The Fractional CFO Show with Adam Cooper

What does it really take to build a successful business without external investment?

Many founders are told that the route to growth is to raise funding, specialise in a niche, standardise everything and scale as quickly as possible. But what if there was another way?

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper is joined by Gulliver Moore, Founder and CEO of Sunday Treat, a creative content agency that has grown organically into a multi-million-pound business working with some of the world's best-known brands, including Google, Disney, Canon, Revolut and Candy Crush.

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What does good financial leadership actually look like inside a growing business?

Many founders reach a point where bookkeeping is under control, management accounts are being produced, and year-end compliance is taken care of, yet they still feel uncertain when making important business decisions.

They know the numbers exist.

They receive reports.

They have visibility of revenue.

But they still don't feel fully in control of profitability, cash flow, hiring decisions, pricing, or growth plans.

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper is joined...

Building Without Funding: Control, Trade-offs, and Capital Discipline

What if the best source of funding for your business isn't an investor?

What if it's your customers?

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper sits down with Tayfun Bilsel, founder and CEO of Clinked, to explore the realities of building and scaling a technology business without relying on external investment.

Over the last two decades, the startup world has become heavily associated with fundraising, venture capital, angel investors and rapid growth. Raising capital is often presented as the natural...

Why is revenue forecasting so difficult in agencies and project-based businesses?

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper speaks with Julia Longo, Group Finance Director at SAENTYS, about the operational and financial realities of forecasting revenue in a fast-moving creative consultancy environment.

SAENTYS operates across the UK, France and Switzerland, supporting clients in the real estate, hospitality and destination sectors. Julia oversees finance across multiple entities and shares a practical, experience-led view of how forecasting, reporting and operational planning work inside an international agency business.

The discussion explores the difference...

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper is joined by Callum Lockwood (Re:signal) to explore how SEO and marketing decisions translate into real commercial outcomes.

Too many businesses still measure success through traffic, rankings, and vanity metrics. But as Callum explains, those numbers don’t always lead to what actually matters, revenue growth, profitability, and cash flow.

This conversation takes a more commercial and CFO-led view of SEO, reframing it as a long-term growth investment rather than a standalone marketing channel.

Together, Adam and Callum break down how founders an...

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper is joined by Elliott King, agency founder, digital marketing expert, and Managing Partner at FINN Partners, to explore the real journey from startup to exit.

Elliott shares honest insights on managing cash flow through growth, the shift from project to retainer revenue, and the financial discipline required to build a sellable agency.

They also dive into the realities of M&A, including due diligence, valuation drivers, and what actually changes after a sale.

Plus, a look at how AI, SEO, and owned media...

Thinking about raising debt finance for growth, refinancing, acquisitions or working capital?

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper speaks with Steve Cockell, Founder of Obica Business Funding and experienced commercial debt advisor, about how the SME funding landscape has changed, and what founders must do before approaching lenders.

They discuss:

The decline of traditional relationship bankingThe SME funding gap between £500k - £2mInvoice finance vs unsecured cash flow lending vs asset-backed facilitiesHow to craft a compelling funding narrativeWhen to use a debt advisorWhat lenders really look for in today’s cred...

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, we explore a question many agency founders quietly wrestle with:

What would actually change in your business if you freed up just 10 hours a week?

I’m joined by Jesse P. Gilmore, Founder of Niche in Control and host of the Leverage for Growth podcast. Jesse works closely with agency owners who have built successful businesses, but find themselves trapped in delivery, decisions, and day-to-day firefighting.

This is a practical, grounded conversation about escaping founder-dependence without losing control.

We unpack how agency owners ca...

In this episode of The Fractional CFO Show, Adam Cooper sits down with Dean McKenna, Co-Founder of Cassia Digital Agency, to unpack how digital strategy should actually connect to business performance, not just aesthetics.

This is a practical, experience-led conversation for founders, operators, and business owners who know their online presence matters, but aren’t always clear on where to invest, what good looks like, or how to make it pay back.

Dean brings a refreshing, structured perspective to a space that often feels vague or overly technical. He talks through his GROW model, a si...

This week I’m joined by Michael Henderson, Founder of RiskBox Ltd, a man on a mission to help creative businesses understand what insurance they really need.

Michael brings a refreshingly honest take on one of the more confusing of running a businesses. He shares real stories, practical guidance, and insights that could save your business time, money and headaches when things go wrong.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts of our conversation include:

✅ Legal must-haves vs. nice-to-haves: What’s actually required when starting out.
✅ Overinsured or underinsured? Why many founde...

On this week’s episode, I had a brilliant conversation with Harv Nagra, Head of Brand Communications at Scoro and host of The Handbook: The Operations Podcast. 

Harv brings a unique mix of insight from marketing, operations, and systems design, particularly for growing agencies and professional service firms.

If you’ve ever felt like your business is spinning too many plates, this one’s for you.

🌟 Some of the highlights we dig into:

✅ Collaborating with finance: How operations + CFOs can lead smarter system rollouts.
✅ The Business Maturity Model...

This week, I’m joined by Oliver Tuffney, Founder & Head Coach at Sales Velocity, a framework designed to bring discipline, structure, and predictability to SME sales teams.

Some of my favourite takeaways from our conversation:

✅ How to avoid sales teams getting stuck in boom and bust cycles;
✅ How EOS can guide sales, but why Ollie feels it still needs a deeper “sales layer”;
✅ What great compensation plans actually look like, and how to build them without risking your cashflow;
✅ Why sales and finance leaders must collaborate on modelling if growth is g...

This week, I sat down with @Kat Wellum-Kent, Founder & CEO of @The Fractionals Group who left Practice to launch her business with just one client and a plan.

Some of my favourite takeaways from our conversation were:

✅ Recruiting “on the curve” vs hiring ahead of the work
✅ Building something that’s more than just you as a solo operator
✅ Making use of EOS and managing her own utilisation as a founder
✅ Why not every startup needs a full-time CFO, and how to spot when they do
✅ And growing a team without losing sight of...

This week, I caught up with Paul Bevington, Partner & General Counsel at EMW Law LLP | B Corp. He's been helping clients buy and sell companies since joining the firm back in the 90s and has seen just about everything when it comes to business sales.

Some of my favourite moments from the chat:

✅ Why sellers underestimate just how long (and emotional) the legal process really is;
✅ What “buyer verification” actually means and why it can feel like Groundhog Day;
✅ Why shareholder alignment is essential before you go to market;
✅ The...

This week, I sat down with Stephen Knight, Founder and CEO of Pimento, to unpack how business can turn marketing from a cost into a profit driver.

Some of my favourite takeaways from our conversation:

✅ The #1 mistake SMEs make when hiring marketing help, and how to avoid it.
✅ Why cutting brand spend in a downturn is often a strategic mistake.
✅ How to find the right marketing partner in a sea of thousands of agencies.
✅ How PE-backed businesses can still build brand equity without losing performance focus.
✅ And, what happe...

This week, I sat down with the brilliant @Sarah Lamontagne, Founder of @Montagne Motion Consulting, to dive into what really matters when founders make those all-important first hires.

Sarah’s seen it all, from prisons to AI scaleups, and brings some refreshing honesty, and tonnes of experience to bear hiring, culture, and building the foundations for a people-first business.

Some personal highlights from our conversation:
 ✅ Why founders waste time (and budget) trying to DIY their early hires.
 ✅ The real cost of a 5-stage interview process (and why it needs to die).
 ✅ How finance and...

This week, I sat down with Peter Charalambides, CEO of The Upper Room and former Property CEO, for a powerful conversation on how to run a charity with a business mindest.

Some of my favourite moments from our chat include:

✅ What Peter learned from starting-up a business and how that shapes his charity leadership today.
 ✅ Why charities must diversify income streams and the impact of local community.
✅ Financial lessons from the business world on cash flow, benchmarking salaries, and tech that Peter took to the third sector.
✅ How Peter uses mindfulness (and a beard n...

In this week’s episode, I sat down with Dan DeGolier, CEO of Ascent CFO Solutions, to dig into the world of metrics, and how small businesses can start to think about this subject.

Some of the highlights from our conversation included:

✅ Why “cash is king” still matters – regardless of your growth stage.
✅ The biggest mistake small businesses make with dashboards – think noise vs. insight!
✅ How to make KPIs work best across teams – tip: link them to bonus schemes.
✅ The difference between tracking leads... and tracking the right ones.
✅ Power B...

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mark Jenkins, CEO of The Gap, a platform to help accountants, CFOs, and advisors turn their expertise into scalable value-driven services.

Some of my personal highlights from the conversation include:

✅ Why clients struggle to see your worth.

✅ The sweet spot between “art and science” when selling services.

✅ The importance of systemising delivery with repeatable frameworks.

✅ Tools to turn advisory chats into valuable and commercial outcomes.

✅ And why “efficiency ≠ profit”—unless you reinvest that time intentionally.

This one's packed with...

This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with @Gerri Phillips, Co-Founder and Chief Experience Officer of @Cue Gravity - a company that’s built its niche helping retailers tell their story successfully by blending the physical and the digital.

While Cue Gravity is already working with top-tier brands across the U.S. Gerri is now leading the U.K. charge, focusing on bringing that U.S.. experience and success to the UK.

🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:

✅ Why UK businesses are more sceptical of tech innovation than th...

This week, I had a fascinating conversation with @Rajeev Nandan, founder and CEO of @Pierian, about the evolution of Marketing technology and the impact of AI on digital marketing strategies.

We covered:

✅ The move from traditional marketing to AI-driven, data-led strategies.
✅ The transition from a consulting business model to a scalable SaaS offering.
✅ The financial metrics that drive e-commerce success and sustainable growth.
✅ How businesses, big and small, can use AI to improve customer acquisition and retention.
✅ The importance of balancing creativity and data in a world increasingly shaped by automation.

This week, I sat down with @Alistair Roman, Founder and Managing Partner of @Cost Optimisation Consultancy, to explore cost optimisation for small businesses and discuss how you can reduce costs in your business sustainably.

We discuss the model that Alistair has developed - the cost transformation maturity map - why most businesses fail to retain cost savings, and explore how SMEs can build cost efficiency into their company culture.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts from our conversation:

✅ How Alistair helped John Lewis drive major cost efficiencies - and what smaller businesses can l...

This week, I had a fascinating conversation with St John Dalgleish, CEO of Perlon AI, about the reality of building AI-driven solutions that actually deliver results.

We explored how Perlon AI went from consulting to product, the challenges of scaling AI in diverse industries, and what the future holds for businesses using AI.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts of our discussion:

✅ Custom AI at scale: The challenges of tailoring AI models across 15 different industries while staying efficient.
✅ From consulting to SaaS: How Perlon AI transitioned from strategy consulting to a scalable AI product...

On this one I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Sherratt, founder and CEO of gloveglu – an innovative brand that’s reshaped the goalkeeping product category with products sold in 55 countries and over 1.1m followers on social media.

This conversation was a real lesson to me in entrepreneurial courage, strategic pivots, and turning challenges like Brexit and COVID into opportunities for growth. 

Paul’s journey from a corporate career to creating a globally recognised brand is inspiring, and definitely a great conversation to start the new year with.

🌟 Some of my highlights from our d...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Erika Robinson, the UK General Manager of Constant Contact, a leading platform for small business marketing solutions.

This was a cracking conversation with Erika where we had a wide ranging chat discussing AI tools, career pivots, lean team leadership and some tips on how small businesses can give themselves the best chance of achieving those big ambitions.

🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:

✅Risk vs. reward: How to assess the financial and personal risks of a career pivot.
✅Emergin...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Lizzie Allen Phillips, the founder of IWant2Network, who is on a mission to become London's number one premium business networking organization with her networking group, IWant2Network.

This was a fascinating conversation with Lizzie where we discussed the power of networking for financial success.

🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:

✅Common networking mistakes and how to avoid them;
✅Addressing imposter syndrome and other common networking fears;
✅Cost-effective networking strategies for start-ups and small businesses; 
✅Managing follow-ups a...

On this one I was delighted to be joined by Francesca Hodgson, MBA, the successful entrepreneur and Founder of We are Ambition, a business consultancy offering fractional leadership, growth services, mentoring and coaching.

This was a fascinating conversation with Francesca where we explored the need for clarity of mind, as it relates to the entrepreneurial journey.

🌟 Some of the most interesting parts of our conversation were:
✅The power of authenticity, how it helps build confidence, and acts like a rocket ship for motivation;
✅The work that Francesca has been doing around the promoting of ment...

On this one I was very pleased to be joined by @Jon Reay and @Tim Seddon, the Co-Founders OF @Room 42, a start-up that facilitates effective change and innovation through the use of Design Thinking based programmes, to help businesses tackle the most challenging of live business problems.

 

I really enjoyed this conversation with Jon and Tim where we dived into how they went on the journey to start Room 42 and specifically how they have seen Design Thinking used to improve Financial Performance.

 

🌟 Some of my favourite parts of our conversation were:

...

On this one I was very pleased to be joined by Emilia De Stasio, CFA, the Founder & COO at Artscapy, the wealth management platform dedicated to art collecting.

I really enjoyed this conversation with Emilia where we explored her background in Finance, her love of Art and her journey over the past 4 years as she has co-founded Artscapy, a platform dedicated to the needs of art collectors.

🌟 A flavour of some of my favourite parts of our conversation:
✅ Emilia’s personal passion for art and its importance to her both in terms of its mental...

Click the link below for the Limited time 2 for 1 offer mentioned on the pod: 

Life Ready Pathway

In this first episode of the new season, I’m thrilled to be joined by Suke Ridler, the CEO and founder of My LifeJars, a company that assists in organising documents and passwords to access during life and after death. 

In this conversation, Suke and I discuss her journey from acoustic engineer through to winemaker, sheep breeder, and then on to becoming a start up founder.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts o...

I was delighted to be joined by @Alice Olins, Career Expert, Coach and Trainer, and the Founder of the @Step Up Club, an organisation that works with individuals and teams to help them fulfill potential, navigate and embrace change.

 

This was an impactful conversation with Alice where we explored change and how small businesses can best navigate it.

 

🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:

✅How, leadership through communication and openness is such an important part of successful change;

✅The importance of having a deep understanding of the stake...

I was very pleased to be joined by @Russell Rich, one of the senior partners at @Lubbock Fine, a leading firm of chartered accountants and tax advisors, where Russell heads up the sports, media and entertainment desk.

 

I really enjoyed this conversation with Russell where we explored a situation familiar with many these days, noticeably some considerations when starting up a business as a second career.

 

🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:

✅ How, when externally financing, Investors will want you to have some skin in the game;

✅ How...

In this one, I'm excited to be joined by Chris Cummings, the Group CEO and Founder of Wellbeing at Work World, an organisation on a mission to make wellbeing a strategic priority for every business.

I really enjoyed this conversation with fellow Centaur Media Plc alumni Chris, discussing his journey over the past 10 years, inspired by personal circumstances, to fly the flag for the importance of wellbeing at work.

🌟 Some of the most interesting elements were:
✅The impact that true wellbeing can have on a business if leadership takes it seriously and its embedded into...

In this one, I'm delighted to be joined by Helen Cox, a Chartered Marketer, and Founder of Helen Cox Marketing, a marketing consultancy specialising in advising professional service firms on their marketing and business development.

In our wide ranging conversation, Helen and I cover all that you need to know about the benefits of effective marketing plans for small business owners.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:
✅ Understanding Helen’s marketing planning framework – specifically the six key elements of her planning wheel;
✅ How to marry a Client’s financial and business objectives and ensure that t...

In this one, I'm delighted to be joined by @Wenceslyne Ong, the Founder of @Elite LVL, a business operations consulting firm with a world-class customer onboarding and continuous improvement framework, helping cost conscious businesses scale. 

 

In this broad ranging conversation, Wenceslyne and I cover all that you need to know about having a strategic and mindful approach to staff onboarding in small and growing businesses.

 

🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:

✅ How the experience at companies such as Google and Fed Ex inspired Elite’s onboarding mindset;

✅ Why small co...

In this episode, I’m thrilled to be joined by Chris Lang, the Founder of Flash Partners Limited, a company that provides in-sourced finance functions for small and medium sized companies in the marketing communications industry. 

 

In this conversation, Chris and I explore what new founders and startups need to consider from a finance perspective and provide some tips and tricks that startups and small businesses need to consider around finance.

 

🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:

✅ Chris’ mantra that cash is king and how it is the unexpected bill that ca...

In this first episode of the new season, I’m thrilled to be joined by Lewis Turek, the General Manager of North America at GoCardless, a payment company that allows a simple, secure way to get paid, without the chasing stress or expensive fees. 

In this conversation, Lewis and I discuss his journey from IBM Intern, through to setting up Uber for Business in the UK and dive into his current experience as an English ex pat, leading GoCardless expansion into the U.S.

🌟 Some of my favourite parts were:

✅Lewis’ experience of starting i...