De Sutter Naturally, a company involved in the production and installation of fencing, shelters, and residential gates, with around 50 employees, was searching for a temporary solution to strengthen their financial department, but they found much more!
In this testimonial, Alexander Van Parijs, General Manager of De Sutter Naturally, shares his experiences with CFO-as-a-Service and delves deeper into the challenges he faced as a business leader before partnering with CFO-as-a-Service.
Alexander: “Due to our strong focus on growth, we are currently generating a turnover of around fifteen million euros and remain highly ambitious in our growth plans. This made us realize that we needed to take a more proactive approach to our finances, instead of solely relying on an external accounting firm. The turning point for us was the departure of a financial employee, which revealed that a number of incorrect decisions had been made that needed to be rectified in the short term.
By discussing our financial concerns with other entrepreneurs, we quickly came into contact with Nicolas Giraud, Managing Partner of CFO-as-a-Service. We chose to work with them because we needed a partner who understands the dynamics of an SME, feels trustworthy, and, as entrepreneurs themselves, shows the necessary involvement. From our first conversation, we had the confidence to dive deeper into our financial problems and work together on solutions.
We are extremely pleased that CFO-as-a-Service immediately advised us to opt for two part-time specialists instead of one full-time generalist: someone with in-depth knowledge of accounting and someone to assist us by looking at the broader picture and truly thinking along with us to make the right financial decisions.
Our collaboration with CFO-as-a-Service has significantly improved our financial processes and is now preparing us for future growth. Thanks to the detailed monthly closings, we can respond much more quickly to problems and opportunities. In the past, we regularly received accounting reports, but in hindsight, this information was far too limited to make strategic decisions.
Had we known then what we know now, we would have hired a part-time CFO (Chief Financial Officer) much sooner. We now understand our financial figures much better, which we discuss every month, and we can steer our company more proactively. The gut feeling we’ve always followed is still present, but it’s now supported by financial figures, which gives us the necessary confidence in following that gut feeling.
In short, the collaboration with CFO-as-a-Service has had a significantly positive impact on our company. Their involvement and support brought a change in our approach to finances: we now proactively work with our numbers, leading to more clarity, control, and above all, a lot of mental peace.”
Would you like, as an entrepreneur, to talk about how you can take a more proactive approach to your company’s finances? Feel free to contact CFO-as-a-Service via the website www.cfo-as-a-Service.be and schedule a free introductory meeting!