Cash flow and runway
A 13 week cash forecast built from the bank, your invoices and your bills, rolled forward every Monday, with the week money gets tight marked clearly.
Startsin week one
The finance director you need, for the days you need
Northstar Fractional Finance works inside growing companies two to six days a month. Ingrid builds the cash forecast, writes the monthly board pack and gets the numbers ready before you speak to investors, alongside your bookkeeper and accountant rather than in place of them.
2 to 6 daysa month, agreed in advance
13 weeksof cash, rolled forward weekly
One board packevery month, same layout
Where the days go
Most companies come to Northstar with one urgent problem, usually cash, and stay for the routine that stops it coming back. These six pieces of work fill most retainers.
Board reports
A monthly pack of eight to twelve pages: results against budget, cash, the key measures and the decisions the board needs to make.
Deliveredby working day 10
Fundraising preparation
A financial model investors can follow, a tidy data room and practice on the hard questions before the first real meeting.
Sprint8 weeks
Budgets and forecasts
An annual budget built with the people who spend it, then a rolling forecast that changes when the business does.
Reviewedevery quarter
Pricing and margins
Which products, clients or channels make money once every cost is counted, and what to change first.
Typical length2 to 3 weeks
Finance team set up
Approvals, a month end checklist and a sensible bookkeeping routine, then help hiring a first finance person when the time comes.
Includedin retainers
What two days a month looks like
This is the rhythm for a company on the smallest retainer. Larger retainers add working days, not extra meetings.
| When | Northstar's work | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Day one, first week | Month end review with your bookkeeper; the accounts checked against the bank | Closed figures you can rely on |
| Every Monday | Cash forecast rolled forward by one week, about an hour of remote work | A one page cash note by email |
| Day two, second week | Board pack written and talked through with the founder | The pack, ready for directors by day 10 |
| Board meeting | Ingrid presents the numbers and answers questions on them | Notes on the financial decisions taken |
| Any weekday | Questions by phone or message | An answer within one working day |
Weekly cash updates are part of every retainer. Extra days are agreed in writing before they are worked and never appear on an invoice as a surprise.
Retainers and fixed projects
Retainers run month to month after a three month start, with thirty days' notice on either side. The prices here are illustrative and confirmed in a written proposal.
Two days a month
a month,$2,400
- 13 week cash forecast
- Monthly board pack
- Answers within a working day
Four days a month
a month,$4,500
- Everything in two days
- Budget and rolling forecast
- Pricing and margin work
Fundraising sprint
8 weeks,$9,800
- Model with written assumptions
- Data room checklist filled
- Two practice investor meetings
Cash rescue fortnight
2 weeks,$3,200
- Cash forecast from scratch
- Options for paying suppliers
- Savings listed for you to decide
Northstar is paid a fixed fee and nothing else. It takes no commission on money raised, loans arranged or anything bought on its advice.
A board pack the board actually reads
The pack keeps the same layout every month, so directors know where to look: a page of headlines, results against budget, cash and runway, the measures that matter for your kind of business, and the decisions needed this month. Charts are few and plain.
Ingrid writes the pack with the founder, not about the founder. A bad month is explained in a paragraph rather than buried in a table, because a board that hears bad news early can actually help with it.
- Headlines first, detail at the back
- The same eight to twelve pages each month
- Ready by the tenth working day
- Decisions listed with the numbers behind them
The first ninety days
Every new retainer follows the same order, because a forecast built on unchecked numbers is only a guess.
Weeks 1 and 2
Read access to the bank, the books and past board papers, and conversations with the founder, the bookkeeper and the accountant.
Weeks 3 and 4
The first 13 week cash forecast, with tight weeks marked and two or three actions to take straight away.
Month 2
The first board pack in the new layout, and a short list of fixes to the month end routine.
Month 3
A budget or rolling forecast for the year ahead, and a frank view on whether to raise money, cut costs or both.
Getting ready to raise, without promising the money
Investors ask the same few questions in different words: how much cash is left, what the money will be spent on and which numbers the plan depends on. The sprint builds a model that answers them clearly, fills a data room with the documents investors expect and rehearses the hard questions twice.
Northstar does not find investors, sell shares or promise that a round will close. It gives no regulated investment, tax or legal advice; when you need a lawyer, a tax adviser or a regulated corporate finance adviser, Ingrid works alongside the ones you appoint. Rules on raising money differ from country to country.
- Every assumption written beside the model
- A data room checklist, filled in together
- Two practice meetings with tough questions
- No success fee and no commission
Month end, board day and the whiteboard in between
Most of the work is quiet: a forecast checked over coffee, packs printed for the board, a plan sketched before a raise.
What founders tell other founders (example reviews)
The 13 week forecast showed a tight spot in week nine that nobody had seen coming. There was time to move two supplier payments and chase three invoices, and payroll went out on the right day.
Board meetings used to drift for three hours. With the new pack the directors arrived having read it, and the meeting ended with decisions instead of questions.
The sprint did not raise the money, the founders did. But the model and the practice meetings meant no question in the room came as a surprise.
Questions founders ask before the first call
How is a fractional CFO different from an accountant?
An accountant usually prepares statutory accounts and tax returns. A fractional finance director works inside the business on decisions: cash, budgets, pricing, board reporting and getting ready to raise. Northstar works alongside your accountant and bookkeeper and replaces neither.
Is this regulated financial advice?
No. Northstar provides finance leadership to companies, not regulated investment, tax or personal financial advice, and it holds no permission to arrange investments. Where a decision needs a regulated adviser, Ingrid says so and works with the one you choose. The rules differ by country.
When is a company ready for part time finance help?
Common moments are cash running tight, a board or investor asking for better numbers, a first raise ahead, or a founder spending evenings in spreadsheets. Below a certain size a good bookkeeper may be all you need, and Ingrid will tell you if so.
Can Ingrid join our board meetings?
Yes, on the four day retainer, and on two days by arrangement. She presents the numbers and answers questions on them; she is not a director and does not vote.
How is confidential information handled?
Under a confidentiality agreement signed before any access is given. Access to your bank and accounting software is read only wherever possible and removed when the work ends.
What happens when we need a full time CFO?
That is a good outcome. Northstar helps write the role, sits in on interviews if you would like and hands over the forecast, the board pack and the routines.
Ask for a proposal
Describe the company, what is worrying you and when it needs sorting. Within two working days Ingrid suggests a time for a 30 minute call, then sends a written proposal with the days, the work and the fee. The call and the proposal cost nothing to receive.
- A confidentiality agreement before any figures are shared
- Proposals set out days, deliverables and the fee
- No commission and no success fees
Talk to Ingrid
Calls and messages are answered between meetings. If the question is about cash running out, say so in the first line.
Contact Northstar
On site one day a week and remote the rest, for companies within a train ride of the city
Working hours
| Monday to Thursday | 08:30 to 18:00 |
| Friday | Board days only |
| Enquiries | Answered within two working days |
Backing several young companies?
Investors and accelerators sometimes ask Northstar to set up the same cash forecast and board pack across a group of young companies. Ask for a portfolio proposal.
Ask about portfolios