Micro FD Services

Our Micro FD Offerings

Get senior finance leadership without the full-time cost. Our Micro FD service gives you access to a senior finance professional, specifically, a part-time finance director, rather than just a finance manager. A financial director is a senior executive responsible for overseeing a company’s financial operations and strategy.

Our Micro FD tightens cash control, upgrades management accounts and forecasting, and turns decisions into action. It is practical, fast to set up and built around a clear cadence so everyone knows who is doing what and by when.

Who Our Micro FD Service Is For

• Owner-managed SMEs that want sharper decisions on cash, pricing and staffing, without hiring a full-time finance director. Suitable for any organisation seeking sharper financial oversight and more effective management of budgets, including businesses with varying staff headcounts and medium-sized enterprises.
• Multi-site retailers and hospitality operators need site-level KPIs, consistent reporting, tighter stock, and labour control.
• Healthcare businesses, including pharmacies, where fee timing, stock and purchasing strategy shape cash every month.
• Scale-ups and established firms are planning investment, a new site, a major contract, or a change in funding.
• Teams with solid bookkeeping that now need a Micro FD to lead the finance rhythm, own key outcomes and support senior management meetings.

Smaller companies often lack the resources for a full-time finance director, making Micro FD services especially valuable. These services are useful for organisations of varying staff headcount and complexity.

What You Get With Our Micro FD Service

Cash Control That Protects Growth

Cash gets you through the month and funds the next step. As your Micro FD, we build a live thirteen-week cash view and a rolling twelve-month forecast, with a key focus on managing cash flow effectively. Effective management of finances is critical to sustaining business operations and supporting growth. We run a weekly cash huddle, agree on receipts and payments, and set clear rules for deposits, credit limits and payment terms.

The Micro FD also manages relationships with banks and financial institutions to optimise cash flow and ensure access to money when needed. We monitor debtor days and supplier terms and track progress weekly. When issues arise, we act quickly so cash does not drift.

Management Accounts People Read And Use

We turn numbers into action. Our Micro FD service delivers a concise monthly pack with budget and prior comparisons, a clean balance sheet view and a short action list. Effective budgeting is key to financial planning and management accounts, helping organisations forecast and implement economic policies. The main difference between management and statutory accounts is that management accounts are designed for internal decision-making and regular review. In contrast, statutory accounts are prepared for external reporting and compliance.

We translate complex financial information into clear, actionable commentary for decision-makers. We write commentary in plain English, keeping jargon out and focusing on what changed, why it changed, and what happens next. Where you need a template, we set one up through our Management Accounts service, so reporting is consistent every month.

Forecasting And Financial Strategy That Stays Live

Plans only work when forecasts stay current. The Micro FD applies strong analytical skills to ensure forecasts remain accurate and relevant. We link the pack to a rolling forecast that updates monthly, not annually. We test realistic scenarios before you commit to spending, then document what would trigger each decision.

Financial planning is integral to aligning forecasts with business strategy and ensuring long-term success. We align the budget and forecast through our Budget Advisory work to align targets, hiring plans and pricing moves.

KPIs That Drive Decisions

We keep KPIs tight, usually ten or fewer. Setting and tracking these KPIs requires key financial analysis and performance management skills. Typical measures include gross margin by product or site, debtor days, stock turns, labour cost percentage, average transaction value, conversion, cash conversion and runway, where relevant. Every KPI has a named owner and a target. We track progress visually and finish each session with who, what and by when. If a metric does not inform a decision, we remove it.

Funding Readiness When You Need It

If you plan to invest or refinance, your Micro FD prepares lender-ready numbers and a clear story. The Micro FD can report directly to lenders or investors as part of the funding process, ensuring transparency and confidence in the financial information provided. We reconcile historic financial performance, maintain a robust forward model and build sensitivities. We coordinate options through Corporate Finance when required, then support meetings and information requests so momentum never slips.

Preparing for funding often involves collaboration between various finance jobs, including finance directors, finance managers, and accounting personnel, to ensure all financial aspects are thoroughly addressed.

How Our Micro FD Engagement Works

A Fast, Structured Onboarding

Month one is about clarity and rhythm. The Micro FD leading the onboarding typically has at least five years of senior finance experience. We review ledgers, build or refresh the forecast, define KPIs and owners, and agree on the month-end timetable. We produce the first pack together, refine the layout and commentary, and then lock the template so it stays consistent.

A Weekly And Monthly Cadence You Can Rely On

• Weekly cash huddle for receipts, payments and any changes to terms.
• Month-end within ten working days with a concise pack, commentary and action log.
• Monthly performance review is conducted to agree on decisions, owners, and dates.
• Quarterly planning is needed to align strategy, capacity, and investment.

This cadence keeps everyone aligned and reduces noise. It also makes handovers simple when team members are on leave. The Micro FD’s ability to maintain a steady cadence ensures consistent results.

Clear Roles And Decision Rights

Your Micro FD owns cash control, the reporting pack, the rolling forecast and KPI governance. Finance team members or bookkeepers focus on processing and reconciliations. Owners and managers make decisions with support from the pack and the estimates. We document responsibilities so nothing falls between the cracks.

While a Micro FD may take on some responsibilities similar to those of a chief financial officer, the roles are distinct. A chief financial officer typically provides broader strategic leadership and long-term financial oversight within an organisation.

Governance That Fits Your Size

We set proportionate controls, with the Micro FD responsible for ensuring these controls are both effective and appropriate. The Micro FD also ensures compliance with relevant financial regulations as part of the governance process. Typical steps include two-stage approval for spend above a threshold, standard pricing sign-off, cycle stock counts and a short risk register that senior management reviews quarterly. We keep the process lean so controls do not slow down decisions.

Outcomes You Can Expect From A Micro FD

• Faster cash conversion from disciplined invoicing, clear terms and focused credit control.
• Better margins through visibility of product or site performance and practical pricing actions.
• Fewer surprises because the forecast is live and assumptions are tested.
• Leadership clarity is achieved through short, regular meetings that end in actions, not lengthy discussions.
• Funding readiness is built into the month, and it is not rushed at the last minute.
• Financial success is driven by expert financial management that supports the company’s overall economic health and growth.
• Time back for owners who can step out of day-to-day decisions and focus on business forward growth.

These outcomes stay in view through the action log and KPI tracker, so progress is visible, not just discussed.

Talk to us and let’s make a start on your Diamond journey!

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