Your first 100 days as a finance leader in a scaling business are crucial for setting the tone of your tenure.
You will be expected to do far more than manage costs and protect profitability. You will be responsible for bringing structure, clarity, and forward planning, and play a key role in helping the owner or founder drive meaningful change, support long- term growth and creating wider value across the organisation, not just in the finance function.
To help you succeed, we brought together insight from across Grant Thornton UK as well as finance leaders with first-hand experience in scaling entrepreneurial SME businesses, who shared their insights on what truly matters in the first 100 days. We hope this guide supports you in navigating each of these priorities with confidence.
Gill Hobbs, Director, Entrepreneurial and SME Services
Learn how new SME finance leaders can assess key business risks, strengthen cyber security, clarify ownership, and build a resilient supply chain in their first 100 days.
Before you can make informed decisions about pricing, hiring, investment, or where to focus your time, you need to understand what your SME business is trying to achieve.
Practical insights for new SME finance leaders on how to approach forecasting, budgeting, cash‑flow planning and KPI selection in the first 100 days.
When you are getting familiar with how your business handles financial reporting as an FD, it’s important to spend time understanding who does what, how reports are produced, and how the business measures financial performance.
Gain insights on how SME finance leaders can build trust, engage stakeholders, strengthen their teams, and position finance as a true business partner in the first 100 days in role.
After your first months as an SME finance leader, you will have the insight you need to define where you want to take the finance function and can start investing more time in strategic planning.