FINANCE KNOWLEDGE · HANDS-ON DELIVERY
Reports arriving late? Cash forecasts taking too long to rebuild? Bring reporting, planning and finance processes together so you can see where the business stands and what needs attention.
Work directly with Stephen Mitchell. Liverpool based, supporting businesses remotely across the UK, with occasional on-site visits by arrangement.
Discuss your reporting challengesDOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
Your finance team should have time to explain the numbers, not spend the month assembling them. I review how information moves from day-to-day transactions into reports and forecasts, then improve the data, processes and tools behind it.
Reports depend on chasing spreadsheets, correcting entries and repeating the same checks every month.
HOW I CAN HELP
Simplify the close timetable, clarify responsibilities and automate repeatable preparation so reporting can reach decision-makers sooner.
Your P&L, receipts forecast and funding position sit in separate files. It is difficult to see when a shortfall might arise.
HOW I CAN HELP
Connect trading performance, expected receipts, payments and invoice finance in a forecast you can update and use for decisions.
Different departments use different versions, codes or definitions. Meetings become an exercise in reconciling reports.
HOW I CAN HELP
Agree reporting definitions, reconcile source data and build a consistent view of performance with clear ownership of the inputs.
WHAT WOULD CHANGE
Review the close, reconciliations and reporting pack. Redesign recurring tasks and build reports around the questions your team needs to answer.
Bring budgets, reforecasts, P&L and cash flow together. Include funding requirements and scenarios so you can explore the effect of changing assumptions.
Connect data sources, reduce repeated preparation and document the checks. Train users to update reports, investigate differences and explain the results.
EXPERIENCE IN PRACTICE
I have developed cash-flow models with integrated P&L reporting, including factoring requirements and reports linked to live accounting data. My finance leadership experience helps connect the reporting design with the practical demands of running a finance function.
Read the reporting exampleDELIVERY & ADOPTION
We begin with your current reports, close process and planning requirements. I set out priorities and agreed deliverables, then build and test the improvements with your team. Training and documentation are part of the handover.
Monthly support can include reporting updates, forecast reviews, changes to data connections and refresher training. We agree the priorities, scope and fees before work starts.
For a focused project around report preparation, data connections and recurring packs, explore management reporting automation.
Not necessarily. Better data, reporting and integrations may solve the problem within your existing setup. A system change should follow a clear requirement and an assessment of the options.
PLANNING THE WORK
We agree the scope first. A review can set out the main reporting and process issues, the changes worth prioritising, dependencies and a practical delivery plan. That gives us a basis for choosing a focused project or a wider programme.
Yes. The scope can include invoice-finance requirements alongside expected receipts, payments and trading performance. We would review how your funding arrangement works and what information is needed before designing the forecast and reports.
We would agree a starting point and success measures before delivery. These might include the time spent preparing reports, the timing of the reporting pack or the amount of repeated data entry. We then compare the changed process against those measures.
THE FIRST CONVERSATION
Tell me where the delays occur or which question your reports cannot answer. A short phone or Teams call can help establish what would make the biggest practical difference. Use the enquiry form to send a short outline.
Discuss your reporting challenges