The Benefits of a Finance Director is an article I am most passionate about.
The question of “What Value do you bring” is one I get asked quite regularly by both fi-curious people at networking events or as a part of the interview process before winning work.
I’ll confess that I do get quite excited when talking about the benefits of a fractional FD because I see the value we bring to each company first hand. In addition, I can see that there is a massive gap in the market for this value because Accountancy Practices are typically too busy to tie this far less profitable service to their list of benefits. And that is fine.
Let’s start with what does a business or CEO need
In my experience (and that is as a business owner, as well as a Fractional FD to SaaS companies), what they really need is help. They need someone to take problems off of their hands and return with an answer, or a solution, or the project completed.
The Accounting industry tends to call this offer ‘Advisory’. They like to advise business owners and CEO’s what they should do. This could be delivered within a meeting or a written report, and in my experience, solves nothing.
Advisory services from an accountant is like a Marketeer telling me that I should spend more time on my SEO. I know I should, but I don’t have the time and I don’t know how to do it.
So the problem with Advisory services is the business – and most likely the CEO – still has to go and do what they have been ‘advised’, but the real problem that CEO’s have is that they don’t have the time to do it (because most ultimately, are capable of finding out how themselves). These tasks then become another to-do on their wish-list of building a high performing business.
What are the benefits of a fractional Finance Director or what value do I bring …
Here is a short overview of the areas where I can help:
Financial Strategy & Growth Planning
- Revenue Growth – I can help identify pricing strategies, challenge you on potential upsell or cross-selling opportunities, and some revenue expansion tactics.
- SaaS Metrics & Unit Economics – I can implement and manage your tracking of CAC, LTV, churn, MRR/ARR, et cetera for monthly reporting.
- Scaling Profitably – Forecasting when to invest in growth vs. when to cut costs.
- Funding Strategy – Advising on bootstrapping vs. raising investment and ensuring the right capital structure.
Cash Flow & Profitability Management
- Runway Management – Ensuring the business doesn’t run out of cash.
- Cost Control – Finding efficiencies in infrastructure (e.g., cloud costs), tools, and operational spending, relative to the other businesses I have worked with.
- Revenue Recognition & Billing Efficiency – Ensuring revenue is recognised correctly and improving collections.
- SaaS-Specific Forecasting – Managing subscription revenue, deferred revenue, and cost alignment.
Investor & Board Relations
- Fundraising & Valuation – Supporting investor pitches with Financial Models, preparing due diligence materials, and setting realistic valuations through a number of valuation methods.
- Board & Stakeholder Communication – Translating financials into actionable insights for non-financial leaders.
- Exit Planning – Positioning the business for acquisition or a future exit.
Operational & Risk Management
- KPIs & Reporting – Implementing dashboards to track performance against goals.
- Compliance & Tax Planning – Ensuring R&D tax credits, VAT, and other regulatory aspects are optimized.
- Contract & Pricing Strategy – Ensuring customer contracts are structured for long-term profitability and retention.
Supporting the CEO & Leadership Team
- Sounding Board for Key Decisions – Acting as a strategic partner, not just a numbers person.
- Compensation & Hiring Strategy – Structuring competitive yet sustainable salary and incentive plans.
- Process & System Improvements – Implementing automation, financial systems, and reporting improvements.
Let’s wrap this up.
The unique Value I can bring as as a Fractional FD, for a small SaaS business (typically £1M-£3M revenue), I can:
- Avoid financial mistakes that kill growth.
- Ensure Accounting industry standards are conformed to
- Create a clear path to profitability and scale.
- Free up the CEO to focus on product & growth, not spreadsheets.
- Provide investor-level financial clarity without needing a full-time CFO.
So what are you waiting for!?
By Christopher Grubb. You can find out more about me here.
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I hope the above has helped.
The role of the Finance Director does not need to be a full-time overhead for someone to be committed and make a difference to your business. My aim is to simplify the financial performance, planning and strategic positioning for SaaS and Tech businesses who just want their world to be uncomplicated and thrive.
Please feel free to message me with any comments or questions. Or find me on LinkedIn here.
