Course Corrections - Chapter One - Lost Digits Origin Story

When business gets offtrack, a small shift can change everything. Course Corrections delivers sharp insights, strategic advice, and real-world stories from the frontlines of business — helping owners navigate with clarity, confidence, and control. 

Chapter One

Finding Your Bearings: The Story Behind Lost Digits 

From warships to wards to the world of business - how leadership, lived experience, and a love of clarity shaped a different kind of consulting practice.

 The Art of Finding Your Bearings

That Moment at Sea

There’s a moment at sea — just after leaving the safety of the harbour, when the shoreline fades behind you and the swell begins to rise beneath the hull — where everything seems to slow down.

You’re staring out at open water. The course is plotted, the gear checked, the team briefed. Now, it’s just you, the horizon, and the careful work of trimming the sails to stay on course.

It’s a moment of quiet control — until it isn’t.

Because for most people in business, there comes a time when trimming the sails no longer works — when the shoreline has vanished, the winds shift unpredictably, and the compass spins with no clear heading. The business starts to drift, the systems you once trusted falter, and no amount of effort from the crew can bring you back on course. You’ve done the prep. You’ve got good people. But still, you’re off track — and the more you try to correct, the further off you seem to be.

And in that moment, they realise ...

it’s not about numbers alone.

It’s about finding the right direction to steer.

That’s where Lost Digits began — not behind a desk, but in that uncertain stretch between where you’ve been and where you’re going. The space where clarity, course, and calm matter most.

From Deck Plates to Data

For 28 years, I served in the Department of Defence.

I lived and worked on warships. I led teams through complex financials and budgets, logistics, crisis response, strategic coordination and delivery, governance development and change. I learned to make tough calls under pressure – not just from the top, but shoulder-to-shoulder with the people around me.

One memory stands out:

I was a young communications sailor, and my ship HMAS Stuart-DE48, and its crew were navigating our way out of Sydney Harbour for the first time after a long and arduous refit at Cockatoo Dockyard. The tension wasn’t fear – it was focus. Every decision mattered. One wrong bearing, one misread signal, one small failure ... things could go bad, fast.

But we made it.

Because we trusted the process.

Because the team was aligned. Because leadership was clear.

The difference between chaos and clarity is almost always found in structure, preparation defined processes and leadership. 

And those lessons didn’t stay at sea.

The Shift: From Trauma to Transformation

After Defence, I became a nurse — at age 50, the realisation of a life dream.

I worked in emergency, intensive care, and operating theatres — high-pressure environments where decisions must be fast, precise, and grounded in care. But over time, I saw patterns that stretched beyond healthcare: broken systems, absent leadership, toxic culture, and teams expected to function without support.

Nursing, and the medical system in general, is sold as compassion — and it is — but behind the scenes, the profession(s) often tolerates bullying, burnout, and a culture that chews through good people. New nurses and doctors arrive full of purpose and potential, only to be thrown into chaos: poor pay, unsafe ratios, and little mentorship. 

What I witnessed wasn’t just a clinical issue — 

It’s a leadership issue. A business issue. A systems issue.

That’s when something clicked.

I didn’t want to stay inside broken systems — I wanted to help rebuild them. 

Lost Digits emerged from that realisation.

Today, I help business owners make sense of the gaps in their operations, people, and decision-making — and bring clarity to the chaos. It’s about more than numbers. 

It’s about navigating culture, leadership, and strategy –

and helping people build businesses that actually, and functionally, work.

Why “Lost Digits”? 

It started as a cheeky working title — a nod to numbers gone astray, or the confusion many business owners feel around their finances. 

But it soon became clear: 

This wasn’t just about numbers. It was about people who had lost their bearings. Their focus. Their direction.

People caught up in the success of their business ... while the business itself was slipping into disarray.

Lost Digits is about helping them find that clarity again. 

To reclaim time, space, and control –

through insight, direction, and practical support. 

It’s not about shaming people for what they don’t know. It’s about standing beside them, pointing toward the horizon, and saying: 

“Here’s where you are. Here’s where you want to be. Let’s figure out how to get there.” 

What We Offer

Sometimes, it’s about fixing the books and understanding them. Other times, it’s rethinking logistics, restructuring the business, or leading a full tactical, operational and strategic overhaul. 

I’ve helped clients: 

• Stabilise their systems 

• Reorganise to scale 

• Recognise and manage risk 

• Improve day-to-day operations 

• Realign with their core purpose

I bring order to chaos — not just in the numbers, but in the entire business system.  

Here’s how we do it: 

🔧 Services at a Glance

✅ Business Health Checks (90-minute intensive) 

✅ Financial File Audits

✅ Strategic planning and business management

✅ Operational and systems assessment and realignment

✅ HR Management, leadership and team building

✅ Logistics management

✅ Governance, performance and conformance

✅ Compliance and risk support

✅ Accounting, Bookkeeping and payroll management (business focused)

What I Don’t Do – and What I Absolutely Do 

Let’s be clear. 

Lost Digits isn’t the place to simply drop off your shoebox of receipts at tax time.

  We don’t do personal tax returns.

We don’t manage individual portfolios. 

And we don’t just “do the books” in isolation. 

What we do offer is something broader, deeper, and far more strategic. 

We help businesses — particularly small to medium enterprises, allied health and medical practices, and sole traders — gain clarity, stability, and control. That might look like reconciling your accounts, streamlining payroll, or running a Financial File Audit. But more often, it looks like stepping back to ask: “Where is this business actually heading?” 

We work with owners who are ready to engage, think critically, and build something stronger — not just tick boxes for compliance. 

If you’re after personal tax? I’ll point you to someone great. If you need legal or insurance advice, I have someone in that space too! 

If you’re ready to sort the backend of your business and steer it with confidence? That’s where Lost Digits comes in. 

A Name. A Practice. A Promise.

Lost Digits isn’t just a business — it’s a promise. 

A promise to walk beside people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure. To help them see clearly, steady their ship, and navigate the way forward. 

Take Craig, a landscaper who booked a Business Health Check expecting just a financial review. 

What he received was much more — a deep dive into his entire business, uncovering hidden challenges, untapped opportunities, and critical risk exposures that could cost him down the track. 

Through honest conversations and tailored insights, we built a clear roadmap that went far beyond the numbers – focusing on leadership, operations, strategy, and safeguarding his business. 

“It was so much more than I expected. It wasn’t just about the books — it helped me see where I was going.” 

Helping people find their bearings and confidence in their business — no matter how complex or overwhelming it feels. 

Because behind every set of numbers is a story waiting to be told, understood, and acted on. 

That’s the work I love.

More Than Numbers 

It’s always good to know who you’re working with. So here’s a little more about me:

• 🛸 I’m a Star Wars tragic. Since 1978. Want to talk character arcs, politics, or lore? I’m your guy — if you’re doing a Star Wars trivia night, call me!

• 🛰 I once contacted the International Space Station via amateur radio … with a 5 watt handheld unit from my backyard. I froze when they replied. My finest radio moment — and most awkward.

• 🗺 I’m obsessed with sailing, maps, navigation, history, hyper realistic portrait art and dogs!

• ⛵I dream of owning a Hallberg Rassy 69 (Google it. Watch the video — you’ll understand).

• 💚 My wife wore a green wedding dress — she picked it to match my eyes. That same green now threads through the Lost Digits brand. We married on the beach. The water matched her dress. We honeymooned at a lighthouse. See the theme?

These aren’t just quirks. They’re the things that remind me:

Precision and personality can coexist.

The things we love can become part of the way we lead

Where to from here?

If you’re a small business owner, sole trader, or clinic leader feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or stretched too thin – don’t wait for it to break. 

Start with a conversation. Book a Business Health Check or a financial file audit. 

No pressure. No jargon. Just an honest look at: 

• What’s working 

• What’s not 

• And how to get back on course

You don’t have to do it alone. 

Ready to find your bearings and navigate your business with confidence? 

Let’s start the conversation. 

📍 www.lostdigits.com.au

📧 john.ekman@lostdigits.com.au

📞 0417 448 998 

Till next time, cheers!

John 

Lost Digits Navigating Business.