What a fractional CFO engagement actually looks like.

It starts with a 30-minute discovery call. No preparation is needed and there is no pitch. The conversation covers where your business is, what the main finance challenges are, and whether there is a good fit. If there is, EC Solution will produce a tailored proposal outlining scope, time commitment, and the structure of the engagement. The proposal is specific, not a generic package.

Once terms are agreed, a structured onboarding begins. Typically two to four weeks, depending on the complexity of the business. This is the period where EC Solution gets up to speed on your numbers, your systems, and the decisions already in play — all time is charged from the outset.

It varies considerably depending on what the business needs. Some engagements run at one to three days per month, providing strategic oversight, board attendance, and senior input at key moments. Others require a much more intensive commitment — one to five days per week — where EC Solution is functioning as the operational finance lead, actively involved in reporting, cash management, and day-to-day strategic decisions.

The right level is determined by the complexity of the business, the maturity of the existing finance function, and what is happening in the business at any given time. The proposal is always explicit about what the time commitment covers and what is included. There is no ambiguity about what you are paying for.

Standard engagements operate on a one-month rolling notice period on both sides. EC Solution does not lock clients into long-term contracts. If the engagement is no longer delivering value, ending it cleanly is better for everyone. Equally, if EC Solution needs to step back from a commitment, the same courtesy applies.

Interim and fixed-term mandates are structured differently and the relevant terms are covered in the proposal before the engagement starts.

Yes, and this happens regularly. A fundraise, an acquisition, or a period of transformation will demand significantly more time than steady-state operations. The engagement structure is designed to flex with the business rather than hold you to a fixed commitment that no longer reflects reality. The typical approach is to review the scope quarterly and adjust the retainer accordingly.

It depends on the business, but the work typically spans three areas. Strategic: financial planning, scenario modelling, fundraising support, board reporting, investor relations, and the thinking behind major decisions. Operational: owning or overseeing the management accounts and cashflow processes, running variance analysis, managing the finance team, and ensuring the controls environment is sound. Commercial: working alongside the leadership team on pricing, contracts, cost base, and the financial logic behind growth decisions.

What it does not involve is bookkeeping or transactional finance. EC Solution sits above that layer, either working with your existing team or helping you identify the right resource to bring that capability in-house.

Work with, not replace. The fractional CFO role is the strategic layer that sits above the day-to-day finance function. In most engagements, EC Solution works alongside an existing bookkeeper, accountant, or Finance Manager, providing the senior oversight and strategic thinking that they are not positioned to provide themselves.

In some cases, particularly where the finance function is underdeveloped, part of the early engagement involves helping the business understand what resource they actually need and assisting with recruitment or restructuring. But the goal is always to build a finance function that works, not to create dependency on external support indefinitely.

Yes, where the engagement warrants it. For ongoing fractional mandates at businesses with an active board, attending board meetings and presenting the financial position is a standard part of the role. For businesses without a formal board structure, EC Solution typically facilitates a regular leadership team review that serves the same purpose.

For Board Advisor and NED engagements, formal committee attendance is the core of the role rather than an add-on.

Yes. EC Solution has direct experience leading M&A processes, including nine acquisitions across a nine-month period with a combined value of approximately £50m, and exit readiness work for a PE-backed SaaS business that achieved an 8x ARR valuation at sale. Fundraising, investor relations, financial modelling for transactions, and due diligence support are all within scope.

For businesses at earlier stages, the work is often about getting the financial infrastructure ready before any transaction process starts, so that when the moment arrives, the business is not scrambling to produce information under pressure.

The sweet spot is ambitious UK SMEs with revenue between roughly £2m and £50m that have outgrown their current finance arrangements but are not yet at the scale where a full-time CFO hire makes financial sense. This covers a wide range: SaaS businesses approaching a Series A, founder-led businesses preparing for a first external investor, PE-backed businesses where the portfolio company needs senior finance resource, and established SMEs going through transformation or a leadership change.

EC Solution also takes on interim mandates at businesses of all sizes where there is a short-term need for senior finance leadership, and advisory or NED roles at businesses that have their own finance team but benefit from independent external challenge at board level.

No single sector, and that is by design. EC Solution has worked across SaaS, consulting, manufacturing, NGO, education, and start-up environments. The breadth is a genuine advantage: the financial challenges that feel specific to your sector are often ones that have been solved in a different context. Cross-sector experience means more options, not less depth.

Where sector-specific knowledge matters for a particular engagement, EC Solution will say so clearly during the discovery call rather than overstate general capability.

An accountant and a CFO are solving different problems. Your accountant produces statutory accounts, handles tax compliance, and manages the relationship with HMRC. They are looking backwards at what happened. A CFO is looking forward: using the numbers to drive decisions, building the financial strategy, managing cash, supporting the board, and connecting the finance function to the commercial goals of the business.

Most growing businesses reach a point where they need both. The accountant keeps the compliance infrastructure sound. The CFO makes the business better. EC Solution works alongside your existing advisors rather than replacing them.

Ongoing fractional engagements are structured as a monthly retainer based on a defined number of days per month. The retainer covers a specific scope of work agreed in advance, so you know what you are paying for and what is included. There are no hidden charges and the scope is reviewed regularly to make sure it still reflects the actual demands of the engagement.

Project-based and consultancy work is priced on a fixed-fee or day-rate basis depending on the nature of the project. Board Advisor and NED arrangements are structured differently and the terms are discussed directly.

It depends on the scope and time commitment, which is why the proposal stage matters. For context, a business hiring a full-time CFO at a UK SME scale is typically looking at a total employment cost of £150,000 to £250,000 per year before benefits, a car, and employer's NI. A fractional engagement with EC Solution will typically cost a fraction of that, with no employment overhead and a level of senior experience that is difficult to hire at full-time equivalent cost.

For a rough estimate based on day rate, the Day Rate Calculator gives a useful starting point. The discovery call is the right place to have a specific conversation about what scope and budget makes sense for your business. There is no obligation and no pressure.