The Virtual Finance Director
Take your business to the next level with a Virtual Finance Director
Virtual Finance Director Services
Financial Planning and Analysis
Individual, one-of-a-kind, bespoke – however you want to label it, VFD knows your business is as unique as you are, which is why our approach will always be tailored, created to best support your business and the approach you favour.
Business Rescue and Turnaround
Business can be tough but recent times have caused business disruption beyond measure. Countless businesses have suffered as a result of the challenges and uncertainty we have faced and as a result, many business owners are finding themselves in situations they may not have encountered before.
Their cashflow is not what it was, costs are rapidly increasing, customers are cautious and the thought of funding options lingers. Questions follow questions as answers are sought. How can you improve cash flow? Should you cut costs, source additional or alternative funding or speak to your customers and suppliers? Could you defer statutory payments? And if you keep trading, will you stay legal? How to turnaround your business is not always straightforward or obvious but thankfully, VFD’s years of industry experience hold some of the answers to get you out of the red and back into the black.
Business Transformation
Whether you have a team of two or twenty, you will find a strong finance team with robust processes and systems at the centre of every successful business.
Over the years and in numerous roles VFD has seen many businesses discount the value or ignore the ever-increasing size of its finance team to its detriment. Statements such as ‘it looks to be overstaffed’ or ‘we are not getting the best value for the business’ offer a warning that change is more than likely necessary however, a clear strategy and the drive to constantly evolve to meet the pace of change is often lacking. Optimising costs and efficiency should constantly be on your radar as a business leader but if you have hit a plateau or are unsure how to drive your finance function forward further, VFD can help you transform and succeed by developing a strategy and implementing the change required to deliver it.
Acquisitions and Divestitures
Whether you’re seeking growth or a robust exit strategy, VFD can work with you to ensure your personal and business goals are met. For businesses actively looking to grow, expansion by acquiring or merging with another business working within the same sector may be a seriously smart move.
Whether you’re looking to acquire a competitor or invest in your supply chain, VFD can work with you to not only identify suitable targets but discover the ones that are the best fit, bearing your approach to business in mind. Alternatively, if you think your business has reached a value that will support your family’s future lifestyle and you just want to step away from the daily grind, we can also look at the most appropriate exit strategy that will secure your financial future and leave your legacy in capable hands.
Business Support
Looking from the inside in… it’s not a phrase we hear much, is it? Looking from the outside in however is. Let VFD act as a window into your business.
From our unique, outsider viewpoint, we can grow your business and help you to deliver on projects by providing you with the very best business support and cross-sector team management, be that part-time or during the recruitment process. VFD can step into the void to offer a superior management service, both across financial and commercial teams.
About Nick Vessey
With a career in accountancy and finance that began in the early-90s, Nick founded his consultancy in 2008 and more recently, began trading as the Virtual Finance Director after more than 30 years of experiencing every aspect of the industry, including Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer positions help since 2015.
From Clerical Assistant to Management Accountant, Finance Manager to Financial Controller, and eventually, Financial Director to CFO, Nick spent years supporting high-profile, established companies in achieving their goals, outperforming budgets and increasing revenue streams but more recently, found his niche achieving the same objectives for SMEs.
But like so many who grow accustomed to working for one organisation, Nick grew tired of traditional employment and instead chose to seek out a new challenge helping a wider business community as well as like-minded individuals seeking to pursue a portfolio career.
“I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to a wide range of businesses with very different needs, therefore developing a broad skillset which I am now able to use for the benefit of multiple businesses and business owners.”
Now working ‘on the ground’ as he describes it, Nick has the opportunity to apply his golden touch to support businesses that have a varied level of experience and in-house finance support to hand. He is now delivering his unique skill set to a wide variety of businesses with great results, from smaller SMEs who typically can’t afford to access a CFO to firms turning over upwards of £12 million a year.
Nick’s services can be called upon ad hoc, or on a regular part-time basis. Flexible, accessible, effective and always balanced but most importantly, working with you rather than for you.