How 20i built a finance function that could keep up with growth.

Finance that could not keep up

20i was growing fast and profitably, but the finance support behind it was struggling to keep pace.

The business had a traditional accountancy practice handling the books. As the company grew, that arrangement started to creak. The bookkeeping fell behind, mistakes crept in, and the practice did not really understand a fast-moving tech and SaaS business. The founders were running a profitable, scaling company on finance information they could no longer fully trust.

For a bootstrapped business growing on its own cash, that is a real problem. There is no investor cushion. Every decision about hiring, spending and expansion rests on the numbers, and the numbers were not reliable or timely enough to lean on.

Took over finance operations end to end

Anna had worked with the 20i founders in other businesses, so there was already trust to build on. We took over their finance operations and rebuilt the function around accurate, timely numbers.

First, we got the fundamentals right. Real-time bookkeeping that was accurate and on time. Payroll and pensions handled. VAT returns, payment runs and credit control all taken off the founders’ plate.

Then we built the reporting that mattered. Monthly management accounts and KPIs so the founders could track progress properly, for the first time on information they trusted. Alongside that, cash visibility at a stage where keeping a firm handle on HMRC liabilities was essential.

Then we looked forward. As the business stabilised, we built cash flow forecasts to plan for future expansion, and kept those forecasts monitored and updated so the financial model stayed accurate as things moved. That forward visibility is what turned finance from a record of the past into a tool for planning the future.

Cash back in the business, and a platform to grow

In the first year, we recovered over £120,000 for 20i through an R&D tax claim, cash straight back into the business at a point where cash flow really mattered.

That was the headline, but the lasting change was visibility. The founders went from finance information they could not trust to monthly management accounts, KPIs and cash forecasts they could actually make decisions on.

That visibility is what made expansion possible. With reliable forecasts and a financial model that stayed current, 20i could plan ahead with confidence and grow into new markets in the US and Singapore. Keeping the forecasts monitored and updated means the model stays accurate as the business keeps growing, so the next decision is always backed by current numbers.

The point of finance operations

20i is exactly the kind of business that proves senior finance support is not only for the venture-backed. A bootstrapped, profitable, fast-growing company carries the biggest financial decisions itself, with no investor money to absorb a mistake. Reliable numbers are what make those decisions safe.

That is what finance operations are for: the layer between basic bookkeeping and a full-time finance hire, giving founders the reporting, cash visibility and forecasting to grow on evidence rather than feel.