Start with the decision you cannot make
If your problem is incomplete records, start with bookkeeping or catch-up accounting. If you have reliable books but cannot explain monthly performance, ask for management reporting. If you need to compare hiring, pricing, investment or cash-funding choices, discuss scoped CFO support. These responsibilities can overlap: an accountant may also provide management advice. Compare the actual work, not the title.
This is a purchasing framework for business owners, not a legal requirement to appoint a CFO. Meraki's accounting plans and virtual CFO work have different agreed scopes.
Match the question to an output
| Your question | Useful output | Support to discuss |
|---|---|---|
| Do the records reconcile? | Reconciled ledger and unresolved-items list | Bookkeeping or catch-up accounting |
| Why did profit change? | Monthly performance pack with variance commentary | Management reporting |
| Can we afford this commitment? | Cash forecast with base and downside assumptions | Scoped CFO or financial-planning support |
| Which customer or product earns its margin? | Agreed allocation method and margin analysis | Management accounting; CFO input where decisions need it |
| Who approves and implements the decision? | Named decision owner, action log and follow-up date | Your management team, supported by agreed advisers |
Profit and cash answer different questions
ACCA's cashflow guidance focuses on the timing of receipts and payments. A profitable month does not mean every invoice has been collected. Management reporting and cash forecasting should therefore be connected, not treated as interchangeable reports.
Worked cash scenario: opening available cash of AED 80,000 plus expected collections of AED 40,000, less planned payments of AED 55,000, gives AED 65,000. If AED 25,000 of those collections arrives after the forecast period, the closing figure becomes AED 40,000. This is arithmetic for the stated assumptions, not a client result or a prediction.
Before committing to new spending, list any payments missing from that calculation, check the collection dates and decide what cash buffer management requires. Do not add unapproved borrowing or speculative sales to make the forecast balance.
Agree a usable reporting routine
ACCA describes management accounting as using financial information to understand performance and support decisions. A dashboard alone does not establish that someone will investigate variances or implement the resulting actions. Put those responsibilities in the proposal.
- Inputs: who supplies invoices, bank records, payroll changes and the sales pipeline?
- Cut-off: when are records complete enough to close the period, and how are later corrections flagged?
- Outputs: which reports, measures and explanatory notes will management actually use?
- Discussion: who attends the review and who can challenge assumptions?
- Actions: give each agreed decision an owner, deadline and next review point.
Compare CFO proposals without guessing a market price
A single monthly price is not enough to compare different CFO engagements. Ask whether the fee covers a defined project or recurring support, the entities involved, meeting frequency, model updates and work between meetings. Clarify whether underlying bookkeeping is already available or separately required.
Keep tax returns, independent audit, legal advice, fundraising execution and bank approval outside the assumed scope unless expressly agreed with the appropriate provider. Forecast preparation does not guarantee funding or business performance. Meraki prices virtual CFO work by a scoped proposal rather than publishing an unsupported universal fee.
- What decision and deliverables will this engagement address?
- What records must be ready before work starts?
- Which assumptions will be documented and tested?
- How are additional requests approved and priced?
- What files and explanations will we receive at handover?
Choose the next step at Meraki
Compare the three accounting plans if you need regular books and reporting. Complete includes a monthly management pack; it is not an unlimited CFO retainer. If the books are behind, scope the catch-up first. For a specific planning or decision-support need, describe the decision, timing and available records so we can propose suitable CFO work.
An initial enquiry needs a short description, not bank credentials or confidential financial attachments. Detailed records can be requested later through the agreed process.
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