At our recent EO Perth Exchange session, Knight Group unpacked one of the most practical wealth-building strategies available to business owners today: using a Self-Managed Super Fund (SMSF) to buy the commercial property your business operates from.

Putting You in the Driver’s Seat

As the speaker explained, most people think of super as something “that sits in an industry fund or retail fund where someone else controls the investments.”

But an SMSF “flips that completely. It puts you in the driver’s seat.”

Instead of watching your super balance move up and down without much influence, an SMSF allows you to control how it’s invested — including purchasing the commercial premises your business uses every day.

Why SMSFs Appeal to Business Owners

One of the strongest points made in the session was simple:

“An SMSF is one of the few tax-effective structures that lets you own your business premises through your super and lease it back to your company on commercial terms.”

For many Perth business owners, this means:

• More control over the property you rely on
• Potential long-term tax savings
• A way to separate personal wealth from business risk
• Building a retirement asset funded by rent your company already pays

It’s a strategy designed for founders who want more certainty and more ownership over their financial future.

What Property an SMSF Can Buy

The session clarified the fundamental rule:

“The key term here is business real property. That means the property must be used wholly and exclusively for business purposes — not personal use, not mixed use.”

For most EO members, that might be:

• Your current office
• A warehouse
• A workshop
• Or a new site that better supports long-term growth

When used correctly, SMSFs open the door to opportunities not available in traditional super funds.

How an SMSF Can Acquire a Property

The speaker outlined the main acquisition options, including:

• A direct purchase — “the simplest option is a direct purchase using existing SMSF funds.”
• Borrowing within super, using a limited-recourse loan structure
• Transferring business real property you already own
• Joint purchases, where your SMSF buys a portion and you or your trust owns the rest

These structures give Perth entrepreneurs flexibility depending on their super balance and broader strategy.

 Keeping It Compliant

One of the strongest reminders from the session was around the leasing rules:
“Rent must be at market rates, and you must have a formal lease agreement in place.”

The SMSF becomes the landlord, and your business becomes the tenant — and everything must be handled at arm’s length.
This compliance piece protects both your fund and your business.

A Powerful Strategy for Founder Growth

The presentation made it clear: if you understand the SMSF rules and apply them well, this can be “one of the most powerful long-term wealth strategies available” to business owners.

For EO Perth members seeking deeper business learning, stronger financial leadership, and more strategic control over their future, this session delivered exactly the kind of insight our community values.