Your preferred channel.
Connect through Slack Connect, Microsoft Teams or another agreed channel. A finance email address on your company’s domain can also keep customer and supplier communication consistent.
The BriQs approach
A finance department.
Built as we run it.
We take responsibility for the daily work while establishing the reporting, controls and automation your business needs. The department develops through a structured process, with your CFO involved throughout.
- 01
Review the finance function.
Every engagement starts with the free finance review. We assess the current finance structure, books, reconciliations, reporting, month-end process, systems and controls, including opportunities for AI and automation. Within one week, you receive findings and a proposal covering our full approach, priorities, team responsibilities, implementation roadmap, scope and pricing.
What you receiveWritten findings and an engagement proposal. The introduction explains how the review will be organised.
- 02
Walk through the whole business.
After appointment, discovery runs over several sessions. We work through the entities, revenue streams, costs, contracts, systems, people and the way money moves. We meet the people who own the information and understand where records originate, how decisions are approved and which issues need attention first.
Your roleIntroduce the process owners, explain the immediate priorities and arrange the agreed system access. We document the handover responsibilities.
- 03
Start the work and establish the opening position.
Your accountant begins daily bookkeeping and reconciliation, led by your fractional CFO and supported by a finance manager where needed. We review opening balances, outstanding accounting items, receivables, payables and any backlog. Material exceptions stay visible while they are resolved.
Your reporting timetableThe month closes by the 7th calendar day once opening backlog is resolved and agreed information deadlines are met. Weekly reviews distinguish provisional figures from closed monthly accounts.
- 04
Build controls and automation into the function.
We establish procedures, reporting mappings, an approval matrix and internal controls using the BriQs methodology. Automation is introduced to defined workflows, tested against routine work and exceptions, and expanded as the team understands the business. Your accountant reviews accounting treatment and your CFO reviews analysis and advice.
What is documentedProcess responsibilities, review points, reporting definitions, system access and the handling of failed automations or missing information.
- 05
Run the daily finance operations.
We manage the agreed receivables, payables, customer invoicing, payroll coordination, cash management and compliance calendar. Payment preparation and authorisation are separated through the approval matrix and bank permissions. Local filing responsibilities are allocated individually, with specialist advisers where required.
What remains with youYour authorised approvers control payment release and business commitments. Each return has a documented preparer, reviewer and submitter.
- 06
Work with your team in its own rhythm.
We use your preferred communication channel, including Slack Connect or Microsoft Teams, and work in the agreed time zone five days a week. An email address on your company’s domain is optional. You have direct CFO access and initial responses within 0–2 working hours. You can join your ClickUp project to follow requests, owners, deadlines and progress.
How requests are handledWe acknowledge the request, identify what is needed and agree the next action. Complex questions may require analysis after the initial response.
- 07
Review performance and follow through.
Each week, your CFO delivers a full financial performance review through a call or a Loom video according to your availability. It covers performance, cash, working capital, commitments, risks and decisions. The full monthly management report follows close, with financial statements, business performance and CFO commentary.
How decisions move forwardActions have an owner and a due date. Open items are revisited in the next review, and the reporting develops as your business and decisions change.
AI, automation & your finance team
From transaction.
To decision.
AI reads and assists. Your systems calculate. Your finance team validates. Your CFO leads.
Ecommerce & retail
Orders, refunds, settlement reports, marketplace fees, stock movements and purchase orders join bank, payroll and supplier records.
The financial question
Which channels produce contribution after returns, fulfilment and acquisition costs—and how much cash does the next stock order require?
Explore this industry’s finance pack ↗
Workflow exampleMake.com & authorised APIs.
Triggers & schedulesValidation & routingControlled workbook updatesError alerts
Green: accounting & reporting flowPurple: reviewed business data, assumptions & AI contributions
CFO oversight throughout. Accounting policies, approval limits and reporting requirements guide every stage.
Explore the workflow
Choose a stage to inspect its inputs, outputs and review responsibilities.
Back to the full workflow ↑From source records to decisions you can act on.
Your business systems supply the records. Make and authorised connections route them through validation, accounting, reporting and analysis. Claude assists inside the reporting process; your finance team validates the numbers and your CFO approves the interpretation before delivery.
- Input
- Industry systems, source documents and approved assumptions.
- Work
- Connect → validate → reconcile → model → review → deliver.
- Output
- An approved management pack, current forecasts and a record of actions.
- Ownership
- Accountant validates records; CFO reviews the model and recommendations; client approves business decisions.
Your business model determines the inputs.
Select an industry above to see its sources and financial questions. Structured data can enter through authorised connections without document extraction. Source references remain attached so the reported numbers can be traced.
- Input
- Orders, contracts, settlements, time, usage, stock, payroll and bank records.
- Work
- Capture through agreed connections; check completeness and cut-off.
- Output
- Source records ready for validation, with missing information identified.
- Ownership
- Finance team and the owners of each source system.
AI reads the document. Your rules give it context.
Claude assists with unstructured invoices, bills and supporting documents. Accounting policies and approved mappings guide the suggested treatment. Structured data follows the direct route.
- Input
- Documents and the relevant accounting rules.
- Work
- Extract fields; suggest coding and allocation; flag uncertainty.
- Output
- Proposed structured records linked to their source documents.
- Ownership
- Your accountant checks the treatment before posting.
Validation before posting.
Configured checks cover required fields, arithmetic, duplicates and allocations. Exceptions remain visible until resolved. Payment preparation and payment authorisation are separate responsibilities.
- Input
- Proposed entries and connected records.
- Work
- Validate, check accounting treatment and resolve exceptions.
- Output
- Approved entries or a clear request for correction.
- Ownership
- Accountant reviews; authorised client approvers retain payment authority.
The accounting record stays central.
Approved transactions are recorded in the selected accounting system. Reconciliations, reporting mappings, entity, currency and cut-off are checked before data feeds the models.
- Input
- Approved entries, bank feeds and reconciliations.
- Work
- Post, reconcile and maintain reporting mappings.
- Output
- Validated ledger data and clearly identified open items.
- Ownership
- Finance team maintains the books; CFO oversees policies and close.
A model you can trace, with AI assistance inside it.
Accounting data flows into Google Sheets or Excel through authorised connections. Reviewed operational drivers also feed the model directly; usage, capacity and cohort records do not have to become ledger entries. Claude can help prepare schedules, formulas and commentary in the workbook through the configured integration. Changes are tested and reviewed; controlled formulas and model assumptions calculate the figures.
- Input
- Validated ledger data, operational drivers and approved assumptions.
- Work
- Update the workbook; reconcile statements; test schedules and scenarios.
- Output
- Linked financial statements, budget comparisons, forecasts and supporting schedules.
- Ownership
- Accountant checks reconciliation; CFO approves model logic and assumptions.
Claude contributes to the workbook and the explanation.
Claude uses authorised accounting and model data to investigate movements, prepare supporting analysis and draft commentary. The integration can return proposed schedules and updates to Sheets or Excel. Findings refer back to the supporting records, with review before acceptance.
- Input
- Ledger data, workbook outputs and source evidence.
- Work
- Investigate drivers; propose model updates; draft evidence-based commentary.
- Output
- Reviewed contributions returned to the workbook and draft report.
- Ownership
- Finance professionals validate calculations, evidence and proposed changes.
Bring the financial picture together.
The workbook and reviewed analysis feed a draft management pack. It brings the financial statements, budget variances, KPIs, working capital, cash scenarios and commentary into one reviewable record.
- Input
- Reconciled model outputs and supporting commentary.
- Work
- Assemble the report; cross-check numbers; identify decisions and open issues.
- Output
- Draft management report and financial model, ready for CFO validation.
- Ownership
- Finance team prepares; the draft remains subject to CFO review.
Your CFO connects the numbers to what happens next.
The CFO challenges assumptions, checks the explanation against the evidence and connects performance, cash and risk to the decisions ahead. Matters needing further work stay visible.
- Input
- Draft pack, financial model, exceptions and business context.
- Work
- Validate, challenge, interpret and recommend.
- Output
- Approved financial pack and clear proposed actions.
- Ownership
- CFO approves reporting and advice; management decides on commitments.
A report, a conversation and follow-through.
Closed accounts and the full management pack follow month-end close. Weekly calls or Loom reviews use current information and forecasts, distinguishing provisional data from closed actuals. Agreed actions are tracked in ClickUp and discussed through your preferred channel.
- Input
- Approved pack, updated forecasts and agreed decisions.
- Work
- Review with management; assign owners and dates; track completion.
- Output
- Shared financial visibility and accountable actions.
- Ownership
- CFO and finance team carry the work forward with your decision-makers.
DailyBookkeeping & reconciliation
WeeklyCFO performance call or Loom
MonthlyClosed accounts & management report
Working with your team
Your CFO.
Within reach.
Direct CFO access during your agreed business hours, with an initial response within 0–2 working hours. Work requiring investigation has an agreed delivery time.
See the work in progress.
You can join your ClickUp project to see requests, task owners, due dates and progress. Decisions from the CFO review become actions that stay visible through completion.
EMEA & UKMonday–Friday
07:00–17:30 in the agreed European service time zone.
United StatesMonday–Friday
08:00–16:30 in the agreed US service time zone.
The exact service time zone and holiday calendar are confirmed during onboarding. Your booking calendar displays appointments in your local time zone.
Start with a conversation
Build the finance function
your next stage needs.
Tell us where the business stands. We’ll show you how we would run the finance function, the priorities we would address and the team behind the work.
Book a free introductionExplore the engagement and pricing