Finance leadership without a full-time CFO

The problem

Your bookkeeper or accountant records what happened, but records are not the same as management information. Many owners receive statements late, in accounting language, with no explanation of what changed. By the time a cost problem is visible, it has already cost money.

Signs you may need this

• You see financial results weeks after the month has closed
• You cannot tell which costs are rising, or why
• Margins feel lower than they should, but you cannot say where the money goes
• Reports exist, but nobody reviews them or acts on them

What we do

• Design a monthly management report with results, margins and cash in one readable package built for the owner
• Track costs against history and plan to show where spending is drifting
• Run variance reviews actual against plan, with a person responsible for each gap
• Set a closing calendar so reports arrive on a predictable date

What you receive

• A monthly management report in plain language
• A cost review with the main drivers explained
• A variance list with owners and next actions
• A reporting calendar your team can follow

The problem

Many small businesses run without a budget, or with one made once a year and never opened again. Without a plan there is nothing to compare reality against, and seasonal swings in sales and costs catch the owner by surprise.

Signs you may need this

• Some months are very tight and you did not see them coming
• Sales are seasonal and costs are not
• You decide on hiring or purchases without knowing their effect on cash
• You made a budget once, but it no longer matches the business

What we do

• Build an annual budget around your sales cycle and seasonality, not an average month
• Create a rolling forecast updated as the year unfolds, so the plan stays current
• Test scenarios what happens to cash if sales slow, a large customer pays late or a key cost rises
• Set targets that your team understands and can influence

What you receive

• An annual budget by month
• A rolling forecast and instructions to update it
• Two or three scenarios with their effect on cash
• A short guide to reading budget versus actual

The problem

Revenue is easy to see. Profit by product, customer or location is not. Without that view, owners price by instinct, keep unprofitable work because it keeps the team busy, and cannot tell how much sales must grow to cover rising costs.

Signs you may need this

• You do not know which products, services or customers make you money
• You set prices by looking at competitors, not at your own costs
• You are unsure how much you must sell to break even
• A big decision such as hiring, a new location or equipment is coming and you lack numbers to support it

What we do

• Measure profitability by product, service, customer or location
• Map cost structure fixed and variable costs, and the break-even point
• Review pricing against your real costs and margins
• Support decisions with a simple analysis of hiring, investment and expansion questions

What you receive

• A profitability analysis in a clear table
• A break-even point and cost structure summary
• Pricing observations and options
• A decision memo for each major question we analyze

The problem

A business can be profitable on paper and still run short of cash. Customers pay in 30 or 60 days, suppliers want payment sooner, and inventory ties up money before a sale happens. When sales grow, the gap between money going out and money coming in grows with them. Many owners only notice it when an account runs low.

Signs you may need this

• Sales are growing, but the bank balance is not
• You often wait on customer payments while bills are already due
• You are not sure how much cash you will have in 30, 60 or 90 days
• Inventory keeps growing, and you cannot say how much of it is tied-up cash
• A bank or lender asks for financial information, and it takes weeks to put together

What we do

• Map your cash cycle how many days pass between paying suppliers and collecting from customers
• Review receivables and payables payment terms, follow-up routines and timing
• Review inventory levels enough to support sales without locking up cash
• Build a rolling cash forecast updated regularly, with scenarios for slower sales or higher costs

What you receive

• A cash-cycle diagnosis written for the owner, not the accountant
• A cash forecast you can keep updating
• A short action list, with owners and dates
• Financial reports organized so they are ready when a lender, investor or partner asks

The problem

Reports and plans only help if people use them. In many small businesses, financial knowledge sits with one person, usually the owner or the accountant, and routines fade within weeks once the consultant leaves.

Signs you may need this

• Only one person understands the numbers
• Your team collects payments or approves spending without seeing the cash impact
• You started financial routines before, but they stopped
• You want to depend less on outside help over time

What we do

• Train on your own numbers sessions use your reports and your cash cycle, not generic examples
• Teach the routines monthly review, receivables follow-up, payables planning and budget versus actual
• Follow up check-ins after the sessions so routines stick
• Practice with Mentor IA a shared cash-flow view to practice with, once available in the U.S.

What you receive

• Training sessions tailored to your business
• Simple checklists for each monthly routine
• Follow-up check-ins on an agreed schedule
• A team that knows who does what and when