Decisions made on instinct
The owner knows the business better than anyone, but instinct does not quantify the downside.
Analysis, planning and decision support
Financial Advisory & Risk Management
Advisory work is useful when a decision has to be made and the numbers behind it are not clear. We analyse the position, model the options, quantify the risks, and set out what each choice actually means for cash, control and growth. The output is a recommendation you can act on — and, just as importantly, a record of why you decided what you decided.
Who this service is for
- Owners and managing directors facing a significant decision — expansion, a new product line, a large contract, a hire.
- Businesses whose cash position is tight and needs a plan rather than a hope.
- Companies preparing for investment, a facility, or a formal board process.
- Buyers and sellers needing a view on value and on what sits behind the numbers.
- Organisations that need a risk view: what could go wrong financially, and what it would cost.
- Management teams whose reporting tells them what happened but not what to do next.
The problems this addresses
No credible cash forecast
Working capital is managed week to week, and a large payment arrives with no warning.
Growth that consumes cash
Revenue rises while the bank balance falls, because the working capital requirement was never modelled.
Pricing without cost clarity
Quotes built on an assumed margin that the actual costs do not support.
Investment decisions without analysis
A purchase or acquisition assessed on a headline number rather than on the detail.
Risks that are known but unquantified
Everyone knows a customer is too dominant; nobody has calculated the effect if they leave.
Scope and deliverables
Advisory engagements are scoped to a specific question. Common engagements include the following.
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Financial analysis and business review
A structured review of profitability by product, customer, branch or channel; working capital efficiency; cost structure; and the drivers behind the trend. Output: an analysis report with the actions that follow from it.
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Budgeting and forecasting
Building a budget that management will actually use — driver-based rather than last year plus a percentage — with monthly targets and a rolling forecast. Output: a budget model, assumptions document and reporting template.
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Cash-flow planning
A rolling thirteen-week cash forecast, then a longer-term view, with scenarios for base, downside and stress cases. Output: a cash model and a reporting routine that keeps it current.
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Due diligence
Buy-side or sell-side work: quality of earnings, working capital normalisation, debt-like items, customer and supplier concentration, contract review and commercial risk. Output: a due diligence report and a list of the issues that should affect price or terms.
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Valuation support
Preparing or reviewing a valuation for a transaction, a shareholder arrangement, an estate or a funding round, using recognised approaches and clearly stated assumptions. Output: a valuation paper with the basis, the sensitivities and the limitations set out.
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Risk assessment
Identifying and quantifying financial and operational risk: concentration, credit, currency, interest rate, contract, compliance and key-person exposure. Output: a risk register with quantified impact and mitigation actions.
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Management decision support
Modelling specific decisions — make or buy, outsource or insource, a new location, a pricing change — with the cash and profit effect of each option. Output: a decision paper with a recommendation.
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Funding preparation
Preparing the financial information a lender or investor will ask for: the model, the assumptions, the management accounts, the narrative and the answers to the obvious questions. Output: a funding pack and preparation for the process.
How the engagement works
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Define the question
We start by writing down the decision that has to be made. Advisory work that does not end in a decision is expensive entertainment.
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Gather and test the data
We work from records, not from recollection, and we test what we are given.
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Analyse and model
Analysis of the position, then models of the options with sensitivities on the assumptions that matter.
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Present and challenge
We present the findings and the recommendation, and we challenge the plan. Advisory that only confirms what you already believe has no value.
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Decide and document
The decision, its basis and the actions are recorded, so the reasoning survives the meeting.
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Track
We agree what will be measured and reviewed, so the outcome of the decision is visible later.
What we need from you
Preparation is where most engagements are won or lost. The more of this you can gather before we start, the faster the work goes and the more accurately we can scope it.
- Historical accounts — ideally three years — and current management accounts.
- Sales data at a level that allows analysis by product, customer or channel.
- Cost information, including anything held outside the accounts.
- Contracts and terms for major customers, suppliers and facilities.
- The management team's time to explain the business and challenge the analysis.
- A clear statement of the decision and the date it must be made by.
What you can reasonably expect
- A quantified view of the options rather than a qualitative one.
- A cash forecast management can rely on and update.
- Clarity on where profit is actually made and where it is lost.
- A documented basis for significant decisions.
- Risks identified and quantified before they materialise.
- Financial information prepared to the standard a lender or investor expects.
We provide analysis and recommendations. We do not guarantee funding, investment or a particular outcome from a transaction, and we do not accept success fees contingent on raising capital.
What affects fees and timelines
We do not publish a price list. The drivers below vary too much between businesses for a published figure to be honest — and a price quoted before an assessment is usually wrong in one direction or the other.
| Factor | How it affects the engagement |
|---|---|
| The question being answered | A cash forecast is a smaller piece of work than a full due diligence. |
| Data availability and quality | Where analysis must be built from raw data rather than reliable accounts, preparation time dominates. |
| Transaction complexity | Multi-entity groups, cross-border arrangements and earn-outs all add scope. |
| Deadline | A compressed timetable requires more resource in parallel. |
| Number of stakeholders | Board, lender, investor and legal advisers each add reporting and question time. |
Advisory work is quoted per engagement or on a day rate against a defined scope. We do not work on a contingent or success-fee basis for funding.
Software and industries this service applies to
Platforms we commonly work with for this service
Sectors we apply this service in
Frequently asked questions
Do you help us raise funding?
We prepare you for the process: the model, the accounts, the assumptions, the narrative and the answers to the questions you will be asked. We do not promise introductions, we do not guarantee that funding will be secured, and we do not take a success fee. Anyone who guarantees funding is selling you something else.
How is a valuation done?
Using recognised approaches — typically a combination of earnings-based, asset-based and market-comparable methods — with the basis, assumptions and sensitivities stated explicitly. A valuation is a reasoned range, not a precise number, and we say which assumptions drive it.
We are a small business. Is advisory worth it?
For a specific decision, yes. A few days of analysis before committing to a lease, a large contract or a hire is usually cheap relative to the cost of getting it wrong. We scope tightly so the work matches the size of the decision.
Can you act for both buyer and seller?
No. Acting for both sides in the same transaction is a conflict. We act for one party and say so at the outset.
Do you replace our finance director?
We can provide the analysis and challenge a part-time finance director provides, and we can cover the role for a defined period. Where a business needs a permanent hire, we will tell you when that point has arrived rather than extend an engagement that is no longer the right answer.
How do we know your advice is independent?
We are not paid commission by software vendors or lenders, and we disclose any relationship that could affect a recommendation. Where we recommend a platform we implement, that is stated on the page.
Let’s build a stronger financial foundation for your business.
Tell us what you are dealing with. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, what it would involve and what it would cost.