Managing business growth

Assessing and managing the finance team, and growing it if necessary

With an understanding of your business and the complexity of the finance and accounting requirements behind it, we can help to assess your finance team and suggest changes if appropriate. We can also manage the team for you helping in the personal development of your staff and to provide them a sounding board for any finance/accounting issues.

Managing cashflow

This is probably the most critical finance responsibility in a growth business. We can help you set up templates and procedures for good cashflow management, which your own finance/accounting staff then run. We also make recommendations on how to improve your cashflow.

Implementing an accounting system

Every growth business will need to upgrade its accounting system at some point. We can help you to evaluate the best systems for your size and type of business, as well as negotiate with vendors and then execute the implementation.

Reviewing your monthly reporting and making recommendations to help you focus on the key metrics which really matter

It's not uncommon, as a company grows, for its monthly financial reporting to grow proportionately. Over a period of time, the monthly reporting pack becomes a thick pile of numbers without focus and not conveying any key messages to the management team. We can review your reporting (financial and non-financial) and make recommendations on how to improve it to ensure your management team gets what it needs to manage the business.

Providing a strategic finance view of your business

Many growing companies will have a competent Financial Controller in place but lack a finance professional with strategic insight and presence to advise on financial issues at Board level.

Reviewing procedures and controls in your business

All growth businesses need to keep a check on their processes and controls as they grow. Whilst this sounds mundane it is critical in minimising losses through errors or fraud, as well as ensuring efficiency of the organisation. We can review your processes and controls and make recommendations for improvement.

Analysing performance and recommending actions for improvement

We can lead a process of analysing your financial and non-financial information to analyse the performance of your business, and recommend actions for improvement. The metrics calculated can be used on an ongoing basis if appropriate, and fed back into your monthly reporting pack.

Making the most of a quote/listing

So, you're quoted/listed on a stock exchange, but how do you maximize the benefit of the quote/listing?

Planning and making an acquisition

Growing by acquisition is becoming ever more important these days, and Orchard Principals can act as the lead on any acquisition from start to finish including helping you identify the criteria for companies you wish to acquire, through to undertaking due diligence, and finally to managing advisers such as accountants and lawyers to ensure completion is expedited efficiently. This service allows your management team to focus on continuing to run the business without distraction.

Downsizing to secure your business's future

Things don't always go to plan and sometimes businesses have to downsize to help ensure their survival. We can assist you in analysing your cost base and then work with you and your management team to identify cost reductions which will have the least effect on your business. We can also renegotiate terms with suppliers. The target outcome is that you secure your business's future, and retain some value for all the effort you have put in over the years.