After 20+ years growing, exiting and acquiring businesses, the same patterns and pitfalls exist
Almost every business that breaks through £40m turnover hits the same issues. Loyal servants of the business are struggling to keep up, and systems and processes are outdated, which means a bloating cost base — or worse, revenue is flat.
We’ve lived through this on more than one occasion. We’ve been that loyal servant, and we’ve been through the pain of changing the ERP, or getting ready for an exit when the business was nowhere near ready.
It’s only through experience and perseverance that you become well placed to help other owners avoid the mistakes you made. Stepping off the rollercoaster and supporting, planning and — more importantly — executing is what delivers the change you’re looking for, so you can open up the next stage of growth.
You may feel nobody can teach you anything new about your product or service, and that’s probably true. But how the back office, and finance in particular, interacts with the rest of your business can and will have a huge say on your success.
We’ve carved out and sold a listed business to a household brand. We’ve opened new businesses in the US, India, Singapore, China and the Middle East. We’ve made countless acquisitions, funded organically and through debt, and taken a business from £15m turnover to £70m before selling to mid-tier private equity — learning every lesson on the way. If you’re scaling beyond £40m turnover and hitting that inflection point, we’ve been there too, and we can support you through the next stage of growth.
If you’re a CEO, we’ve been in your seat as well
Being a CEO in a private equity backed business is challenging, and managing your executive team by numbers is where you need a CFO leading the charge. It’s only when you’ve been a CEO that you really understand how a CFO can support you — sharing the burden, having the difficult conversations, leading the change, and giving you time to think straight.
AI in finance
AI is either a strength, or a risk — you decide.
We’ve seen first-hand the impact of AI. Like you, we’ve had our doubts and our concerns — but now we’re seeing real opportunity, and those that don’t adopt it will get left behind.
Adoption is cultural. It takes time to remove the fear, and nobody likes change, which is why we’re collaborative, patient and selective when designing AI-enabled processes.
AI on its own is not the answer. We cut through time-intensive processes to understand how, and whether, automation brings value. Read the article →
Assessment
What are your current processes, who does what, and how long does it take? Even without AI, this is a valuable activity most businesses never do.
Gap Analysis
Where could AI play a part in finance, creating an efficiency or adding value? We take you through the findings and evaluate the ROI together.
Security and Compliance
It has to be safe before we deploy. We cover every base during testing, and a risk assessment goes with every intervention.
Implementation
Once we have sign-off we run the new process in a sandbox, so we don’t disrupt current finance activity or unsettle the team.
How we work best
Nrthlogic is deliberately not for everybody. We prioritise execution — and if your business isn’t set up for us to achieve that, we’ll say so.
Founders working from instinct
Your span of control has grown with your business. You’re no longer enough on your own, and you know it.
Major events
Acquiring, fundraising, preparing for exit — all need somebody fluent in finance. It’s where deals are won and lost.
Boards asking tough questions
Can your reports, your processes and your people withstand the scrutiny?
If that sounds like where you are —
The first conversation is a scoping call. Cost depends on your requirements — day rates or fixed fee — which we’ll work through honestly with you.