Why Investing in the Right Finance Team Unlocks Growth and Business Value

I spend a lot of time with £20–£100m businesses across Yorkshire.

Good businesses. Sensible leaders. Strong track records.

And there’s one issue I see more often than people expect.

Finance hasn’t kept pace with the business.

Not because anyone’s done anything wrong - but because it’s been “good enough” for a long time.

The hidden cost of under-investing in finance

In many growing businesses, finance evolves slowly. A solid FC. Reporting that works. Cash under control. The bank’s comfortable.

So it never feels urgent.

But as the business grows, complexity creeps in, more customers, more contracts, more moving parts. The numbers still arrive, but they arrive late. Or without enough detail. Or without the confidence to really rely on them.

That is when finance stops enabling growth and starts quietly holding it back.

• Decisions take longer than they should.
• Forecasts feel more like educated guesses.
• Margins are “broadly right” but not well understood.
• MDs and owners are too close to the detail because no one else quite owns it.

The growth ceiling no one talks about

A lot of businesses grow well to £30–£50m and then hit a plateau. Not because demand dries up, but because growth starts to feel risky.

At that point, instinct is not enough.

Without proper forecasting, meaningful KPIs and commercial challenge around the board table, leaders end up being cautious - or reactive - when they should be confident.

That is often a finance problem, even if it does not look like one on the surface.

What under-investing actually looks like

It is rarely about neglect. More often it is about delay:

• “We’ll upgrade the system later”
• “The FC can cover it for now”
• “Let’s get through this year first”

Meanwhile the business invests heavily elsewhere - sales, operations, tech - and expects finance to keep up without the same level of support.

Over time, that gap shows up in missed opportunities, slower decisions and unnecessary risk.

Why this matters

A strong finance function is not about reporting for reporting’s sake.

• It gives leaders clarity.
• It gives boards confidence.
• It allows businesses to grow without guessing.

And in most cases, it does not require a big transformation - just the right investment, at the right time, in the right areas.

Expert Insights from Shaun Mullins, Audit and Advisory Partner at Forvis Mazars LLP

"We see a strong correlation between Mid Market businesses investing in good Finance people across all levels and a continual increase in the value of the business.  Better Finance people will continually add value to businesses through a combination of some or all of the following:

1. Improved cash flow;
2. Improved and growing margins and EBITDA;
3. Spotting opportunities and threats early and putting in place plans to maximise the opportunities and mitigate the threats;
4. Use of a great advisory network;

Conversely, businesses that don’t invest in good Finance people or teams either stagnant, go out of business or sell at a value below their competitors. Definitely a case of some business owners appreciating the cost of everything and failing to see the value that can be achieved.

We all work in the same competitive landscape. So unless you have a great team in place you’ll never achieve great or really good outcomes."

Final thought

Under-investing in finance rarely causes immediate problems.

What it causes is quiet under-performance - and a business that works harder than it needs to.

For ambitious Yorkshire businesses, the question is not whether finance works today. It is whether it is fit for what comes next.