Fractional CFO Services In Reading

Strategy, funding and a plan the team can deliver, from one senior CFO who stays with you

A fractional CFO gives a Reading business a share of a chief financial officer's time and judgement, with the same advisor throughout. They join the management team, take responsibility for the financial strategy and sit alongside the owner and the directors when the larger decisions are made, without the cost of a full-time appointment.

For the national picture, see our guide to the Fractional CFO role; our wider board-level support in Reading shows how the roles fit together.

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What Does A Fractional CFO Do For A Reading Business?

Secantor's fractional CFOs join the management team of a Reading business and take responsibility for its strategic financial leadership, with the same advisor from the first meeting to the last. The areas of support typically include:

  • Direction: a three to five year financial forecast model, set out as profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow forecasts the board can track month by month.
  • Funding: the case for the bank, other lenders and investors, and the conversations that follow.
  • Cash and pricing: a clear view of cash, and a hard look at pricing, product mix and costs.
  • Deals and value: acquisitions, disposals and the steps that make a business ready to sell or hand on.
  • The board: a sharper agenda, better information and clear accountability for delivering the plan.
  • A partner in the decisions: someone senior for the owner to think the larger calls through with.

Part-time, outsourced and virtual CFO are other names for the same ongoing service, and our Part-Time CFO, Outsourced CFO and Virtual CFO pages for Reading each look at it from a different angle.

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When Does A Reading Business Need A Fractional CFO?

A fractional CFO suits a Reading business that needs a senior voice on funding, growth and direction before it is ready for a full-time chief financial officer. Typical signs are a bank or investor asking for projections the business cannot yet produce, margins thinning as larger customers bring tougher terms, an acquisition or a sale coming into view, or an owner with nobody senior to talk the larger decisions through with. Reading businesses often arrive here after a run of growth along the M4 corridor, when the numbers still balance but the decisions have become harder. Our guide to financial forecast modelling for SME businesses explains the kind of planning a CFO brings.

The Benefits Of A Fractional CFO For A Reading Business

Secantor's fractional CFOs give a Reading business senior financial judgement in proportion to what it needs. The first benefit is seniority: the owner and directors gain a CFO's view of funding, growth and value without a full-time salary. The second is continuity: because the same advisor stays throughout, they come to know the business, its people and its lenders, and each decision builds on the last. The third is flexibility: the level of support rises around a funding round or a transaction and eases once the plan is running. To see how a first quarter typically unfolds, read our blog on what a Fractional CFO does in the first 90 days.

A Fractional CFO discussing investment plans with a business owner

How A Fractional CFO Becomes Part Of Your Team

Secantor opens a fractional CFO engagement in Reading with a conversation about your plans and what you want the business to achieve. We then recommend the advisor best matched to those aims, or more than one if you would like to choose. All of our advisors have held senior board roles themselves, and each is accredited by our directors. Once you have decided, the CFO joins your management team and takes ownership of the priorities you agree together, sharing in the big decisions. The same advisor stays throughout, so what is learned early is not lost, and the work settles into a regular rhythm around your board cycle.

What Does A Fractional CFO Cost In Reading?

The day rate for a fractional CFO in Reading is £1,200 plus VAT and expenses. The days are agreed in advance and you have full flexibility to increase or decrease them to suit your business needs, with more days around a funding round, an acquisition or a sale and fewer once the plan is in motion. For wider context, see our guide to what a Fractional CFO costs in the UK.

A fractional CFO interpreting financial information during a management meeting
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Choosing Between Fractional CFO Support And Other Board-Level Roles

Secantor can match a Reading business to the arrangement that fits, and a fractional CFO is the right start when the need is continuing strategic leadership.

  • Fractional CFO: ongoing leadership on funding, growth and the plan, with the same advisor throughout.
  • Part-Time Finance Director: where the first need is dependable reporting, cash and control.
  • Interim CFO: a defined project, transaction or gap in leadership, with a clear end point.
  • Non-Executive Director: where the board needs an independent voice.

See Fractional vs Part-Time vs Interim CFO for the differences.

Working Alongside Your Finance Team And Lenders

A fractional CFO works alongside the Finance Director or finance team of a Reading business, its accountants and its lenders. They lead the strategic questions, from funding and pricing to the three to five year plan, leave the daily finance routine with your own team and coach them where that is useful. Bookkeeping and outsourced accounts are not part of our service, because Secantor provides the senior finance layer.

A fractional CFO developing a financial forecast model with an SME business owner

Starting With A Free Business Review

A Reading owner can test the case for a CFO at no cost through Secantor's Free Business Review. It starts with a short conversation about the business and its plans, and where it helps we come to you and talk through the plans in person. The review ends with our independent view and our recommendation of the right advisor.

WHAT DOES A CFO DO IN THE FIRST 90 DAYS?

Our 5-Point Commitment to You

✅ Expert Advice You Can Rely On: You’ll work with qualified, experienced advisors who are focused on results.

✅ A Trusted Working Relationship: We select advisors who fit your culture, team and goals.

✅ Tailored Support for Your Business: No templates, just relevant, practical, hands-on input.

✅ Dependable, Consistent Delivery: We meet deadlines, keep promises and deliver lasting impact.

✅ Clear, Proactive Communication: No jargon. Just senior-level expertise, clearly delivered.

Next Steps

A Reading owner weighing a fractional CFO can start with Secantor's Free Business Review, or book a discovery call with a Secantor Director to talk it through first.

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What Do Reading Business Owners Ask About A Fractional CFO?

How does a fractional CFO differ from a full-time CFO?

A fractional CFO brings the strategic judgement of a full-time chief financial officer for a share of the time, as a member of your management team and with the same advisor throughout. The business pays for the days it uses, not for a full-time salary.

Will a fractional CFO act like a consultant?

No. A consultant reports back and moves on, whereas a Secantor fractional CFO shares responsibility for the financial strategy, joins the big decisions and stays until the plan is delivered.

How many days should we plan for?

The number is yours to set, and you can raise or lower it as the business needs, for example during a funding round, an acquisition or a sale.

Is a fractional CFO the same as a part-time, outsourced or virtual CFO?

Yes, those names describe the same ongoing service. Interim CFO support is different, because it covers a defined gap, project or period.

Can a fractional CFO help with a bank, investors or a sale?

Yes. They prepare the forecasts and supporting papers that lenders and buyers look for and lead those discussions with you. Our Exit Planning service covers the preparation in more detail.

Does a Reading business with a Finance Director still need a CFO?

It can, because the two roles do different work. Where a Finance Director is already in place, the fractional CFO takes on strategy and funding and works with them on the rest. If there is no Finance Director yet, we look at the business with you before suggesting which role to start with.

Do you work with businesses beyond Reading itself?

Yes. Secantor works with owner-managed businesses across the Thames Valley, from Caversham and Tilehurst along the M4 corridor to Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Not quite found the answer you need? Contact our team and we will get back to you personally.

Looking at other roles? See our Part-Time Finance Director and Non-Executive Director services in Reading.

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