Outsourced CFO support for growing businesses
Some financial questions need more than a report of last month. Can the business support a new role? What happens to cash if customers pay later? Which assumptions make an expansion plan workable? Outsourced CFO support gives you a way to explore these questions through an agreed financial planning engagement.
Discuss your requirementsExplore feesEPOS Accountancy offers CFO support alongside bookkeeping and management accounts. You may need help with a defined project or recurring financial discussions as the business develops.
What outsourced CFO support means
An outsourced CFO, sometimes called a fractional CFO, provides agreed financial input without employing a full-time CFO. The proposal needs to identify the actual work, time commitment, responsibilities and outputs.
For your business, that might mean developing a cashflow forecast, reviewing a budget, comparing investment options or establishing a regular financial review. You remain responsible for business decisions and approvals. Any involvement in meetings, contact with third parties or authority to act must be agreed explicitly.
Practical outputs to discuss
A useful engagement begins with a clear question and ends with something you can review.
| Decision or priority | Possible deliverable | Information needed |
|---|---|---|
| Managing upcoming cash needs | Cashflow forecast and review | Opening cash, expected receipts and commitments |
| Planning the next trading period | Budget with documented assumptions | Sales plans, costs and operational priorities |
| Considering recruitment or investment | Comparison of financial scenarios | Proposed costs, timing and expected effects |
| Reviewing business performance | Agreed financial meeting and action record | Management accounts and relevant indicators |
| Preparing information for a finance discussion | Financial information pack within scope | Records and the recipient’s requirements |
Funding applications, transactions, valuations and regulated advice need their own suitability review and explicit arrangements. Preparing financial information does not guarantee funding or any third party’s acceptance.
Forecasts that show their assumptions
A forecast is useful when you can understand how it was built. We can discuss a planning horizon and level of detail that match your decisions, then identify the expected receipts, payments and timing assumptions needed for the model.
Scenarios might compare a base plan with slower collections, lower sales or a later recruitment date. This helps you examine possible changes and actions. Forecasts are estimates, not guarantees. They need review when trading conditions or plans change.
Recurring support can include reviewing actual results against the plan.
Choose a focused project or recurring support
A defined project may suit one decision, such as assessing the cash implications of taking on a new team member. The agreement can specify the question, model, review meeting and handover. Additional scenarios or later revisions should have a clear place in the scope.
Recurring support may suit owners who want regular financial input across budgeting, cashflow and performance reviews. The proposal can identify meeting frequency, reporting inputs, agreed outputs and how urgent or additional requests are handled.
If dependable management information is not yet available, strengthening the records may be the first practical step. Bookkeeping and management accounts can be discussed alongside CFO support, with each responsibility clearly identified.
What we need from you
You provide current financial records, bank balances, outstanding customer and supplier amounts, existing commitments and the plans you want to assess. We may also need payroll costs, borrowing details, proposed investment costs and the timing of significant receipts or payments.
Your operational knowledge matters. Tell us what drives sales, where capacity is constrained and which assumptions are uncertain. We agree who will supply information, approve assumptions and make decisions.
A hypothetical example
Imagine a small agency considering two new hires after winning additional work. An agreed project could compare hiring both immediately with staggering the start dates. The forecast could also model a delay in customer payments and show when available cash becomes tighter. The owner could use that comparison to consider timing, reserves or further questions. This is a hypothetical illustration, not a client result or a recommendation for any particular business.
How the engagement starts
We clarify the decision or ongoing need, review the available information and confirm whether the proposed work is suitable. We then agree outputs, responsibilities, fees and timing. After preparing the analysis, we review the findings with you and record agreed next steps within the engagement.
Frequently asked questions
Is CFO support the same as management accounts?
Management accounts describe reported performance. CFO support can use those reports to inform planning, scenarios and decisions. Both can be included where expressly agreed.
Can I use the service for one project?
A defined project can be discussed without assuming a recurring engagement. Its deliverables and any follow-up work need to be clear.
Will you run the finance function?
Only the responsibilities expressly agreed are included. Staff management, payment authority and executive duties should never be assumed from the service title.
How are fees agreed?
We quote after understanding the work, complexity and involvement needed. The proposal explains included outputs and the treatment of additional requests.
Discuss the decision ahead
Tell us what you are considering, when a decision is needed and which financial information you already have. We can discuss suitable support and a practical first step.