Do any of these sound familiar?
Our reporting takes ages to produce and we're often working right up to the deadline giving us little time to check everything.
My team spend so much time data wrangling that they don't have time to be the finance experts the business needs.
We really need a new financial model for budgeting and forecasting but my team just doesn't have the capacity to build it.
My team don't feel confident defending the numbers because the underlying spreadsheets and processes aren't robust.
We're constantly being asked for new reports, dashboards or board packs, but my team is already maxed out.
My team waste hours doing repetitive tasks. We know they could be automated, but we're finance not engineers.
I just don't fully trust the numbers anymore. There are too many manual adjustments and over-complicated calculations.
Different spreadsheets and reports end up with different numbers for what should be exactly the same thing.
The business expects us to answer 'what-if' scenario questions but we can't answer them quickly and confidently.
If you recognised yourself in any of those, you're not alone. I've been having the same conversations about these issues with Finance Directors and CFOs for over twenty years now. Most Finance teams rely on a combination of systems, spreadsheets and manual processes. That's perfectly normal. The challenge is that, over time, those processes can become harder to maintain, adapt and improve.
Get back to doing "real" finance work
Hello, I'm Chris Sweeney. For the last 20 years I've been helping Finance teams spend more time doing real Finance work, by solving their financial modelling, reporting, data and automation problems.
Many consultancies would send in a whole team to do this - a modeller, a data specialist, a systems consultant, a software developer, a BI developer, a business analyst and a project manager to hold it all together. Different people, different day rates and multiple meetings just to figure out what the problem is.
I do everything myself.
Twenty years working across finance, data, systems and technology means I don't need to hand your problem to a team. I build the models, the reports, the data behind them, work with whatever ERP or platform you're already running, and write any code myself.
Having spent much of my career on large transformation programmes, I've watched simple problems get turned into complex consulting projects - big teams, long timescales, and a billing model with zero incentive to move quickly.
I created Steed Analytics because I know the last thing a busy Finance team needs is months of stakeholder meetings and strategy workshops followed by a deck of recommendations that leaves them to actually do the work.
What they need is one experienced person who'll talk to the team, understand the problem, then roll up their sleeves and get on with building and fixing what they need - so they can get back to doing real Finance work.
How I can help
Your team have important Finance work to do: understanding the numbers, advising the business and helping management make better decisions. But I constantly see Finance teams firefighting because they are so bogged down in extracting, preparing, processing, reconciling, copying, pasting and adjusting data that there is little time left for the Finance work the business actually needs from them. I help remove that friction by building, improving, fixing and automating the practical tools and processes that help your team get back to doing real Finance work.
Build Financial Models
I build robust models for budgeting, forecasting and scenario analysis, giving your team the tools to answer what-if scenarios with confidence.
Improve Reporting
I simplify reporting processes, reduce manual preparation and give your team more time to check, understand and explain the numbers.
Fix Spreadsheet Problems
I turn complex, fragile or sprawling spreadsheets into simpler, structured tools that are easier for your team to understand, maintain and trust.
Automate Manual Processes
I remove repetitive work from your team's processes by automating the tasks that are eating up their time and preventing them from doing proper Finance work.
Connect Data Sources
I bring together data from your systems, spreadsheets and your other data sources so your team can stop wasting all their time on extracting and preparing data.
Create Decision Tools
I build practical tools that help your team answer the questions the business is asking and make better decisions with the numbers.
Let's keep it simple
Most Finance problems don't need a transformation programme, a team of consultants or a data architecture strategy. They just need someone who can quickly understand the problem, work out how to solve it, and then get on with building or fixing it without making the process more complicated than the problem.
Start Small
Let's begin with a focused piece of work rather than a large project. A small pilot can quickly demonstrate what is possible.
Fixed Scope
Clear objectives, clear deliverables and a clear outcome. No open-ended consultancy engagements.
Hands-On Delivery
I don't just provide recommendations. I build, improve, automate and fix the things that need fixing.
Use What You Have
The right solution is often improving existing tools and processes rather than introducing additional technology.
So, what happens next?
No mobilisation phase. No requirements workshops. No stakeholder interviews. No steering committees. No graduate teams. No offshore outsourcing. No PowerPoint presentations. Let's just agree what needs doing, define the scope, agree a fixed price and then I'll get cracking to build what you need.
1. Understand
Send me the spreadsheet, process, report or requirement. We'll talk through what you're trying to achieve and what is getting in the way.
2. Agree
I'll define the work, deliverables and fixed price before I start so you know exactly what you're getting.
3. Build
I get on with building, improving, fixing or automating the thing you need.
4. Deliver
No long-term contract. No unnecessary software. No six-month transformation programme. Just the thing you actually need.
Learn More
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