In Conversation with Asli: Expert Financial Support for Growing Businesses

Asli is the founder of Finsight Advisory, a specialist finance consultancy providing expert-level financial support to businesses that need it most, without the overhead of a full-time hire. We sat down with her to talk about the challenges facing finance functions today, the story behind Finsight Advisory, and how businesses know when they need help.

Tell us about Finsight Advisory, what does the firm actually do?

Finsight Advisory supports finance functions when they need it most. The team has significant experience they've been trained in big-four environments so when businesses bring us in, they're getting genuine expertise, not just extra hands. We work alongside finance teams to provide that capacity and capability without the overhead of a full-time hire.

What problem does Finsight Advisory exist to solve?

Most finance functions are already stretched. They're dealing with tight deadlines, and they don't always have the capacity or the specialist expertise to deliver on time. We step in and help them get things done, the right way, to the right standard. It makes them more credible internally and gives them back a sense of control.

Who typically reaches out to you, and what's usually going on for them at that point?

It tends to be businesses going through significant change, acquisitions, post-acquisition restructuring, audits, board preparation. The finance team is already busy with day-to-day operations, and then suddenly there's a whole new layer of reporting requirements on top of that. Private equity reporting, bank reporting, consolidation work that nobody in the team has ever had to do before. That's usually when we get the call.

Can you give us a real example of that?

One of our clients had just gone through an acquisition. Post-acquisition, they had a whole new reporting structure, they needed to report to the private equity firm, to the banks, but they had no financial reporting pack in place that was fit for purpose. The team was flat out just keeping things running day to day. We came in and built the financial reporting framework from scratch. We created reporting packs suitable for the board and for the private equity investors, and we handled the consolidation for the new group structure, which was something the team hadn't had to do before. We also supported them through an audit that was right around the corner.

What does life look like for that client now?

They can get on with what they do best. The reporting is under control. They go to the board with confidence because they know exactly where the numbers are coming from, we feed them the information they need. It's made their lives significantly easier.

What about businesses that don't yet know they need you? What might be going on for them right now?

They might be facing an audit and feeling overwhelmed by what's being asked of them. They might be in the middle of an acquisition process, or just coming out the other side of one, and realising they don't have the reporting infrastructure in place. Or they might be a CFO or FD who knows the numbers aren't where they should be but doesn't have the bandwidth to get on top of it. That feeling of being behind, of deadline pressure, of not quite being in control of the data, that's the pattern we see most often.

You spent years working in large firms including Deloitte. What made you step away to build Finsight Advisory?

Setting up on my own gave me independence and flexibility, and it allowed me to be present for my family in a way that wasn't always possible in a big firm. But I also wanted to build something fair, fair for clients, fair for the people who work here, fair for everyone involved. I wanted to make a genuine difference to businesses and to people, not just deliver a service and move on.

What does your big-four background actually give you (and your clients) that they wouldn't get elsewhere?

We've worked across a huge range of industries, finance teams and ways of doing things. That breadth of experience means we can walk into a business and quickly spot what's missing, because we've seen what good looks like. We can identify gaps fast and start transforming their financial reporting almost immediately without a long onboarding period or the need to be taught from scratch.

How does Finsight Advisory compare to going back to one of the big four firms?

We have the same expertise big-four trained, big-four experience but we're far more agile and our pricing is fair. There's no bureaucracy, no long chain of approvals, no overhead that gets passed on to the client. We can move quickly, we're approachable, and we focus on results. That combination is difficult to find elsewhere.

What's the first thing clients usually notice when they start working with you?

We've had feedback from clients that even before we formally started the engagement, we'd already understood their business from the initial conversation. We come in and get on with it, we dive into the data, find the answers, start building solutions. A CFO once told me they were surprised by how quickly we got up to speed without needing a lot of hand-holding. They didn't have to spend weeks teaching us how things worked. We just got on with it.

What would you say to a business that's sitting on the fence about bringing in external support?

I'd say: it doesn't have to be a big commitment to start. We can begin with something as small as an hourly arrangement to look at the most urgent priorities. You'll see the difference quickly. And it's always better to get things under control before you're at crisis point, whether that's an audit, a board presentation, or a conversation with your investors. Start small, and we'll help you get to where you want to be.

What does that journey typically look like from initial conversation to ongoing support?

We start with a free thirty-minute conversation to understand the business and what's needed. From there, we build a plan with clear priorities and timelines, not pressuring anyone to commit to more than they need. For some clients, it's a specific project: getting an audit over the line, building a reporting pack, handling a consolidation. For others, it becomes an ongoing relationship where we act as an extension of the finance function.

What services do you actually offer?

We can set up financial reporting from scratch, we just need access to the systems and we'll build from there. We support audit readiness and audit delivery: dealing with requests, speaking directly with auditors, plugging the gaps. We help with post-acquisition processes, new structures, accounting systems, financial packs. And we build board-ready reporting packs so finance teams can walk into those meetings with confidence.

What's the feedback been like from clients so far?

We've had some really positive responses. Things like: 'You've been a star.' 'I wouldn't have imagined this process happening without you.' 'Thank you for just diving in.' That last one means a lot, it reflects the way we work. We don't wait to be directed. We get into the detail, find what's needed, and deliver.

What would your advice be to a finance leader or business owner reading this who thinks they might need support?

If you're going through an acquisition, thinking about buying or selling a business, facing an audit that's around the corner, or you just feel like you don't quite have a handle on your numbers, don't hesitate to reach out. You don't have to have it all figured out before you call us. That's what the first conversation is for.

Finsight Advisory provides expert-level financial support to growing businesses, finance functions under pressure, and leadership teams navigating complex change. To book a free thirty-minute consultation, visit their website or contact the team directly.