The Day to Day
NO STANDING AGENDA. JUST THE WORK THAT MATTERS.
Every visit starts the same way. A check-in with the owner, what's emerged since last time, what decisions are sitting on the table, what's changed. Then the finance team, how they've progressed on their priorities, what's come up, what needs attention. From there, the day follows the work.
I keep a running workplan for every client. It tracks priorities, open items, and what we agreed to do. It's not a formal document, it's a working list that gets updated every visit and can be shared with the owner so we're always aligned on what matters most and why.
Between visits I'm available, but not in a structured way. When something needs a response before the next visit, I'm a phone call, a Zoom call, or an email away. Most of the time that's enough. The work doesn't stop because I'm not physically there.
What you can expect
In it for the long term
The businesses I work with tend to keep me around. KPMG and P&MM both ran to ten years. Sodexo five, Blackhawk four and a half. I've been with Penn and Tylers Green FC for fifteen years, Finance Officer for four of them.
I can operate at every level. I've sat on executive committees and chaired board meetings. I've also rebuilt a bookkeeping system from scratch when that's what the business needed. The work finds its own level. I don't arrive with a fixed idea of what the engagement should look like.
I build capability, not dependency. The goal is a finance function that runs well whether I'm there or not, and an owner who understands the numbers well enough to act on them. That's what I'm working towards from day one.
How I show up
A CRITICAL FRIEND. YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORTER.
I'm there to listen, to ask the questions that don't usually get asked, and to tell you what I really think, not what's easiest to hear.
Before any significant decision, the most useful thing I can do is make sure nothing important has been missed. When a client is ready to take on the new contract, make the hire, or commit to the next stage of growth, I ask two questions: why, and is this the best route? The question isn't whether to proceed. It's whether the decision is grounded in evidence rather than optimism.
The best client relationships I've had have involved difficult conversations, genuine challenge, and more than a few moments of dark humour about the state of the numbers. I know your business, I remember the context, and I'm thinking about your situation between the days I'm there.
One thing I won't do is tell you what you want to hear when the evidence says something different. It wouldn't be right.
What happens next
FIVE STEPS. Your pace. Your decision.
Most clients begin with a diagnostic, either a Financial Management Review or a Business Mapping Review, a structured look at the business that gives a clear picture of where the gaps are and what to address first. Some come straight into a retained relationship. Either way, the first step is always a conversation and the last is an engagement shaped around what the business needs.
01 The conversation
A free call to talk about your business and what's on your mind. No pitch or proposal. Just a chance to work out whether there's a useful fit. If there isn't, I'll say so.
02 The Preparation
If it feels like the right fit, I'll ask you to share some background, accounts, a bit of context, anything that helps me arrive with useful questions rather than obvious ones.
03 The Diagnostic
A few days inside your business, working through the relevant dimensions with you, reviewing the data and asking the questions that don't usually get asked.
04 The Report
A written report within a week. Where the business sits, what to address first, and what good looks like. A clear picture you can act on immediately.
05 The Engagement
If the diagnostic leads to ongoing work, we agree what that looks like. Some clients come into a retained engagement directly from the first conversation. Either way, there's no pressure to decide before you're ready.