Steve Smith

An experienced Finance Director, Steve Smith has a successful background working in SMEs and developmental businesses. He is able to offer strategic and operational support, and advice, and can be “hands-on” when required.

He has worked in both privately owned and PE-backed businesses, and has supported clients on an interim basis, as well as providing support with change management, turnarounds, liquidity management, and investor due diligence.

As a Chartered Accountant with a degree in Economics, he has successfully applied his experience and analytical skills across a range of sectors from business services, hospitality, manufacturing and distribution, to third sector.

Steve is an entrepreneurial Finance Director with a successful background working across different stages of the business life cycle. He has operated within a number of sectors, and has experience of both owner managed and investor backed businesses.

He is focused and results driven, has the ability to design and implement practical business solutions, identify value drivers, and deliver value into bottom line performance through insightful analysis, performance management, and the design of effective incentive plans.

His experience includes:

• Business Planning – Collaborative development of plan to support the global launch of a new business for the manufacture and distribution of an innovative consumer technology product, using an omnichannel strategy
• New business set up– established overseas operations for UK companies including planning for attribution of profits, Permanent Establishment and Transfer Pricing
• Cash-flow – as part of an interim management role, developed short and medium term cash-flow projections to enable business to understand intensive working capital demands of long manufacturing/inventory cycle, and to fund additional working capital through combination of debt finance sources
• Due Diligence (for investors and vendors) – supported sales and acquisitions of small and medium sized businesses. Vendor side included ensuring preparation of virtual data room and presentation and analysis of relevant material
• Business Turnaround – Review of major loss making contracts, costing and tendering processes to improve financial viability and ensure sustainable strategy. Assignment included overhead cost efficiency benchmarking and business mentoring
• Financial Modelling and Mentoring – Development of model for multi-site distribution business including rebate and stock management. Supporting FC with delivery of more concise and relevant MI
• Finance transformation – Design of finance and administrative functions to align with strategic vision, creation of road map, and effective implementation
• Exit planning – Achievement of top and bottom line growth through business life cycle to optimise valuation for business sale (electronics, technology, hospitality)
• Buy/Sell Business – acquisition and disposal of publishing and media business as portfolio manager to investment fund, sale of technology businesses for privately owned and PE backed owners, and trade sale of drinks distribution business

Testimonial:

“Steve Smith grasped the important issues very quickly and developed a very good monthly financial report that covered all relevant details and was used by the Board to review performance and agree strategy and priorities. Steve was extremely accurate and conscientious and was always available to help with queries. The EFM Book-keeper was also excellent back up and very good at solving paper-work problems. Steve has extensive commercial experience and his views were always very sound.”

Peter Wall, Director & Shareholder of Tails Ltd

Concern:

The business had reached a strategic inflection point and the owner recognised the need to decide if he should continue to run the company as a life-style business, or embark on a scaling-up project in order to build the business, and possibly prepare for an exit over the next 4-5 years. He had already reviewed some of the current ideas around scaling and understood the effort this would require. He wanted to maintain a sensible work-life balance, preserve the culture and values of the business, but wanted to drive the business forwards.

Background:

Established since 2008, the business had been successful in building its revenue base to support a sustained level of investment. However, as is often the case the owner was so busy working “in” the business that he had not taken time to..