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Your Virtual Finance Department

Stop worrying about your numbers.
Start using them.

I plug into your business as your financial controller and finance director. You focus on what you're good at. I handle everything else.

Why pay £60K for a finance director when you don't need one in the building five days a week?

You've grown past the point where checking your bank balance and hoping for the best cuts it anymore. You need proper financial infrastructure, clear reporting, and someone who actually understands your business.

But a full time finance director comes with a salary, pension, NI, equipment, holidays, sick pay, and recruitment costs. For most businesses between £1M and £5M turnover, that's money better spent elsewhere.

Think about how many hours a week you spend on financial admin. Chasing invoices, trying to reconcile the books, worrying about VAT, sorting payroll. For most business owners I meet, it's somewhere between 4 and 8 hours a week. At your hourly rate, that's money you're spending on work that someone else could be doing for a fraction of the cost, while you focus on the things that actually grow the business.

You don't pay employment overheads, recruitment fees, or cover when someone goes on holiday. You just get a finance department that works.

Not every business that works with me is in crisis. Some are doing well and want to keep it that way. They want someone plugged into the finances who can spot problems before they arrive, help them plan for growth properly, and give them a second opinion when they're making big decisions. One client put it well: he doesn't see me as someone to call when things go wrong. He sees me as the reason things don't go wrong in the first place.

I specialise in businesses like yours

Every industry has its own financial challenges. I work with businesses where I understand those challenges inside out.

Optical Practices

Financial management built for independent opticians

VAT partial exemption, NHS vs private margins, frame stock management, clinician cost modelling. I understand the specific financial complexity of running an optical practice because most accountants don't.

See how I help opticians →
Tech Companies

Financial infrastructure that scales with your business

R&D tax credits, project profitability, cash flow during growth, investor-ready reporting. I work with tech companies who've outgrown basic bookkeeping and need serious financial support.

See how I help tech companies →
Contract & Trade Services

Financial management for businesses that win and deliver contracts

Retention tracking, tender pricing, invoice finance management, CIS compliance. I understand how money moves through a contract-based business because most accountants don't.

See how I help contract businesses →
I run a different type of business

Don't take my word for it

“I literally don't worry about the finance side of the business because I know he's got it covered. He made me feel completely at ease. When you're dealing with finance, having somebody that makes you feel comfortable to hand everything over is a real plus point.”
Jessica Janiak
TillyViktor
Jess came to Leigh looking for someone to take finance completely off her plate. She doesn't think about it anymore.
“He's like an extended part of the team. If you've got a problem, you ask Leigh. He doesn't overcomplicate things. He lays things out simply, and even when I'm really confused, he goes ‘right, this is what we need to do’ and sorts it.”
Holly
Commercial Services
Holly's business went through three accountants before finding Leigh. They lost a £300K contract and he helped them rebuild.
“Leigh very quickly felt like he was part of the team. He wasn't a robot. He was a human being with a human side to him. He was interested, he was able to get into the detail, and he could see the bigger picture of what we were trying to achieve.”
Nigel Plested
Ideasologie
Nigel brought Leigh with him when he started a completely new business. That's how much he trusts him.

Results from day one

Day 1

I get access and start digging

I review your current setup, spot the immediate issues, and start understanding how your business actually works financially.

Week 1

You know where you stand

For the first time, you'll have a clear picture of your financial position. What's real, what's committed, and what you've actually got to work with.

Month 1

Your first proper financial picture

Management accounts that make sense. Explained in plain English. Showing you which parts of your business are making money and which ones aren't.

Ongoing

Confident decisions based on real data

You stop guessing and the surprises stop coming. Everything is handled, and when you need to talk something through, you pick up the phone and I'm there.

What it costs

Every business is different, so these are starting points rather than fixed prices. Once I understand your business and what you need, I'll put together a proposal that reflects the actual scope of work.

Getting started
Survival
From £500/month
You need someone to get the basics under control and keep you compliant. I handle the bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll, and company secretarial so you can stop worrying about what's been missed and start focusing on the business.
For businesses that need the foundations in place.
Most popular
Stability
From £750/month
Everything in Survival, plus quarterly management accounts that actually make sense, performance analysis, and a quarterly review meeting where we go through the numbers together. You start to see the bigger picture of where your business is heading.
For businesses ready to understand their numbers properly.
Full partnership
Strategic
From £1,250/month
Everything in Stability, but with monthly management accounts, cash flow forecasting, tax planning advice, and a monthly review meeting. This is the full finance department experience, where I'm plugged into your business and helping you make confident decisions based on real data.
For businesses that want complete financial clarity and a finance partner, not just a service provider.
“It's been good value considering the return we've got for it. He spotted we were overstaffed in one area, got our retention money being chased properly, and for the first time in 22 years of running the business, I can actually see where things stand.”
Gary
Opal Contracts
All prices are plus VAT. The actual cost depends on the size and complexity of your business, so treat these as a guide. Get in touch and I'll give you a clear quote based on what you actually need.

Which stage is your business at?

My job is to get you to Stage 3 as quickly as possible.

1

Survival Mode

You're checking the bank balance every morning and making decisions based on whatever's available right now. Tax and VAT bills keep catching you off guard, and cash flow feels like a rollercoaster you can't get off.

2

Stability Mode

You've got regular bookkeeping and basic reporting in place. You know your monthly profit and loss figures but you still can't forecast accurately or understand what the numbers are actually telling you.

3

Strategic Mode

Complete financial clarity. You make decisions with confidence because you understand your true position. You plan for the future rather than reacting to the past.

Most of my clients come to me in Stage 1 or early Stage 2.

Ready to stop guessing and start knowing?

There's no hard sell here, just a conversation about where you are now and whether I can help.

Let's talk

Or call 07899 296 552 · leigh.cooke@virtufin.co.uk