How does this work with my existing accountant?

It complements rather than disrupts. Your bookkeeper and year-end accountant can stay where they are. Business Squared fills the proactive, commercial finance layer in the middle.

What does the deep dive involve?

An honest, up-front review of data quality, financial performance, tax leakage and systems. You leave with the true picture and a focused list of easy wins and key objectives.

Is year-end really included?

Year End included - Yes. For businesses falling under the "micro-entity" definition and filing under FRS105 accounting standards, year-end compliance is included in proactive subscriptions. It becomes a by-product of the work done all year round rather than an annual event. If you are unsure if this is you, just ask!

Which accounting systems do you support?

Xero is the core. We also migrate from Sage 50, build out the right app stack, and are launching as a Sage Intacct partner for larger businesses.

What is the pricing approach?

Fixed monthly subscriptions scoped to your business after the deep dive. No surprise invoices and no hourly billing for proactive work.

Which sectors do you cover?

Construction is the strongest point, with deep cross-sector experience in engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and wholesale and distribution.

Fractional · Finance · Office

The finance office that scales with you.

Financial clarity for owner-managed businesses that want more profit, better cashflow and smarter tax decisions. Senior finance leadership, on a fraction of a full-time hire.

Book a call with Darren What is a Fractional Finance Office?

20+

Years in the profession

FCA

Chartered Accountant

CTA

Chartered Tax Adviser

The problem

Revenue is growing. The team is larger. The workload is increasing.

Yet cash still feels tight, decisions are slower than they should be, and you're never quite sure whether the numbers are telling the full story.

Profit without cash

Sales are up, profit looks fine on paper, but the bank balance still feels tight.

No visibility

You do not really know where the cash is going each month.

Tax surprises

Tax bills feel uncertain or land at the worst possible moment.

Information too late

Numbers turn up long after the moment a decision needed to be made.

Outgrown the basics

The finance function has not kept pace with the size of your business.

A reactive accountant

Your current accountant deals with compliance and year-end, not advice.

You don't need another report. You need clarity and confidence.

We support growing businesses that have outgrown traditional accounting support.

Discuss your numbers with Darren Watch Darren's interview

The core question

“How is my business really performing, and what should I do next?”

Everything we do answers that question.

What you get

Finance, scaled to your business.

Three levels, set to where you are today and ready to step up as you grow.

GROWTH

Fractional CFO support

Board-level financial leadership, without the full-time cost. Direction, forecasting and tax strategy.

Clear financial direction
Forecasting and scenario planning
Profit, margin and tax strategy
Exit and value planning

See how CFO support works

CONTROL

Financial Controller support

Reporting and control you can actually trust, on time, every month.

Monthly management accounts
The KPIs that matter, tracked
Cashflow visibility
Controls and process

Improve financial visibility

Foundations

Operational Finance support

Accurate, up-to-date books that everything else is built on.

Bookkeeping done properly
VAT filed correctly and on time
Payroll handled reliably
Clean data, ready to use

Build stronger finance foundations

Better numbers. Better decisions. Better outcomes.

How it works

A clear, repeatable engagement.

Deep dive

An honest review of data quality, performance, tax leakage and systems.

Prioritise

Agree the easy wins and the key objectives so early progress is visible.

Build

Budget, cashflow forecast and a management reporting pack you can act on.

Meet

Monthly or quarterly meetings for accountability, review and planning.

Year-end included

Year-end stops being the product. It becomes a by-product of proactive work.

Year-end stops being the product. It becomes the by-product of proactive work all year round.

Talk it through with Darren

A real chat with Darren, not a sales pitch. No jargon, no obligation, just a conversation.

Systems & digitisation

Built on the right systems.

Good decisions need good data, and good data needs the right systems. Live numbers, accessible from anywhere, with the whole team working from the same source of truth.

Move to Xero

Full migration from Sage 50 or spreadsheets. Data converted, accounts set up cleanly, team trained.

Digitised app stack

A coordinated tool stack tailored to how your business actually works. Less admin, faster reporting.

Sage Intacct partner

Sage Intacct partner. Cloud financial management for larger owner-managed businesses that have outgrown Xero; multi-entity, deeper reporting and stronger controls.

Chat with Darren

Case Studies

Let us run the numbers.

£1.5m

Owner-managed business supported end to end

43yrs

Of legacy compliance replaced with proactive advice

Service levels that scale with your business

From employee, through redundancy, to running a £1.5m business. Forecasting, tax planning, monthly meetings and personal tax in one holistic relationship.

Ability Care Solutions Ltd

After 43 years with a compliance-only accountant: succession planning, restructuring, refinancing and bringing the next generation into the business.

Combers Limited

Moved from Sage to Xero and supported with Fractional CFO work through a management buy-out: significant change in both systems and ownership.

Solum SW Ltd

Who it is for

Business owners who know there should be more cash, greater profit and no tax surprises.

You already have bookkeeping and compliance covered, but you're looking for greater clarity, stronger financial control, and confidence in the decisions you're making.

That's where I sit.

I help owner-managed businesses understand where they are, where they're heading and what needs to happen next. Working alongside your existing accountant and bookkeeper, I provide CFO-level insight without the cost of a full-time finance director.

Book a clarity call with Darren Watch Darren's interview

Profitable and growing
Making decisions without enough financial visibility
Already have bookkeeping and compliance covered
Want stronger cash flow, profit and strategic control
Need CFO-level insight without a full-time salary

Why different

More than an accountant.

Strategic finance and tax expertise in one relationship. Built for owner-managed businesses that want both performance and personal wealth.

I handle the complexity so you do not have to.

Grab a virtual coffee with Darren

Chartered Accountant

FCA, 20+ years in the profession

Chartered Tax Adviser

Tax woven into every decision

Fractional CFO

Strategy, forecasting, decision support

Strategic Finance

Expert in Xero, Intacct and business reporting

Sectors

Built for owner-managed businesses

Darren has worked with construction firms, care providers, salons and professional services, so the conversation rarely starts from scratch. But the real expertise is reading any business, finding what good looks like, and helping you do more of it.

Fractional Finance for Owner-Managed Businesses

Advisory built around owner-managed SME's

Ready to see what is really happening in your numbers?

Start with a deep dive. No pressure, no obligation, just an honest look at the business.

Book a free clarity call

FAQ