How I Work With Founders and Business Owners

Running a business is about more than numbers. It is about your ambitions, your lifestyle, your appetite for risk, and what success really means to you. My role is to help you turn those ambitions into a clear financial plan and then support you as you deliver it.

I work with clients through a structured but flexible process, designed to give clarity, confidence, and control.

1. Discovery and Understanding

Every engagement starts with listening.

Before discussing forecasts or spreadsheets, I take time to understand:

• Your business and how it really operates day to day

• Your personal goals, ambitions, and concerns

• What success looks like for you, both financially and personally

• The challenges that keep you awake at night

• Where you want the business to be in one, three, and five years

This discovery phase creates a shared understanding and ensures that any financial strategy is built around your vision, not a generic template.

2. Strategic Planning and Direction

Once your goals are clear, we translate them into a practical financial roadmap.

This typically includes:

• Clarifying priorities and trade-offs

• Turning ideas and ambitions into realistic financial targets

• Building clear plans around growth, cashflow, profit, and investment

• Identifying risks and pressure points before they become problems

• Aligning financial decisions with your wider business strategy

The outcome is a set of actionable plans that help you make decisions with confidence, rather than relying on gut instinct alone.

3. Implementation and Financial Control

Good plans only work if they are supported by reliable information.

I help put in place:

• Clear and meaningful management information

• Cashflow visibility and forward planning

• Simple performance measures that focus on what really matters

• Strong financial discipline without unnecessary complexity

You do not need to become a finance expert. My role is to make the numbers understandable, relevant, and useful.

4. Ongoing Monitoring and Review

As a fractional CFO or portfolio Finance Director, I work with you on an ongoing basis.

This usually involves:

• Monthly review meetings to assess performance and cashflow

• Quarterly strategy sessions to review progress and adjust plans

• Early identification of issues and opportunities

• Objective challenge and independent perspective

This rhythm ensures that the business stays on track and adapts as circumstances change.

5. Mentoring, Growth, and Profit Improvement

Beyond reporting, my role is to support better decision-making.

This includes:

• Acting as a sounding board for major decisions

• Supporting pricing, margin improvement, and cost control

• Helping you evaluate opportunities, investments, or acquisitions

• Building confidence in financial leadership

• Supporting you through periods of growth, change, or uncertainty

Many clients value the ability to talk things through with an experienced, independent adviser who understands both the numbers and the realities of running a business.

6. Preparing for the Next Stage

As your business evolves, so does my support.

This may include:

• Preparing for funding or refinancing

• Strengthening the business for acquisition or exit

• Building or developing an internal finance team

• Improving governance and board-level reporting

The aim is to ensure that your business is not just successful today, but well positioned for the future you want.

In Summary

I help founders and business owners:

• Gain clarity over their numbers

• Turn ambition into actionable plans

• Make better decisions with confidence

• Improve profitability and cashflow

• Build a stronger, more resilient business

• SLEEP AT NIGHT

All delivered in a practical, supportive, and commercially focused way, without unnecessary jargon or complexity.