Moving from corporate to SME

Having entered the fractional world as part of my portfolio career, I have had lots of discussions with professionals who have also moved into the fractional world.

Being a Fractional Director is all about providing expert services to SMEs who need the professional input but aren’t ready to hire a full-time resource. It’s not an interim role, or a consultancy, it’s about working with business owners to grow and develop their businesses sustainably over the long-term.

Many of the fractionals I have met talk about the challenges of the transition from the corporate world to the SME world. The challenges many of them have talked about include:

• Changing the way they communicate and provide information - glossy presentations and graphs replaced with quick analysis to enable quick decisions, moving from using acronyms and corporate speak to clear and simple language.

• There is a greater focus on cash and affordability and identifying unprofitable activities.

• Helping founders make decisions whilst understanding the risks.

• Hiring decisions are made differently, with considerations around cultural fit, capability and whether they will still be needed in 12 months’ time.

Being an expert is only part of being fractional. Being able to simplify, demystify and communicate well on the important challenges facing a founder or business owner is so important.

Luckily, I made the transition from corporate to SME many years ago, so I already have that experience of supporting founders and business owners. I have built strong finance teams as businesses have grown, supported founders and owners with simple clear information to help them make decisions quickly and I can react and adapt quickly as the business environment changes.

Get in touch if your SME needs some finance fire power!