Case Studies — Real Results, Real Businesses

We work with UK businesses to build and operate finance operations, cash management, and leadership reporting. Here's what we've delivered recently.

What you’ll see on this page

  • Outcomes first — then the context, constraints, and how we executed.
  • Board-safe structure — clear headings, scannable sections, and KPI tables.
  • How KPI247 works — discovery → decisions → delivery, with owners and cadence.
Manufacturing

Case Study 1: Precision Manufacturing Ltd

Engagement: 6 months (March–August 2025)

Impact: £130,000 cash unlocked, AR days reduced from 85+ to 62

Primary workstreams: AR discipline, invoice QA, 13-week cash forecast, weekly cash cadence


Hero summary: Family-owned precision manufacturer (£6M revenue, 35 staff) went from cash panic to cash confidence in 90 days. We implemented invoice QA, collections rhythm, and 13-week cash forecasting — unlocking £130k cash and avoiding an unnecessary bank loan.

Client & context

  • Second-generation family manufacturing business, B2B project-based work
  • UK, 35 staff, ~£6M revenue, profitable on paper but cash-strapped
  • Senior finance person left suddenly; Office Administrator overwhelmed
  • AR at 85+ days; invoice error rate ~25%
  • Management accounts 6+ weeks behind
  • No forward visibility, no weekly reporting rhythm
  • Considering a bank loan to cover cash gaps

Objectives & constraints

Target state:

  • Get cash position under control within 60 days
  • Build a 13-week rolling cash forecast
  • Implement collections that run without daily firefighting
  • Train Office Administrator to own cash management

Constraints:

  • Small team, limited finance capacity
  • Customer relationships sensitive (can’t be aggressive on collections)
  • Time-to-pay arrangement with HMRC (£1.1M owed)
  • Needed to maintain operations throughout transition

Our approach (how we work)

Discovery (Weeks 1–2)

  • Mapped cash flow, AR ageing, invoice process end-to-end
  • Identified root causes: invoice errors, weak terms, no rhythm
  • Agreed priorities with CEO: fix quality, implement cadence, build visibility

Decision (Weeks 3–4)

  • Designed invoice QA checklist (catch errors before sending)
  • Updated payment terms; refreshed contracts with top 10 customers
  • Collections rhythm: reminders 30d, calls 45d, escalation 60d
  • Built AR dashboard and 13-week forecast framework

Delivery (Months 2–6)

  • Worked side-by-side with Office Administrator (training through doing)
  • Ran Monday cash review meetings with CEO + Ops Director
  • Operated system together, refining based on what worked in reality
  • Handover by Month 6 — team running independently

What changed (Before → After)

  • AR days: 85+ → 62 (↓23 days)
  • Invoice error rate: ~25% → <5% (↓20 points)
  • Cash visibility: none → 13-week rolling forecast updated weekly
  • Collections: reactive → automated reminders + escalation rules
  • Capability: overwhelmed → confident ownership (admin runs the cadence)

Results (KPIs)

Metric Before After Change
AR Days Outstanding 85+ days 62 days ↓23 days
Invoice Error Rate 25%+ <5% ↓20 points
Cash Unlocked £130,000 New
Cash Forecast Horizon None 13 weeks rolling New

Timeline & deliverables

  • Month 1: stabilise cash, implement invoice QA, start collections rhythm
  • Months 2–3: build & operate 13-week forecast, Monday cash meetings
  • Months 4–6: team ownership + handover, monthly review cadence
  • Invoice QA checklist + process
  • Collections rhythm + automated reminders
  • AR dashboard (ageing buckets + owner accountability)
  • 13-week rolling cash forecast template
  • Weekly leadership pack (1-page: cash, AR, actions)
  • Payment terms documentation + admin training materials

Stack & integrations

  • Systems: Xero, Notion, Email automation, Excel/Sheets
  • Integrations: Xero → Notion (AR/KPI sync), bank feeds → cash forecast workflow

Testimonial

"We went from cash panic to cash confidence in 3 months. More importantly, our Office Manager runs it without Lech now."
— Managing Director, precision manufacturing

SaaS / Technology

Case Study 2: TechFlow SaaS

Engagement: 90 days (June–August 2025), ongoing quarterly reviews

Impact: £6.3M additional valuation (15% higher Series A), CEO time on finance reduced 90%

Primary workstreams: investor-grade model, unit economics, board pack, 13-week cash + scenarios


Hero summary: B2B SaaS startup (£3M ARR, 18 staff, seed-funded) preparing for Series A. We built investor-grade reporting, unit economics and a board pack in 90 days — helping raise at a 15% higher valuation.

Client & context

  • B2B SaaS, product-market fit achieved, seed-funded
  • UK, 18 staff, ~£3M ARR, Series A planned in 6–9 months
  • Finance held together with spreadsheets + part-time bookkeeper
  • CEO spending 20+ hours/month wrestling with numbers
  • No cash forecast beyond “about 4 months runway”
  • Couldn’t answer unit economics (LTV, CAC, payback) reliably
  • No investor-ready materials or reporting rhythm

Objectives & constraints

Target state:

  • Investor-ready financials + model within 90 days
  • Clear unit economics and SaaS KPIs
  • Board pack template for ongoing use
  • CEO finance time: 20 hrs/month → 2 hrs/month

Constraints:

  • Tight timeline; CEO must stay focused on product + sales
  • Small team, no finance function
  • Seed-stage budget constraints

Our approach (how we work)

Discovery (Weeks 1–2)

  • Mapped what investors would ask and what the board needed to see
  • Aligned priorities: reporting, cash visibility, investor-grade KPIs
  • Assessed current state: spreadsheet chaos, inconsistent definitions

Decision (Weeks 3–6)

  • Structured management accounts (chart of accounts + reporting outputs)
  • Built investor dashboard: ARR/MRR, runway, burn, CAC, LTV, payback
  • Created board pack template (1-page KPI summary + commentary)
  • Built 3-year integrated financial model (investor-ready)
  • Defined metrics in plain English (maintainable by the team)

Delivery (Weeks 7–12)

  • Weekly finance reviews with CEO (walk-through, decisions, owners)
  • 13-week cash forecast with scenarios (base / downside / hiring plan)
  • Board meeting prep together; attended first 2, CEO solo by Month 3
  • Trained Ops Manager to maintain dashboard; quarterly check-ins

What changed (Before → After)

  • Management accounts: none → within 1 week of month-end
  • Cash visibility: vague runway → 13-week forecast + scenarios
  • Board materials: spreadsheet chaos → 1-page KPI pack + commentary
  • CEO finance time: 20 hrs/month → 2 hrs/month (↓90%)
  • Investor readiness: not ready → Series A raised (+15% valuation)

Results (KPIs)

Metric Before After Change
Management Accounts None Within 1 week of month-end New
CEO Time on Finance 20 hrs/month 2 hrs/month ↓90%
Cash Visibility ~4 months (rough) 13-week forecast + scenarios Structured
Valuation Impact +15% (£6.3M additional value) £6.3M

Timeline & deliverables

  • Weeks 1–2: discovery + investor questions map
  • Weeks 3–6: accounts structure, dashboard, model, board pack
  • Weeks 7–12: operate cadence, scenarios, training + handover
  • Investor dashboard (ARR/MRR, runway, burn, CAC, LTV, payback)
  • 3-year integrated financial model (investor-ready)
  • Board pack template (1-page KPI summary + commentary)
  • 13-week cash forecast with scenarios
  • Metric definitions (plain English) + Ops Manager training

Stack & integrations

  • Systems: Xero, Notion, Google Sheets, Stripe
  • Integrations: Stripe → Xero (revenue sync), Xero → Notion (KPI updates)

Testimonial

"We were preparing for Series A with spreadsheets. Lech built investor-grade reporting in 90 days and trained our team to maintain it. Money well spent."
— Founder & CEO, B2B SaaS

Professional Services

Case Study 3: MultiSite Services Co

Engagement: 6 months (January–June 2025), ongoing monthly reviews

Impact: £100,000 cash unlocked, AR days reduced from 70+ to 55

Primary workstreams: standardised definitions, one view across sites, invoice QA, weekly leadership rhythm


Hero summary: B2B services business (£8M revenue, 45 staff, 3 UK sites) growing fast but cash-strapped. We standardised operations reporting across sites, installed cash management and weekly cadence — unlocking £100k and reducing AR days 70 → 55.

Client & context

  • B2B installation & maintenance services, multi-site operation
  • UK, 3 sites, 45 staff, ~£8M revenue, ~40% YoY growth
  • Each site operated differently (different spreadsheets, definitions)
  • No consolidated view across sites; CEO described it as “herding cats”
  • AR at 70+ days; invoice error rate 20%+
  • Growth masking operational problems

Objectives & constraints

Target state:

  • One working view across all three sites (same definitions and KPIs)
  • Cash visibility + control (reduce AR, build forecast)
  • Weekly rhythm driving accountability and follow-through
  • Finance Admin trained to maintain systems

Constraints:

  • Sites geographically distributed, different cultures
  • Site Managers protective of autonomy
  • Limited finance capacity (no Finance Director)
  • Couldn’t slow growth to fix operations

Our approach (how we work)

Discovery (Months 1–2)

  • Mapped how work is won, delivered, billed (each site)
  • Aligned CEO + Site Managers on a single set of definitions
  • Agreed priorities: one view, fix cash, create rhythm and accountability

Decision (Months 2–3)

  • Standardised definitions across sites (job complete, cost-to-serve, on-time)
  • Built consolidated P&L view with site-level detail
  • Designed weekly leadership pack (KPIs + commentary + actions)
  • Installed invoice QA and 13-week rolling cash forecast

Delivery (Months 3–6)

  • Weekly reviews with Ops Director (issues → actions → owners)
  • Operated side-by-side until the cadence became “how we work”
  • Month 4: team took over weekly reporting
  • Months 5–6: trained Finance Admin; handover to team ownership

What changed (Before → After)

  • Visibility: fragmented site views → one consolidated view
  • AR days: 70+ → 55 (↓15 days)
  • Invoice error rate: 20%+ → <5% (↓15 points)
  • Cost-to-serve: unclear → visible by service line
  • Rhythm: manual monthly scramble → weekly, team-owned cadence

Results (KPIs)

Metric Before After Change
AR Days Outstanding 70+ days 55 days ↓15 days
Cash Unlocked £100,000 New
Invoice Error Rate 20%+ <5% ↓15 points
Reporting Consistency 3 different processes 1 standardised view Unified

Timeline & deliverables

  • Months 1–2: understand + design standard framework
  • Months 3–4: roll out across sites; team takes over weekly reporting
  • Months 5–6: cash forecast ownership + full handover
  • Standard definitions and site-level operating rules
  • Consolidated P&L with site detail (consistent categories)
  • Weekly leadership pack (1-page: KPIs, actions, risks)
  • Invoice QA checklist + process
  • 13-week rolling cash forecast + AR ageing dashboard
  • Training materials for Finance Administrator

Stack & integrations

  • Systems: Xero (multi-entity), Notion, job management systems (per site)
  • Integrations: Xero → Notion (consolidated reporting), job systems → Xero (standardised revenue recognition)

Testimonial

"Lech gave us one view across three sites for the first time. Now we can answer ‘which site is most profitable?’ and actually trust the answer."
— CEO, multi-site services business

If this feels familiar

If you're facing cash flow pressure, investor prep, multi-site chaos, or finance operations that need rebuilding — this is the kind of work we do.

Lech Synowka
Director of Business Operations & Finance

Tel: 07537967037
Email: lech@kpi247.com
Website: kpi247.com

Fastest route: send your biggest constraint + what you currently track. I’ll tell you what I’d stabilise first.