A finance lead, on a part-time basis
Virtual CFO and advisory
Finbryn gives UK companies senior finance judgement on a part-time basis: cash forecasting, budgeting, KPI dashboards, investor and lender reporting, and support through a fundraise, an acquisition or a sale, delivered under a named pod, working inside your own Xero or QuickBooks Online file.
13-week cash forecast
Illustrative client · August 2026
GBP
- Cash today
- £244,220
- Lowest week ahead
- 239,800
- Largest outflow
- Payroll, 46,300
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
Finance leadership without a full-time hire
Most UK small and mid-sized companies cannot justify a full-time finance director, but they still need someone who reads the management accounts, spots a trend before it becomes a problem, and can sit across the table from a bank, an investor or a buyer. Virtual CFO work fills that gap: senior financial judgement on a part-time basis, built on top of books already closed and reconciled in Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage.
What this covers
The work ranges from a monthly finance review with a fractional CFO to a single deliverable, such as a 13-week cash flow forecast ahead of a slow trading period, a fundraising model ahead of a raise, or diligence support ahead of a sale. Some companies start with one piece, such as a KPI dashboard, and add fractional CFO time once the reporting is in place.
Where the work is done, and what it is not
The analysis is prepared by our finance team, contracted through Northlane Solutions Inc., the US company you sign with. Every model and report goes through senior principal review before it reaches you. This is forward-looking planning and analysis, not statutory accounts preparation, not a Corporation Tax return, and not an audit: those stay with your accountant, tax adviser or auditor of record. A budget or forecast may reference dates such as your Corporation Tax payment deadline so cash is planned for, but the return itself is filed by whoever is registered to file it.
Built on your own numbers
Every forecast, budget and report is built from your actual Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage data, not a generic template. If your bookkeeping is not current, our bookkeeping service can close it first, so the numbers behind any CFO or planning work are correct from the start. FRS 102's Periodic Review changes, in effect for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2026, affect how revenue and leases show up in the accounts this work is built on, so we keep budgets and forecasts aligned with whichever standard your company reports under. See pricing for how advisory work is scoped, and how it works for onboarding.
All services
Virtual CFO and advisory: every service
- Fractional CFOA senior finance lead who works your numbers on a part-time basis: monthly reviews, board and investor prep, and a second opinion before a big decision.
- 13-week cash flow forecastA rolling week-by-week cash forecast that shows what is coming in, what is going out, and where the next 13 weeks get tight.
- BudgetingAn annual budget built from your real numbers, broken out by month and department, that becomes the baseline every later report is measured against.
- FP&AOngoing financial planning and analysis: budget-to-actual tracking, margin and cost analysis, and the monthly pack that explains why the numbers moved.
- KPI designA short list of the numbers that actually run your business, defined once and tracked consistently, instead of a dashboard nobody opens.
- M&A due diligence supportFinancial due diligence support for a buy-side or sell-side deal: clean data, a quality-of-earnings view, and answers ready before the buyer or their advisor asks.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: Virtual CFO and advisory
Is a fractional CFO worth it for a small UK company?
If you are making pricing, hiring or fundraising decisions without a clear read on cash and margin, a fractional CFO usually pays for itself in avoided mistakes well before it pays for itself in new revenue.
Do you file our Corporation Tax return or annual accounts as part of CFO work?
No. Virtual CFO and advisory work is planning and analysis. Your Corporation Tax return and statutory accounts are prepared and filed separately, by whoever is registered with HMRC and Companies House to do so.
Can you work alongside our existing accountant?
Yes. We commonly sit alongside an existing accountant or tax adviser, focused on forward-looking planning rather than the compliance work they already handle.
What software do you need access to?
Read access to your accounting system, usually Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage, plus connected bank feeds, is normally enough to start.
How is pricing structured for advisory work?
Advisory engagements are scoped and priced up front once we understand what you need, month to month with no long-term contract. Published starting ranges are on the pricing page.
What is not included in virtual CFO advisory work?
We build forecasts, budgets, board packs and KPI frameworks, and advise on the numbers behind a decision. We do not sign statutory accounts, file your Corporation Tax return, or act as a named company officer, since advisory work sits alongside your existing accountant and any credentialed signer rather than replacing them.
What happens to our models and reports if the engagement ends?
You keep every forecast, budget and board pack built during the engagement, in the spreadsheet or dashboard tool used to build it, along with the assumptions behind each figure. A short handover note covers anything in progress, so an internal hire or new adviser can pick up the model without starting over.
What access or information do you need to start CFO work?
Access to your accounting software, prior management accounts and, for a cash flow forecast, your bank feed, scoped to reporting rather than payment authority. We never need standing authority to move money, and any access granted is reviewed whenever the scope of the engagement changes.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.