Finance support for growth businesses preparing for investment, due diligence and investor scrutiny.
Raising investment is not just about ambition, opportunity or a compelling pitch.
Investors need to trust the numbers.
Leask Advisory Solutions helps growth businesses prepare the financial visibility, forecasting, reporting and commercial story needed for investment conversations, due diligence, board reporting and the next stage of growth.
Led by Julia Leask FCMA, CGMA, Leask provides senior finance leadership when the business needs investor-ready numbers but does not yet need, or cannot yet justify, a full-time Finance Director.
Investors do not just invest in the idea. They invest in the business behind it.
Many growth businesses reach a point where the opportunity is clear, but the finance function has not yet caught up.
The business may have strong potential, a growing market, early traction or international ambition. But when investor scrutiny begins, weak reporting, unclear forecasts, limited controls or disconnected financial information can quickly undermine confidence.
The numbers need to do more than explain what has happened.
They need to show where the business is going, what funding is needed, how cash will be used, what risks exist and how leadership is managing the business commercially.
You may need investment readiness support if…
You are preparing for a funding round
The business needs forecasts, reporting and a financial story investors can trust.
Due diligence is approaching
Your numbers, systems, contracts, controls and assumptions may come under closer scrutiny.
The board needs clearer reporting
Leadership needs management information that supports decisions, not just historic accounts.
The business is growing faster than the finance function
Reporting, controls and forecasting may not have kept pace with the pace of growth.
You are expanding internationally
Cross-border reporting, cashflow, compliance coordination and group visibility are becoming more important.
You cannot yet hire a full-time Finance Director
You need senior finance leadership before the business is ready for a permanent FD appointment.
Your pitch is strong, but the numbers need work
The commercial opportunity is there, but the financial evidence needs to be clearer.
Growth creates opportunity. It also exposes weak financial foundations.
In the early stages of growth, businesses often focus on product, market, sales, team and momentum.
That is understandable.
But when investment becomes part of the plan, the finance function needs to mature quickly. Forecasts need to be credible. Assumptions need to be clear. Cashflow needs to be understood. Reporting needs to be timely. The leadership team needs to explain the numbers with confidence.
Investors are not just looking for enthusiasm.
They want to see control, clarity, commercial thinking and a finance story that supports the growth plan.
Julia helps growth businesses build that financial confidence before investor scrutiny becomes urgent.
Opportunity
Growth potential and commercial ambition.
Financial Evidence
Credible forecasts, assumptions, cashflow and reporting.
Investor Confidence
A finance story leadership can explain under scrutiny.
Investor-ready finance support before the pressure is on.
Leask helps growth businesses strengthen the financial foundations investors, boards and leadership teams need to trust.
Forecasting and planning
Build forward-looking forecasts that connect growth plans, cash needs and commercial assumptions.
Gives investors and leadership a clearer view of what the business needs and where it is heading.
Investor reporting
Prepare financial information that supports investor conversations, board updates and funding discussions.
Helps the business communicate progress, risk and opportunity more clearly.
Due diligence readiness
Identify gaps in reporting, controls, cashflow, documentation or finance processes before scrutiny begins.
Reduces the risk of surprises during a funding process.
Cashflow visibility
Understand funding runway, working capital, timing and where cash pressure may arise.
Helps leadership make better decisions before cash becomes urgent.
Board and C-suite reporting
Turn financial information into insight for directors, investors and senior leadership.
Supports clearer accountability and more confident decision-making.
Finance function development
Strengthen the finance structure, systems, people and processes as the business grows.
Helps the business mature before a full in-house finance leader is required.
Commercial challenge
Test assumptions, scenarios, risks and decisions behind the growth plan.
Makes the finance story more credible and less reliant on optimism.
Investment readiness is not just a spreadsheet.
A strong forecast matters. But it is only part of the picture.
Investors also want to understand whether the business is commercially controlled, whether leadership understands the numbers and whether the finance function can support the next stage of growth.
Clear financial forecasts
Shows the business understands growth, cost, cash and funding requirements.
Credible assumptions
Shows the numbers are grounded in reality, not guesswork.
Cashflow visibility
Shows leadership understands runway, timing and financial pressure.
Useful management information
Shows the business can monitor performance and make informed decisions.
Strong controls and processes
Shows the finance function can support growth without creating unnecessary risk.
A clear finance story
Shows how the numbers connect to the commercial plan.
Leadership confidence
Shows the team can explain the numbers under scrutiny.
Services that support investment-ready businesses
Investment Readiness
Helps prepare forecasts, reporting, due diligence support and the financial story investors need to trust.
Fractional CFO & Strategic Finance Partner
Provides senior finance leadership before the business is ready for a full-time FD.
Governance, Reporting & Board Support
Builds clearer board reporting, management information and financial visibility.
Cashflow & Profitability Improvement
Helps leadership understand runway, working capital, margins and cash pressure.
Finance Systems, Reporting & Controls
Strengthens the financial foundations investors and leadership need to rely on.
International Finance Support
Supports businesses growing across borders or managing UK, US or wider group reporting.
Building finance foundations for investment, growth and the next stage.
Leask’s work with investment-ready businesses is practical, commercially focused and built around the pressure points leadership teams face when funding, due diligence or investor reporting becomes important.
Neurofenix
Julia helped build and lead the UK, US and group finance function, supporting Series A due diligence, investor reporting, cashflow planning and a £5.5m investment.
Shows Leask can support investor scrutiny, international growth and finance function development before a permanent Finance Director is in place.
Escalon Services / Neurofenix collaboration
Rachel Fuller’s team supported the US books while Julia acted as CFO and handled reporting to the board and C-suite for the wider company.
Shows Leask can lead the strategic finance layer while working effectively alongside outsourced finance providers.
Think Smart Accounts / partner referral
Jane Capel introduced Julia when a client’s funding and reporting needs moved beyond compliance support.
Shows professional advisers trust Julia when clients need senior finance interpretation, investment reporting and board-level insight.
Trusted when the numbers need to stand up to scrutiny.
“Julia was acting CFO for the company… she handled the reporting to the board and to the C-suite for the entire company.”
Rachel Fuller
Head of Diversified and International, Escalon Services
Advisers bring Julia in when clients need more than compliance.
Investment readiness often begins when an accountant, bookkeeper or outsourced finance provider recognises that the client needs a more strategic finance layer.
They need someone who can interpret the numbers, support reporting and help leadership understand what investors will expect.
“Julia comes along and makes sense of the numbers for the management board. If they’re doing seed rounds and investment rounds, there’s a huge amount of reporting required, and they need to understand their numbers inside out. They need a Julia for that.”
Jane Capel
Managing Director, Think Smart Accounts
Management insight, board-level financial interpretation, investment reporting and funding readiness
Start by understanding whether your numbers are investor-ready.
Before approaching investors, entering due diligence or preparing board-level reporting, it helps to understand where the gaps are.
Investment Readiness Assessment
Whether your forecasts, reporting, controls and finance story are ready for investor scrutiny.
Cashflow Clarity Assessment
Whether runway, working capital or cash timing could weaken the investment story.
Business Value Assessment
Whether the business has value drivers, risks or owner-dependence issues that need attention.
Practical resources to help you prepare before investors start asking questions.
These resources are designed to help growth businesses, founders and leadership teams strengthen their finance story before funding, due diligence or board reporting becomes urgent.
7 Steps to Raising Capital
Preparing the numbers, forecasts and commercial story needed for investment conversations.
Investment Readiness Checklist
Reviewing whether your finance function, reporting and assumptions are ready for scrutiny.
Healthtech & Innovation-Led Investment Readiness Guide
Connecting growth plans, funding requirements and financial reporting for innovation-led businesses.
Cashflow Improvement Tool
Understanding whether cashflow, runway or working capital could create pressure.
Board Reporting Guide
Building financial reporting that supports better investor and leadership decisions.
Leask is not the right fit for every growth business.
Leask is best suited to established or properly funded growth businesses that are ready to use financial insight to prepare for investment, scrutiny and better decisions.
It is not usually the right fit for very early-stage founders who have no budget, no trading history and only want speculative or contingency-based support.
Better Fit
- Growth business preparing for funding
- Leadership team wants investor-ready numbers
- Due diligence, board reporting or forecasting matters
- Business has complexity worth solving
- Open to challenge and financial discipline
Not the Right Fit
- Pre-revenue founder with no budget
- Business only wants a pitch deck without financial substance
- No appetite to improve reporting, controls or assumptions
- Business only wants cheap compliance
- Wants reassurance, but not scrutiny
Frequently asked questions
When should we start preparing for investment?
Ideally before investor conversations become urgent. The earlier you strengthen forecasts, reporting, cashflow visibility and controls, the easier it is to answer investor questions with confidence.
Can Leask help with due diligence?
Yes. Leask can help identify and prepare the financial information, reporting, forecasts, controls and supporting evidence likely to matter during due diligence.
Do we need a full-time Finance Director before raising investment?
Not always. Many growth businesses need senior finance leadership before they are ready to hire a full-time Finance Director. Leask can provide Fractional CFO and investment readiness support at that stage.
Can Leask work alongside our existing accountant or outsourced finance team?
Yes. Leask often works alongside accountants, bookkeepers, outsourced finance teams and other advisers, adding the senior strategic finance layer above day-to-day finance delivery.
Is this only for large businesses?
No. Leask is best suited to established businesses with enough complexity, ambition and budget to need senior financial insight. The focus is less about size alone and more about whether the business is facing investment, growth, scrutiny or strategic decisions.
What if our forecasts already exist?
Existing forecasts are a useful start, but they may still need testing. Leask can help review assumptions, cashflow, reporting, risk and whether the numbers support the story leadership wants to tell.
Preparing for investment? Make sure the numbers are ready before the scrutiny starts.
If your business is approaching funding, due diligence, investor reporting or board-level scrutiny, Leask can help you build the financial clarity and confidence needed for the next stage.
You need more than a good story. You need numbers, forecasts and reporting that support it.