Building a finance function that satisfies a Private Equity board is usually a year-long marathon. For Neil Wainwright, CEO of CiraSync (formerly Cira Apps), it was a 90-day sprint.
Neil details his transition into the CEO role following a PE buyout and explains why moving off QuickBooks was his first order of business. Alongside the Consero team, he discusses how CiraSync replaced manual processes with a high-integrity tech stack, established rigorous financial controls, and created a scalable foundation for rapid M&A—all while spending less than the cost of a single in-house CFO.
CEO Transition & Moving off QuickBooks
Upon joining CiraSync, Neil immediately identified that their existing accounting software was a bottleneck for the company’s new PE-backed ambitions.
- QuickBooks Limitations: The software could not support the complex holding company structures or the planned volume of acquisitions.
- Immediate Action: Within two months of his start date, Neil signed with Consero to overhaul the finance function.
- Strategic Shift: The move was designed to prepare the organization for multi-entity reporting and subsidiary management.
“I realized… we’re running on QuickBooks… we’re going to create hold codes, we’re going to create all kinds of other subsidiaries and then we’re going to start doing acquisitions and we can’t live on QuickBooks doing all that stuff.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Rapid Implementation Timeline
CiraSync managed a massive digital transformation across multiple departments simultaneously, with the finance implementation leading the charge.
- The 90-Day Sprint: The project moved from signing in late July to a “go-live” date on September 2nd.
- Concurrent Transitions: The finance overhaul happened alongside the implementation of a new HR system, a CRM platform, and new payroll providers.
- Dual-Team Model: Consero utilized specialized implementation and operating teams to ensure a seamless handoff.
“This particular implementation of moving to Consero and Intacct has been the best of all of those projects… it’s gone really smoothly.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Project Success & Board Approval
By hitting aggressive milestones, Neil was able to demonstrate immediate value to his Board of Directors and the PE firm.
- Exceeding Underwriting: The board had budgeted an entire year for the infrastructure changes that Neil completed in three months.
- Building Trust: Rapid execution on the back-office allowed the leadership team to focus on growth and operations.
- Operational Excellence: The speed of the transition became a highlight of Neil’s early board reporting.
“They mentioned that they underwrote the deal assuming that I would accomplish all this stuff in [the year] and I did it in my first 90 days.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Strengthening Financial Controls
The transition moved CiraSync away from “Founder-led” manual accounting toward an institutional environment with full integrity and controls.
- Retiring Excel: Neil emphasized that while Excel is a tool, it should not be the source of truth for regular financial reporting.
- Acquisition Readiness: The new environment allows for “tuck-in” acquisitions to be integrated as separate entities quickly and efficiently.
- Staff Reallocation: Existing staff were moved into high-value FP&A roles rather than being replaced.
“I knew I needed the kind of controls around the money and everything else that goes into that that I didn’t have with running on QuickBooks.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Smooth Onboarding & Data Migration
A successful transition required moving years of historical data into a modern system without losing accuracy or continuity.
- Historical Integrity: Consero migrated two years of historical P&L and balance sheet data to provide context for future growth.
- Data Validation: The onboarding team identified and filled data gaps before they could affect the new system.
- Expert Guidance: Consero’s team provided the patience and process needed to navigate a complex data migration.
“Your onboarding team is obviously very skilled at that and they had really good processes because it worked very smoothly.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Performance Scorecard Improvements
The move to Consero provided CiraSync with automated visibility into their most critical financial health metrics.
- Automated Compliance: Loan covenant reports are now generated directly from the system with minimal manual intervention.
- Consolidated Reporting: Multi-entity consolidation happens automatically, providing a clear view of the parent and subsidiaries.
- Cash Controls: The implementation of the SIMPL portal created a multi-stage approval process for all vendor invoices and fund releases.
“The P&L, the balance sheets, all the consolidation… all of that happens automatically within the financial system.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Cost & Risk: In-House vs Consero
Neil evaluated the traditional “build” vs. “buy” model and found that partnering with Consero offered better results at a lower risk profile.
- Budget Efficiency: The total cost of Consero’s full team and tech stack was less than the budgeted salary for a single full-time CFO.
- Reduced Hiring Risk: Partnering with an established organization removed the risk of a “bad hire” at the leadership level cascading through the finance team.
- Faster ROI: Building an in-house team (CFO, VP of Finance, Controller) would have taken significantly longer and cost 2-3x more.
“If I tried to build it myself… it’s going to cost me two or three times more and most importantly it’s going to take me a lot longer.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Future Optimizations & Growth Plan
With a stable financial foundation, CiraSync is now looking toward advanced integrations and a more aggressive M&A schedule.
- Continuous Improvement: Budget flexibility allows Neil to invest in further financial system optimizations.
- M&A Acceleration: The ability to tuck in companies financially has accelerated the company’s acquisition timeline by up to two quarters.
- Win-Win Partnership: The relationship provides the speed required by PE backers while maintaining high-fidelity controls.
“You might have accelerated my ability to acquire other companies by one or two quarters with this relationship.” –– Neil Wainwright, CEO, CiraSync
Accelerate Your 90-Day Plan
If your business is preparing for a funding event, moving beyond QuickBooks, or trying to scale reporting and controls without slowing growth, the path to a scalable finance function doesn’t have to take a year — or require a risky CFO hire.
Consero delivers the systems, controls, and expertise to get you board-ready in a fraction of the time and cost. Request a consultation with Consero to see how quickly your finance function can be transformed.
