the business, we came back to my 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

• 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 – understanding where the money goes.
• 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – building wealth outside the business.
• 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – protecting what you’ve built.

Then we could talk about the bigger picture.

Could we build $10 million?

I genuinely think we can.

But the more important question is:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 $𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼?

Because money isn’t the destination.

It’s the tool that creates choices.

To spend more time with your children.
To work because you want to – not because you have to.
To back an opportunity.
To say “yes” more often… and “no” when it matters.

That’s why I ask:

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 do you want?
𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 do you want it?
𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 whom do you want to share it?

Answer those questions and the financial strategy becomes much clearer.

And the photo?

Maybe it has nothing to do with financial strategy.

But having the freedom to be in Hiroshima, in a restaurant kitchen, doing ridiculous poses with people you’ve just met?

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲.

26/08/2026

𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀?

For years, growing a business often meant growing the team.

More people. Bigger office. Bigger business.

But I'm increasingly questioning whether 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 automatically means a 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

I had a great discussion about this with Adrian Bortignon on Origin to Ambition.

In my own business, the way we're now using technology and AI has probably delayed — and may ultimately remove — the need for another two people.

That's not about replacing people.

It's about building a leaner, more efficient business and allowing the people already in it to spend more time doing the work where they genuinely add value.

And for me, that raises a much bigger question for business owners:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?

For many of the business owners I work with, the goal isn't maximum headcount or maximum turnover.

It's building a valuable, profitable and resilient business that gives them greater choice over 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 they do, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 they do it and 𝘄𝗵𝗼 they get to do it with.

Bigger isn't necessarily better.

Sometimes, building a better business means deliberately keeping it smaller.

🎙️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 — with Adrian Bortignon

23/08/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

Grace and I were talking yesterday about what it means to be “rich”.

The question that often comes up in financial planning is:

How much money is enough?

For me, a rich life isn’t necessarily about having the most money.

It’s a life rich with substance, experiences, relationships and choice.

Money matters. There is a number — the capital required to support the life you want.

But the number isn’t the destination.

It’s what the number allows you to do that matters.

For some, being rich means accumulating as much wealth as possible. There’s nothing wrong with that.

For others, it means living where they love, travelling, spending time with family and having the freedom to choose.

Neither definition is right or wrong.

But you need to know yours.

Otherwise, it’s easy to spend a lifetime accumulating money without deciding what you wanted it for.

That’s how I increasingly think about financial advice.

Yes, we talk about investments, superannuation, cashflow, tax, insurance and capital.

But ultimately, I’m helping clients build optionality:

The financial capacity to make choices.

To do what they want, when they want, with the people they want.

So perhaps the better question isn’t:

“How much money is enough?”

It’s:

“Enough for what?”

Because the answer tells us what a rich life really looks like.

19/08/2026

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲…

That was a client’s response when we recently discussed whether he really needed personal insurance.

And yes — his wife and child would still have the house.

But I asked him:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲?

It doesn’t pay for groceries, school costs, utilities, holidays or everyday life.

Do they sell it? Downsize? Invest what’s left and hope it’s enough?

Then there’s an even harder question:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗲?

What if you’re permanently disabled and can no longer work?

Your income may disappear, but now there could also be rehabilitation costs, modifications to the home, paid care — or your partner reducing their own work to care for you.

By the end of our conversation, his view had changed:

𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Personal insurance isn’t about collecting policies.

It’s about protecting the people, choices and life you’ve spent years building.

That’s why 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is one of my Three Foundations of financial advice.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁.

BusinessOwners

13/08/2026

Tonight’s the night. And before we head off to the awards celebration…

I’m really pleased to have been named a finalist in the 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗡𝗲𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 category at the 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Recognition like this is never the goal, but it’s always gratifying to know that the work you’re doing is making a meaningful impact.

For me, this nomination reflects the trust that my clients place in me every day, the support of an outstanding team at Dominium Capital, and the relationships we’ve built over many years.

My philosophy has always been simple: financial advice isn’t ultimately about investments, tax or superannuation. They’re important, but they’re simply the tools.

The real objective is helping people create the freedom to do 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 they want, 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 they want, 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 the people who matter most.

Congratulations to all of the finalists. I’m looking forward to the awards evening tonight and celebrating the profession alongside so many talented advisers.

11/08/2026

There’s a stage in building a business where sometimes you just have to jump.

In my conversation with Ashleigh Alsadie, the Cold Calling Queen and founder of The PromoDonna, she uses a phrase that captures that mindset rather well:

𝗝𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗳 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻.

Ashleigh founded The PromoDonna with $500 in the bank, a basic website and no Plan B.

She cold-called. She sold. She competed with herself. She took on clients. She built momentum.

And she built a successful business.

But one of the things I particularly enjoyed about our conversation on Origin to Ambition was what happened 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 the hustle.

Because eventually, every successful business owner needs to understand something:

𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗲.

You need to understand what the business actually earns.
What it costs to run.
Where the margins are.
Which clients make sense - and, importantly, which ones don't.

This is where I see a natural progression towards what we call the Three Foundations when working with business owners:

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗪 - creating and releasing genuine surplus cashflow.
𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗧 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 - using some of that surplus to build wealth outside the business.
𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗧 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 - protecting what you’ve built, and the people who depend upon it.

Because the objective isn't simply to build a bigger business.

It's to build a business - and a financial position - that increasingly gives you choices.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 do you actually want all this effort to create?
𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 do you want to be in a position to do it?
And 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 whom do you want to enjoy it?

Ashleigh's journey from taking almost any client she could get to being able to say, “I can play my own game”, is a great example of what that evolution can look like.

A terrific conversation - and this short captures a little of it.

🎥 Watch the short below.

Welcome to a Bonus Archive Gem episode of Origin to Ambition with h...

10/08/2026

I caught up with Cody Royle last week while he was briefly back home in Melbourne.

Cody is a “coach of coaches” - someone who has spent years studying and working with elite coaches and leaders. And he generously spent time with me on my podcast, Origin to Ambition, earlier this year.

And it reinforced something I increasingly believe:

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

A great coach doesn’t play the game for you.

They help you see what you can’t see yourself.

They challenge your assumptions.

They bring experience and perspective when it matters.

And they help you make better decisions.

I increasingly see my role as a financial adviser in much the same way.

Yes, there are investments, structures, strategies and risks to manage.

But those are the tools.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 do you want to do?
𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 do you want to do it?
𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 whom do you want to share it?

Once you know those answers, money takes on a different role.

𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱.

𝗜𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.

Great catching up, Cody. Plenty to think about afterwards.

05/08/2026

One of the things I love most about being married is that, after almost 20 years together, Grace knows me better than I know myself.

She recently gave me a copy of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑾𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒏, knowing I’d probably enjoy it.

She was right.

A passage I read this week really stayed with me.

John Wooden quotes legendary baseball executive Branch Rickey:

“Luck is the residue of design.”

Wooden explains that careful planning and preparation aren’t about creating good luck—they’re about removing luck from the equation.

That immediately made me think about the work I do with clients.

Life will always involve uncertainty.

Markets will rise and fall.
Businesses will have good years and difficult ones.
Unexpected things happen.

We can’t eliminate luck.

But we can become less dependent on it.

That’s why every financial plan we build starts with the same foundations:

𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 → 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

It’s a deliberate design that aims to give people more choices, more resilience and, ultimately, more freedom.

That’s the philosophy behind 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 | 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 | 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛.

Not a life that depends on getting lucky.

A life that’s intentionally built.

Purpose IntentionalLiving WhatWhenWith

03/08/2026

One of the biggest traps in leadership is believing that your job is to have all the answers.

It isn’t.

Your job is to create the conditions where the best answers can emerge.

That was one of my biggest takeaways from my conversation with Cameron Schwab, who spent 25 years as CEO of AFL clubs including Richmond, Fremantle and Melbourne.

In this short clip, Cameron explains why the best leaders don’t control every outcome.

They create the space for other people to step into it.

It’s a subtle distinction.

But for business owners, founders and leaders, it can completely change the way you build a team.

The question isn’t:

“How do I become more indispensable?”

It’s:

“How do I build an environment where other people can do their best work?”

That shift changes everything.

🎥 Watch the short below, and if it resonates, the full conversation is available on Origin to Ambition.

Welcome to a Bonus Archive Gem episode of Origin to Ambition with h...