Scaling a business is exciting but it also means making big decisions quickly, and often with more at stake. At a certain point, you may find that your existing finance function is not enough to support the pace and complexity of your growth.
In this issue of Scale Monthly, we explore the tell-take signs that you’ve outgrown your current finance set-up, and what your options might be when it’s time to bring in senior financial expertise.
Why it matters
As your business grows, so does the need for strategic financial insight. You’re not just looking backwards at what happened last quarter. You’re forecasting growth, managing risk and weighing investment decisions.
The right finance lead can:
- Bring financial clarity to complex decisions
- Translate numbers into strategy
- Help implement systems that scale with the business
- Support founders in managing investor, board or lender relationships
The tipping points: When is it time?
Here are some of the common signs that you may be ready to rethink your finance team:
- You’re making decisions without real-time financial data
- You don’t have clear forecasting, cash flow visibility or budgeting
- Financial reporting is slow, manual or error-prone
- You’re navigating funding, M&A or international expansion
- Founders are spending too much time in the numbers, not on the business
Hiring options: What does your business need?
Depending on your size and stage, there are a few options. We recommend considering the outcomes you need first – then matching the role to your requirements, not the other way around.
- Finance Manager
- A great step when your finance admin becomes overwhelming.
- Brings focus to day-to-day operations, monthly reporting and payroll.
- Financial Controller
- Adds oversight, structure and accuracy.
- Ensures processes, compliance and controls are robust.
- Finance Director (FD)
- Brings strategic thinking and commercial insight.
- Often involved in fundraising, board reporting and planning.
- Virtual or Part-Time CFO
- Ideal for fast-growth businesses that need high-level insight without the full-time cost.
- Can drive tech adoption, scenario modelling and investor readiness.
Why your finance tech stack needs a leader
A fast-growth business demands more than basic bookkeeping – it needs a tech-enabled finance function that delivers insights beyond the numbers.
An experienced finance lead can:
- Select and implement tools that grow with your business
- Integrate systems to reduce duplication and increase accuracy
- Design real-time reporting that empowers faster, smarter decisions
- Spot gaps and inefficiencies across finance workflows
Without this leadership, businesses risk underutilising tools, relying on outdated processes or making decisions based on incomplete data.
How we can help
At Harold Sharp, we help fast-growth businesses build finance functions that scale with them. As part of our services, we offer a fully outsourced Finance Director (FD) solution – giving you access to senior financial leadership without the overhead of a full-time hire. Whether you’re ready for a part-time FD, looking to restructure your internal team or want to get more out of your financial data, we can support you every step of the way.
If you’d like to discuss your options, contact James Turner on the below or complete our Contact Form.
James Turner
Accountant | Fast growth
0161 905 1616
jt@haroldsharp.co.uk