Why a good Part Time FD is never a fish out of water
It’s sometimes said that when someone is not well suited to, or is uncomfortable in, the role they have been asked to perform they are like a ‘fish out of water’. And you might believe that bringing in a part time FD who has not had prior experience of your business is a risk as they might indeed be one of these creatures!
However at FD4 we do believe that we will have the right part time FD to work on your business, to be able to add value and quickly demonstrate their worth to your company.
Start with experience – all of our part time FDs have worked for a range of companies. They usually have started as ‘little fish in big ponds’ as well as becoming ‘big fish in little ponds’ during their career’. So they will have experienced a wide variety of organisational styles and business challenges. And having had that big company/big pond experience they can bring something more to your company in terms of best practice.
All our part time FDs are well suited to their particular environment. Companies are different and their owners even more so; all have different needs. At FD4 we have a range of part time FDs with complementary skills and experiences which means finding the right part time FD to meet your company’s needs is a much easier task.
Part time means your FD is not ‘swimming in your pond’ all the time, only when you need them. This can be from a few hours a week to a few days per month. We also recognise that company’s needs will vary over time depending on the issues and opportunities and our part time FDs can respond flexibly to that need. And our part time FDs charge by the hour so you only pay for what you get.
A good part time FD Isn’t afraid of making waves when required; they don’t just ‘go with the flow’. The FD’s role is not a passive one – it should challenge the views of others. The FD should have opinions on all aspects of the business from the pricing strategy to its distribution strategy, from its marketing plans to the company’s remuneration policy.
Our part time FDs don’t swim in shoals but they do know where to go for help in adding value to your business. We have a network of contacts and business partners such as lending organisations, tax advisors, accountants and bookkeepers, lawyers, IFAs, marketing specialists and IT professionals that we can call upon to help your particular business.
And finally because all our FDs are swimming in different ponds, they are constantly having to adapt to new situations, learn different aspects of businesses and are able to apply this thinking to other companies. All of this helps them bring fresh ideas to your business and ensure that they can add value to your company from the very beginning – in fact the exact opposite of a fish out of water!