Amid high interest rates, geopolitical and economic uncertainty, and a slowdown in private equity deal making, PE-backed middle-market and growth stage firms are under pressure to maximize investor returns while scaling their finance departments to meet increasingly complex reporting demands.
Navigating these challenges requires a seasoned CFO who can provide strategic business insights, timely tactical financial reporting, and clearly-defined finance operations. With so much on the CFO’s plate, nearly four in five CFOs are turning to third-party finance and accounting partners for support.
That’s why Consero, the leader in Finance as a Service (FaaS), has launched its CFO Advisory Services to provide expert advice and strategies to empower CFOs and middle-market firms to focus on growth. Think of it as having on-demand access to a team of experienced CFOs and a full-suite of financial solutions to help you manage all aspects of your financial department.
From capital raise support to managing mergers and acquisitions, here are a few key areas where our tailored CFO services have streamlined the finance function of over 500 middle-market and growth stage enterprises to unlock new growth opportunities.
More Effective Capital Raises
According to a recent report from Hedgeweek, emerging managers are finding it harder to raise capital, with eight in ten citing attracting investor flows as their biggest challenge.
Whether you need funding to invest in R&D, new technology, or product development, it pays to have a team in your corner to capture the attention of investors and secure the most favorable terms.
Financial leaders would agree. Among CFOs turning to advisory partners for fundraising support, our 2024 CFO Survey revealed that 74% of CFOs feel fully ready for their next funding event, compared to just 62% of those without a partner.
With CFO Advisory Services, Consero’s team provides the full backing and tools to:
- Strategically locate funding options
- Create investor-targeted financial summaries and pitch decks
- Generate prospective investor introductions
- Support with deal negotiation
This is how Algo, a growth-equity backed SaaS company, leveraged our expertise and strategic CFO services to get their finance function in order before pursuing acquisitions.
- We managed the cash conversion cycle, financial planning, and analyzed Algo’s financial strengths/weaknesses to propose corrective actions
- We delivered timely month-end close along with audit-ready reporting to enable Algo’s CEO to focus more on strategically impactful projects
- We represented Algo at board meetings and presented a review of the organization’s financial performance, goals, and strategic direction of the business
Seamless M&A Transactions and Integration
We’ve found that the failure rate for M&A deals is around 50%. While market factors are always at play, there are a few common reasons that create a lack of trust between parties:
- Surprises in the due diligence process
- Missing essential dates
- Lack of clarity in the post-merger integration process
- Inaccurate or incomplete information
While we expect increased demand for middle-market M&A activity, acquisition-minded firms still need access to a CFO with specialized knowledge to successfully navigate the complexities of the M&A and post-acquisition process.
Our CFO team brings the strategic thinking and experience to ensure success, including:
- A customized plan for buy- or sell-side support
- Due diligence readiness
- Purchase accounting
- New bank compliance reporting
- Coordination to obtain sales tax nexus study
- Lender requirements review
Here’s how we partnered with a multi-location healthcare company to streamline their finance function and seamlessly integrate roll-ups:
- We took over CFO and Controller role responsibilities to integrate financial, accounting, invoicing, and expense software within 30 days to free the COO to focus on high-impact projects
- We provided timely, audit-ready financials and automated reporting to reflect consolidated P&L, enabling leadership to execute quickly on diligence and smooth exit
- We established an automated, three-way reconciliation process between ops system, merchant processor, and bank account, during which Consero discovered and addressed a $25,000 monthly revenue leakage
Secure Tailored CFO Advisory Services for Your Next Venture
Whether it’s single-project assistance or long-term support, our customized CFO Advisory Services will ensure that you have the solutions and financial leadership needed to achieve all of your goals and strategic objectives. If you’re interested to learn how we can help your company, get in touch today to schedule a consultation.
