CFO-level thinking, without the CFO salary.
You are making decisions about hiring, pricing and investment — often without anyone at the table who has sat inside a growing business at that level. Annabel has. Sixteen years of strategic and operational in-business experience, AAT Licensed, available to your business on a fractional basis. Every enquiry reviewed personally by Annabel, with a response within one working day.
- Strategic financial oversight without a six-figure full-time hire
- Commercial advice grounded in 16 years of in-business experience
- Cash flow, margins and growth decisions explained in plain English
- Available UK-wide via cloud — no office required, no location barrier
No long-term contract. If it is not working after three months, you leave with clean books, clear records, and nothing outstanding.
Get a free quote
Fees scoped to your situation. Reply within one working day.
What our clients say
★★★★★
Vital Part of Business Growth
“I now see her as a vital part of my business and its continued growth.”
★★★★★
Saved Thousands, Fixed the Mess
“She has fixed so many lazy, unprofessional mistakes by my old accountant by being so meticulously thorough, offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands.”
★★★★★
Clear Answers, Mind at Ease
“The support and advice I have had has been extremely helpful and has set my mind at ease knowing that any problems or queries I have will be handled or answered.”
★★★★★
Genuinely Cares About Your Business
“I felt she truly cared about helping businesses to take control of their finances. She opened my eyes to how an accountant actually should work with you.”
Growing fast, but the financial decisions are guesswork?
Most small business owners reach a point where the numbers are keeping up but the thinking is not. You know revenue is moving, but you are not certain whether the margins are healthy, whether you can afford to hire, or what the cash position will look like in six months. That uncertainty does not get cheaper to ignore.
- Growth decisions — hiring, pricing, investment — made without proper financial modelling
- No one with CFO-level experience to challenge assumptions or stress-test the numbers
- A full-time finance director is not affordable, but spreadsheets are not enough any more
What strategic clarity looks like
A fractional CFO gives you the financial leadership your business needs, scoped to what it actually warrants. Commercial thinking, in plain English, from someone who has worked inside growing businesses — not processed numbers from a distance.
- Growth decisions supported by cash flow modelling and scenario analysis
- CFO-level challenge and commercial input without a full-time salary commitment
- Strategic financial oversight available as you need it, scaled to your stage
- Fees scoped to your situation — discussed on the free discovery call, no guessing
What clients say about working with Annabel
Two business owners on what changes when you have the right financial thinking in your corner — not just someone processing numbers at arm’s length.
I switched accountants to work with Annabel because I felt she truly cared about helping businesses to take control of their finances. She opened my eyes to how an accountant actually should work with you! She has fixed so many lazy, unprofessional mistakes by my old accountant by being so meticulously thorough, offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands! She even went through my dad’s accounts who had been through liquidation & had a really tough time just because she cared & wanted to see if she could help. I 100% trust Annabel & she proves time & time again why it was the best move for my business to switch to her. I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for someone who genuinely cares, who is meticulously thorough & offers great advice!
Working with Annabel has been fantastic. She has made the whole process of changing accountants so smooth and stress-free. Her step-by-step guidance and clear communication made everything easy to follow, even for someone who does not naturally “speak accounts.” Annabel’s energy, passion, and genuine desire to help people understand their business finances really shine through in everything she does. Her support and knowledge have been superb, and I now see her as a vital part of my business and its continued growth. Thank you, Annabel, for all your help; you truly live up to your company name!
What fractional CFO support covers
Strategic financial leadership, commercial input and forward-looking advice — scoped to what your business actually needs, without the overhead of a full-time hire.
Commercial Strategy and Scenario Planning
Hiring decisions, pricing reviews, investment calls — these need numbers behind them, not instinct. You get structured financial analysis and commercial challenge so the decisions you make are grounded in what the business can actually support. That includes cash flow forecasting, margin analysis and profitability modelling.
Strategic advisoryMonthly Management Accounts and Insight
Management accounts delivered within five working days of month close, in plain English, with a clear narrative on what the numbers mean and what to do next. Not a spreadsheet dropped in your inbox — an explanation of where you stand and what the smartest next move is.
Delivered within 5 working daysGrowth Planning and Financial Visibility
As your business grows, the financial decisions get bigger and the margin for error narrows. You get a commercial sounding board who has sat inside growing businesses at a strategic level — able to challenge assumptions, identify risks early and help you build a more profitable, better-run operation.
Backed by 16 years in-business experienceConsistent results across different businesses
Three different businesses, three different situations — each one describing what changes when the financial thinking matches the ambition.
Opened My Eyes to Real Accounting
“She opened my eyes to how an accountant actually should work with you! She has fixed so many lazy, unprofessional mistakes by my old accountant by being so meticulously thorough, offering amazing business advice & has saved me thousands!”
Now a Vital Part of My Business
“Her support and knowledge have been superb, and I now see her as a vital part of my business and its continued growth.”
Mind at Ease, Problems Always Handled
“The support and advice I have had has been extremely helpful and has set my mind at ease knowing that any problems or queries I have will be handled or answered.”
Why this is different from hiring a standard accountant
Most accountants process your numbers. A fractional CFO thinks about your business. Here is what that actually means in practice.
Inside experience, not desk experience
Annabel spent 16 years working inside real businesses at a strategic and operational level — contributing to the decisions that grew those businesses, not processing their numbers from a distance. That is the difference between commercial advice and compliance advice. The questions you bring to a fractional CFO are questions about your business, and the answers need to make sense for your business.
Decision-ready numbers within five days
Management accounts are delivered within five working days of month close, every month. Not when things are quiet, not when the quarter closes — every month, on time. The point is that you are never making growth decisions based on numbers that are two months old. That is when the guesswork creeps in.
Plain English, every time
No jargon, no overwhelming reports that sit unread on a desktop. The financial information you receive is explained in a way that helps you make decisions — what the numbers mean, where the risks are, and what the sensible next move looks like. Which is, frankly, the way it should have been from the start.
Up and running in three steps
The onboarding process is handled almost entirely by Annabel. The amount you need to do to get started is considerably smaller than most people expect.
Free discovery call
A free, no-obligation 20-30 minute call. Annabel asks about your business, your current setup and what is keeping you up at night — no scripts, no pitch deck. You get honest advice whether you become a client or not.
A proposal scoped to you
A proposal built around your specific situation — not a template tier. Scoped to what your business actually needs at this stage, with a clear fee and no surprises.
Onboard and hand over
The transition from your current setup is handled entirely by Annabel. Books are brought up to date, the cloud accounting is configured, and everything runs properly from day one — with considerably less for you to do than you are probably imagining.
Financial clarity, every month
Management accounts arrive within five working days of month close. Commercial input and strategic challenge available when you need it. You know where you stand, you know what the options are, and you can lead your business instead of chasing it.
“I have recently had the pleasure of the wonderful service of Annabel, appointed as my bookkeeper and accountant. Having never been self employed or a limited company before, the support and advice I have had has been extremely helpful and has set my mind at ease knowing that any problems or queries I have will be handled or answered. Friendly, supportive and very quick to respond to any queries or sort advice. I would 100% recommend.”
Things people usually ask before getting started
What does a fractional CFO actually do day to day — and how is that different from an accountant?
An accountant keeps your compliance in order — tax returns filed, books accurate, HMRC kept happy. A fractional CFO adds a layer of commercial and strategic thinking on top of that: cash flow forecasting, scenario modelling, growth planning, margin analysis, and a regular challenge of whether the business is heading in the right direction. Annabel works at both levels — the compliance is handled, and the commercial conversation happens alongside it.
What does fractional CFO support cost?
Fees are scoped to each client’s specific situation and discussed on the free discovery call. There is no published pricing because the scope varies — a business needing monthly management accounts and a quarterly strategy session requires something different from one that needs weekly input during a growth phase. The proposal you receive will be clear, fixed and built around what your business actually needs, with no surprises.
My books are a mess. Can you still help?
Yes, and it is a common starting point. Annabel has brought businesses back from significant backlogs — including a CIC rescued in 30 days with £10,500 recovered and zero penalties. The catch-up work is scoped separately from the ongoing service so you know exactly what it will cost to get from where you are to where you need to be. Once the books are clean, the fractional CFO work can start properly.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. There is no minimum term beyond an initial settling-in period, which gives both sides enough time to judge whether it is working. If it is not the right fit after three months, you leave with clean, up-to-date books and nothing outstanding. The goal is that you stay because the value is clear, not because leaving is difficult.
Do I need to be based near Bournemouth to work with you?
No. The practice is fully cloud-based via Xero, and clients are onboarded and supported entirely remotely — by video, phone and email. Annabel works with businesses across Dorset, Hampshire and the wider UK. Location has not been a barrier for any client to date.
How far ahead will I know what my tax position is?
With management accounts delivered within five working days of month close and year-round tax planning built into the service, you should know your approximate Corporation Tax liability well before the year-end arrives — not when the bill lands. Salary and dividend planning is included where relevant, so the personal tax picture is visible at the same time.
Related services you may want to explore
Stop making growth decisions without the numbers behind them.
A free 20-minute call with Annabel. No scripts, no pitch. You will leave knowing what fractional CFO support would look like for your business, and what it would cost.