1. Rebuilding the numbers from source, and making them tie
We rebuilt the numbers from the ground up. Working from the bank records and the settlement data from the online store, we reconstructed what the business had earned and spent, then reconciled it line-by-line against the previous accountant’s statements. That reconciliation surfaced a number of errors and differences that had not been visible in the spreadsheets, and we worked through each one so the founders could see clearly which figures held and which needed correcting.
The business operates through entities in two countries, each with its own set of records. Funding moved between them, and those transfers had not been reconciled against each other, so there was no single view of the group. We reconciled the accounts across the group’s entities and built a single consolidated view, with the funding that moves between them tying out on both sides. For the first time the founders had one dependable picture of the business rather than several partial ones.
2. Putting the finance process, stock, and controls in place
With a reliable baseline in place, we designed an integrated finance process for the group: a consistent chart of accounts, a fixed month-end close, clear ownership, and approval thresholds and documentation standards for spend. Each payment now carries the right sign-off and supporting documentation before it is made, and the accounts are produced on a fixed calendar rather than reconstructed each time they are needed. QuickBooks Online became the system supporting that process.
As a physical-product business, stock was the other half of the picture. We built a process to count inventory and tie it back to the financials, so discrepancies are found and resolved rather than carried, and cost of goods and gross margin can be relied on. Together, the process, the controls, and the inventory discipline gave the business a finance function that holds up as it grows.
3. Turning the close into a management and lender rhythm
A clean close is only useful if it drives decisions. We built a monthly management pack that shows how the business is actually performing, from revenue and margin through to cash and runway, so the founders manage from the numbers rather than from instinct. The same close produces the defensible historicals and schedules that lenders expect to see, so the numbers the founders take into a financing conversation are the same ones they use to run the business.
4. Structuring the group and capital for growth
Beyond rebuilding the finance function, our analysis showed that Vantage’s projected growth would require additional capital and a corporate structure able to support it. We began working with the founders to harmonize the structure across countries, simplifying shareholding and establishing compliant, scalable processes for transactions between entities.
We are also helping Vantage reshape its funding mix and identify lenders with the capacity to support its next stage of growth. This connects the finance operation, corporate structure, and capital strategy around one goal: enabling the business to scale with confidence.
