According to FastCompany.com 70% of a typical CEO’s workday is sub-optimal. It’s easy to see why. We wade through a torrential storm of emails daily, most of which are not important. Some CEOs spend half their time motivating and coddling employees, and dealing with employee grievances. Others spend all their time planning, budgeting, forecasting, so much so there is no time to compare the plans to results.
This is a guide for leaders of SMEs who want to stop fire-fighting, regain some time and control, and run their business more efficiently and effectively. Hiring the services of virtual, outsourced professionals on a flexible basis is how to do it. You only pay for what you use, and the people doing the work are experts at it, leaving you to get on with what you do best, running your business. Below are my personal recommendations on getting a part-time Finance Director, an outsourced HR Director and virtual PA.
Finance Director
We offer numerous services at WrightCFO like cloud-based bookkeeping, business planning, IPO, raising finance and a newly launched start-up service. Our core business however is providing SMEs with outsourced part-time Finance Directors and it is in this capacity that we have won multiple business awards.
Increasingly businesses are arriving at the conclusion that to compete in the market, they need high level finance support and that they no longer have to pay a full time employee which they can not afford, to achieve this. You may require one for a day a week, or just a day a month. Whatever your requirements, WrightCFO stand out of the crowd for the following reasons:
- Our FDs are DOERS as well as strategists. We understand what SMEs need is someone to roll up their sleeves and get on with it. (Not just offer big amazing ideas, and then leave).
- We are all experienced, professional, ex-corporates who do what we do, because we get an emotional reward from helping SMEs. Helping businesses grow is why we get up in the morning.
- We’re nice, approachable accountants with people skills. Imagine that! We speak in laymen terms and are down to earth. We understand how personal your business is to you and we make it personal to us.
A part-time FD can give you the financial analysis and clarity you need to move your business forward.
Human Resources Director
The HR Dept. is a virtual, professional HR team providing services to your business through any stage of its life cycle. They deal with all the regular HR stuff: staff handbook, payroll, contracts, disciplinary, employee benefits, redundancies, the list goes on.
In my experience, businesses will usually opt for an HR manager who is unqualified or part qualified because they are cheaper, do you want employment advice from someone who is not qualified? I don’t. What I like about this idea is that you get a fully qualified HR Director, and pay for the time you use. Such a smarter way to work.
The business itself is franchise based, so your HR Director designated to your area is actually also a business owner. I love this because they get it. I personally have used the services of Olivia Flattery who runs the Twickenham and Hammersmith franchises. She was practical, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. You can also download free HR forms here. I love free!
Personal Assistant
I searched ‘Personal Assistant London’ on LinkedIn and it came up with 1,958 results. It’s a minefield. Lots of people are doing it, but how do you know who is right for you? I can recommend the award winning agency, Designated PA. They provide your very own designed personal assistant, who works remotely on a flexible basis. They will find you someone who fits your requirements and industry if that’s important to you, or specific technical skills you may need.
I use them on a pay as you go service so I just pay for what I need, but they also offer a set number of hours a week which turns out less expensive per hour.
Jane Braithwaite started the business up in 2013 and it has gone from strength to strength. I have been using them for a year now and have recommended them numerous times, all to clients who are over the moon with the service they get.
With an outsourced FD, an HR Director on call and a virtual PA on board, you can have monthly financial visibility to enable you to plan ahead, let a professional handle the tricky employee situations and have someone manage your emails, calendar and do your presentations for you. Imagine how your business could move forward with all that extra time!
WrightCFO Ltd is an award winning consultancy of outsourced part-time Finance Directors for SMEs. Contact me for find out how we can help your business.
www.wrightcfo.com
sophie@wrightcfo.co.uk
07817 784 603
