How Nigel kept the same trusted finance through a complete change of business

The short version

Nigel Plested has worked with Leigh through two completely different businesses. The businesses changed beyond recognition. The one thing he made sure to keep was Leigh.

Where they were before

Leigh first came in when Nigel's business was the UK arm of an international group. The parent company sat on the other side of the world and was never realistically going to get into the detail of a smaller subsidiary, so the finance support that should have been there simply was not. Nigel needed someone to keep the decisions sound, put proper checks and balances in place, keep everything legal and compliant, and help the sales side manage procurement and the import and export work that came with selling the group's products.

Before Leigh, Nigel had used the same finance contact for well over a decade. She was perfectly capable, but always clinical about it. She did not want to get involved in the business and never seemed to feel she had the time for it.

How they found Leigh

Leigh came through a recommendation from trusted contacts at an HR firm Nigel worked with, mentioned over a beer. It was obvious early on that he was a different proposition. He had the time, he was genuinely interested, he got into the detail and he could see the bigger picture of what the business was trying to do. He got on with the rest of the team, and with the overseas team too. For Nigel, the thing that mattered most was simple.

What Leigh does now

When Nigel separated from the group and set up his design consultancy, Leigh came with him. The business is lighter now, running no more than a handful of live accounts at any one time, and Leigh takes the VAT returns, the deadlines and the payroll off Nigel's desk without needing to be asked, because he knows the routine inside out.

The value is not only in the spreadsheets. Nigel shares where he wants to take the business and Leigh helps him work out whether it is achievable. He treats the whole thing as preventative rather than a fix applied after something has already gone wrong, a set of measures and another pair of eyes that brings clarity to whatever is on the table.

The difference it has made

Through a couple of genuinely rocky years in the new business, Leigh has been a constant. He is dependable, always available with a good reason behind his advice, and still as interested as he was on day one. Nigel's plan is to grow what he does with Leigh as the business itself grows.

You can read more about how an outsourced finance department works, and what a virtual finance director does day to day.