Part-Time CFO Services In Reading

Strategy, funding and board leadership for growing Reading businesses

A part-time CFO joins a Reading business's management team and takes responsibility for delivering its financial strategy, with the strategic leadership of a full-time chief financial officer and without the cost of a full-time appointment. They work alongside the owner and the directors and help them make the big decisions, as a director would, shaping growth, funding and the long term direction of the business. We begin by listening to where the business is heading.

This page covers the local service. Our national guide to the Fractional CFO role explains the model in full, and you can also see our wider board-level support in Reading.

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What Does A Part-Time CFO Do For A Reading Business?

A part-time CFO from Secantor joins a Reading business's management team as a regular senior presence and takes responsibility for the decisions that set its direction and shape how it is funded. A Finance Director keeps the numbers dependable; a CFO uses them to choose where the business goes next. The areas of support typically include:

  • Direction. A three to five year financial forecast model of profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow, which turns your ambitions into a plan the team can deliver.
  • Funding. Choosing the right finance, building the case and managing the relationship with the bank, other lenders and investors.
  • Growth and deals. Acquisitions, disposals and restructures, from the first appraisal through to completion.
  • Value and exit. Making the business less dependent on its owners, so it is ready for a sale or succession when the time comes.
  • The boardroom. A sharper agenda, better information and a board that is kept accountable for delivering the plan.
  • A trusted colleague. Someone senior to test the big calls with, and support in building a more accountable management team.

After meeting you and getting to know the business, we recommend the arrangement that suits it best. Our Part-Time Finance Director service in Reading is the other role worth comparing.

Other names for this service include fractional CFO, outsourced CFO and virtual CFO. Each describes the same ongoing, part-time arrangement.

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When Does A Reading Business Need A Part-Time CFO?

Secantor's part-time CFOs help a Reading business when the decisions in front of it are bigger than the current finance team can settle: raising money to grow, buying a competitor, planning for the day the owner steps back, or putting numbers behind a plan that a lender or investor will test. Reading owners often reach that point as the business outgrows its systems, wins larger customers who ask harder questions, or finds there is nobody senior to test the big calls with. Our blog on when an SME needs a CFO sets out the signs in more detail.

How A Part-Time CFO Helped An Owner-Managed Business Reach A Successful Exit

A husband and wife team had grown their family owned business to £3m turnover over eight years, with an exit always in mind. Then the 2008 financial crisis hit profit and cash, and their bank manager introduced Secantor.

We helped manage the turnaround by closing unprofitable outlets, improving gross profit margins and strengthening financial controls. A strategic review showed the owners had become victims of their own success, micro-managing what were in effect four distinct businesses. Over the following ten years Secantor worked alongside them as Finance Director and facilitator, built a business plan and a robust financial forecast, tracked performance every month, and set about building value in the business. When family succession was ruled out after five or six years, we brought in corporate finance specialists and the focus moved to a sale.

The business was ready: a record of profit growth, a forecasting track record buyers could rely on, a strong brand and an accountable management team that let the owners take a three week holiday without disruption. They sold a majority stake to private equity at a high multiple and kept a third. As the co-founder put it, Secantor “has made a world of difference to our business.” Read the full case study.

A part-time CFO discussing strategy with a business owner

How A Part-Time CFO Works With A Reading Business

Secantor starts a part-time CFO engagement in Reading by listening to your plans, then recommends the CFO whose experience matches what you want to achieve, or more than one if you would like to choose between them. All of our advisors have held senior board roles themselves. Once you have chosen, the CFO becomes part of your management team: working alongside your people, helping to shape decisions as a director would and taking responsibility for delivering the priorities you agree. Part-time means regular, planned time, often built around your board cycle, with extra days for larger pieces of work such as a funding round or a sale process. The days are agreed in advance and you have full flexibility to increase or decrease them to suit your business needs.

What Does A Part-Time CFO Cost In Reading?

A part-time CFO from Secantor costs £1,200 a day plus VAT and expenses, and a Reading business pays only for the days worked, invoiced monthly. Time often rises around a funding round or a sale and eases afterwards. Our guide to how much a Fractional CFO costs in the UK sets out the figures in full.

A part-time CFO leading a meeting with an SME management team
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Choosing The Right Arrangement For A Reading Business

Secantor offers several ways to bring senior support into a Reading business, and the right one depends on the main question you are trying to answer. A part-time CFO suits owners whose questions are about direction, funding or a sale. A Part-Time Finance Director is the better start where reporting, cash and control need to be dependable first. A Non-Executive Director brings independent challenge to the board. An Interim CFO covers a defined project or a gap in leadership and can start at short notice. Our guide to Fractional vs Part-Time vs Interim CFO compares the models.

Working With Your Existing Team

Secantor's part-time CFOs work alongside the finance team, accountants and board of a Reading business and do not replace them. They provide the senior strategic layer above your existing finance function. We do not provide bookkeeping or outsourced accounts. If you are thinking about a sale, our Exit Planning service shows how we prepare a business for it.

A part-time CFO reviewing financial information with an SME business owner

Starting With A Free Business Review

Secantor's Free Business Review gives Reading owners a no obligation way to test their thinking before committing to anything. It begins with a conversation about where you want the business to go, and we come to you to hear the whole story. You then receive an independent view of where a CFO would make the biggest difference, with our recommendation of the right advisor, or more than one so that you can choose. See the Free Business Review.

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

The simplest way to begin is a conversation. Book a Free Business Review, or speak to a Secantor Director first through a discovery call, and we will tell you plainly whether a part-time CFO is the right fit for your Reading business.

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What Do Reading Business Owners Ask About A Part-Time CFO?

Is a part-time CFO a consultant?

No. A consultant advises and then leaves. A part-time CFO from Secantor becomes a member of your management team, answers for results alongside the other directors and stays until the work is finished.

When does a Reading business need a CFO rather than a Finance Director?

When the main question moves from how the business is performing to where it should go and how to pay for it. A Finance Director makes reporting and control dependable; a CFO sets the direction and secures the funding to follow it. We recommend between the two once we have met you and understood the business, so that you start with the role that fits.

How many days a month does a part-time CFO work?

That depends on what the business needs at the time, and you stay in control of it. The time usually rises around a funding round or a sale and eases afterwards.

Can a part-time CFO help us raise funding or prepare for a sale?

Yes. A Secantor CFO builds the forecasts, business plan and supporting information that lenders and buyers ask for, and leads the conversations with them, drawing on our contacts with banks, lawyers and accountants.

Will a part-time CFO work with our existing finance team?

Yes. The CFO works with your finance staff and accountants, adds the strategic layer above them and can coach the team where that helps.

Do you cover businesses beyond Reading itself?

Yes. We support businesses in Caversham, Tilehurst and along the M4 corridor, and across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

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

Interested in how senior support could help in other areas too? Learn more about our Non-Executive Directors and Fractional Operations Directors.

Want to dive deeper? Our blog on How Can a Fractional CFO Transform Your Bottom Line? is full of useful insights.

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Paul Gibbins

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  • Identify what’s holding back your profit and growth
  • Gain clearer direction on your business priorities
  • Understand how to improve cashflow and performance
  • Explore practical steps to move your business forward

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