You have built a successful business. But the numbers do not tell the full story.
The below are often signs of a business that has outgrown its financial infrastructure. Most owner-managed businesses at £1M-£10M are in exactly this position.
We're doing well, but the profits aren't coming through to the bank.
Management accounts arrive weeks late. By the time I see them, they're useless.
I don't know if we're actually profitable or just busy.
Cash flow feels reactive. Tax bills come as a shock every year.
I suspect we're leaving margin on the table, but I can't prove it.
I know we need an FD, but a full-time hire feels premature right now.
In 45 minutes, we will show you exactly where the gaps in your financial infrastructure are - and what the most profitable £10M+ companies do differently.
Book Your Free 45-Minute Diagnostic CallBusinesses like yours. Results that compound.
"The diagnostic call alone was worth it. Within 45 minutes we had identified two areas where we were losing margin we had no idea about. We have since engaged Fuller Spurling on a monthly basis and the difference to how we run the business is significant."
"I had been putting off getting proper financial oversight for two years because I thought we were not big enough to justify it. The call changed that view entirely. We now have monthly FD reviews and a cash flow model that means I am never surprised."
"What Fuller Spurling do is different from what our accountant does. The compliance piece is covered, but the monthly commercial review is what has actually changed how I make decisions. I now know which clients and which services are making us money."
Most £2M-£7M businesses are profitable on paper. But the bank often doesn't reflect that. Here is why.
After reviewing hundreds of owner-managed businesses across London and the Home Counties, we have identified a consistent pattern. There are three distinct stages of financial growth. Most businesses we speak to are able to identify - and close - the gaps once they can see them clearly.
- –Checking the bank balance every morning
- –Cannot answer: profitable or just busy?
- –Making pricing decisions blind
- –Constant surprises every month
- –Decisions driven entirely by gut feel
- ▶Compliance is handled, but numbers are not trusted
- ▶Busy all year but profit does not reflect the effort
- ▶Cannot say which service line or client makes money
- ▶Tax bills and cash shortfalls still come as surprises
- ▶Growth feels risky because cash is unpredictable
- –Know exactly where profit comes from
- –13-week rolling cash flow forecast in place
- –Pricing and profitability frameworks that increase enterprise value
- –Decisions made with confidence, not hope
- –Finance director-level oversight built in
"In our experience, the vast majority of businesses we review for the first time are sitting in Tier 2 - often without realising it. They have grown past the point where instinct alone is enough, but have not yet built the financial infrastructure to match their ambition. The diagnostic call exists to show you exactly where you sit, and what it takes to move."
Fuller Spurling — Chartered Accountants Est. 1976
What You Learn On The Call
Exactly which tier you are in, which financial systems you are missing, and the specific gaps that are holding your business back from the next level.
45 minutes. A clear picture of where you stand. And exactly what to do next.
This is a structured diagnostic session run by a senior Fuller Spurling adviser. The call stands on its own: you will leave knowing more about your financial position than you did when you arrived. If we identify areas where our Fractional Finance Director service could help, we will say so clearly and explain what that looks like. No pressure, no obligation.
We understand your current situation
Eight diagnostic questions that establish where you are financially: your revenue, your visibility, your reporting, your cash control, and your confidence in the numbers.
We show you the framework
We present the 3-tier model and show you exactly which tier you are in, which milestones you have achieved, and which gaps are costing you margin, cash, and confidence right now.
We show you the path to Tier 3
We explain what it takes to build Tier 3 financial infrastructure at your stage: what needs to happen, in what order, and what it costs. We show you how our Outsourced Finance Director service delivers FD-level oversight at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
You decide what comes next
If we identify a genuine fit, we will explain our Fractional Finance Director service and what an engagement would look like for your business specifically. If it is not the right time, you still leave with a clear picture of where you are and what to prioritise.
Our guarantee: You will leave the call with a clear, written summary of where your business stands financially and the specific steps to improve it — regardless of whether we work together.
Book Your Free 45-Minute Diagnostic CallIf the diagnostic identifies gaps, this is how we close them.
Where we see a clear opportunity to help, we will explain our Outsourced Finance Director service. This service gives our clients FD-level financial oversight, commercial intelligence, and strategic support - without the cost of a full-time hire. This is part of the infrastructure that moves businesses from Tier 2 to Tier 3.
Monthly FD-Level Reviews
A senior adviser reviews your management accounts every month, identifies trends, flags risks, and gives you a clear picture of where the business stands. Not once a year at year-end. Every month.
Profitability by Service Line and Client
We identify which parts of your business are genuinely profitable and which are consuming margin. Most owners are surprised. The data changes how you price, who you take on, and where you focus.
13-Week Cash Flow Forecasting
A rolling 13-week cash flow model means you see cash shortfalls before they happen, not after. You stop making decisions based on what is in the account today and start making them based on what is coming.
Commercial Decision Support
Hiring, pricing, contracts, investment, exit planning. A Fractional FD sits alongside you for the decisions that matter, providing the financial analysis and commercial perspective that sits above the compliance layer.
Ready to find out exactly where your business stands?
Apply in 2 minutes. A senior adviser will review your application and confirm your call within one business day.
Built for ambitious business owners who are ready to play a bigger game.
You have already proved something. You built a business that works, earns well, and has a reputation worth protecting. The question is whether the financial infrastructure around it is as sharp as everything else you have built.
- You are the founder or MD of an owner-managed business turning over £1M-£10M
- You are based in Greater London or the Home Counties
- You have a bookkeeper or small finance function, but no strategic financial leadership
- You are making decisions on instinct rather than clear, forward-looking financial data
- You suspect there is margin or profit you are not yet capturing
- You are thinking about growth, a future exit, or simply want to sleep better at night
Everything you need to know before you apply.
My current accountant does some advisory work. Are we not already covered?
Compliance and year-end work is the foundation. We can provide that ourselves, or we can work alongside your existing accountant, bookkeeper, or finance function. What most advisory-only relationships do not include is monthly FD-level reviews, service-line profitability analysis, or 13-week cash flow forecasts. That is the commercial layer we add on top.
What does the call cost?
Nothing. The 45-minute diagnostic call is provided at no cost to qualifying businesses. We invest in this because a proper diagnosis before any engagement is the only way we can be confident our Fractional Finance Director service is genuinely right for your business. If there is a fit, we will explain it. If there is not, we will tell you that too.
How much of my time does this take?
A short application (2 minutes) and 45 minutes on the call. That is it. No preparation required, no homework, no lengthy workshops. We run the session and you leave with a clear picture of where you stand.
We are not sure we are at the stage where we need this yet.
The businesses that achieve the best outcomes and the best exits are the ones that built this infrastructure earlier than felt strictly necessary. The compounding effect of better financial intelligence is significant. Every Tier 3 business we have worked with built this infrastructure at your stage. That is why they made it to Tier 3.
We are not sure our turnover is high enough to justify this.
The diagnostic call is designed for businesses at £1M-£10M. This is precisely the stage where the gap between what you are earning and what you are keeping is largest — and where the right financial infrastructure has the most impact. You do not need to be at £10M for this to be relevant. You need to be heading there.
What if we decide not to work with you after the call?
That is entirely your decision and there is no pressure either way. You will leave with a written summary of your diagnostic — which tier you are in, which financial systems you are missing, and what to prioritise. That is yours regardless of what comes next. Most people find it useful even if the timing is not right.
A firm built on long-term relationships, not annual transactions.
Fuller Spurling is a Chartered Accountancy firm based in Chertsey, Surrey. We have been advising owner-managed businesses across Greater London and the Home Counties since 1976.
We are not a large, consolidated firm where you become a number. We are a relationship-led practice where the senior adviser you meet is the adviser who does the work. The financial partner in the seat next to you, not a siloed person who files your accounts once per year.
"Compliance tells you what happened. A commercial finance partner tells you what to do about it. There is a significant difference, and it compounds every quarter."
Serving professional services, technology, construction, and commercial services businesses across Surrey, London, Hampshire, Berkshire, Kent, and West Sussex.