CEO FINANCE & DECISION ADVISORY

Move the business forward, with judgment at the core

When the finance team can run accounting and tax but cannot yet support margin analysis, cash planning, expansion, or fundraising, I step in for the decisions that need senior finance judgment. The work can begin with one defined project.

See where to begin↓BRING A QUESTION↗

Explore the advisory↓

01 / WHERE THE PRESSURE APPEARS

The accounts may be complete while the decision remains unclear

Companies rarely wake up one morning and decide they need a CFO. The need appears gradually as the business expands, management questions become harder, and existing reports can still only explain the past.

01 / OPERATING PRESSURE

The business is becoming harder to manage

Revenue, profit, cash, and resource requirements no longer move in the same direction.

01Revenue is growing, but customer and product profitability remain unclear

OPERATING RESPONSE

Split revenue and gross margin by customer, product, and use case
Put pricing, delivery cost, and collection timing in one profit view
Use the monthly review to isolate the one or two variables that move the result

02The P&L shows profit while cash stays tight

OPERATING RESPONSE

Translate the P&L into a timeline of collections, payments, and cash on hand
Identify the cash absorbed by terms, prepayments, and fixed commitments
Run a rolling cash forecast and bring the warning line into the management cadence

03Expansion decisions still depend largely on founder judgment

OPERATING RESPONSE

Test the marginal return on new customers, people, and supplier capacity
Compare pace, cash use, and payback across operating scenarios
Make the expansion choice explicit enough to review later

04Finance explains the past but cannot yet support the next move

OPERATING RESPONSE

Translate management questions into metrics, definitions, sources, and owners
Set a weekly and monthly cadence that sees movement before explaining cause
Connect reporting directly to budget changes and operating actions

02 / A MAJOR MOVE

The company is preparing for a consequential move

Fundraising, international expansion, M&A, and business-model change expose weaknesses quickly.

01Fundraising or institutional diligence is approaching

OPERATING RESPONSE

Reconcile revenue, customers, costs, cash, and historical definitions into one fact base
Work backward from investor questions to the materials and working papers
Put explainable issues on the table before an external reviewer does

02The company plans to expand overseas, acquire, or restructure

OPERATING RESPONSE

Map entity, contract, cash, and tax responsibilities before the transaction moves
Turn a one-off transaction into a deliverable, collectible, and accountable project
Use a project model to test investment, return, and risk exposure

03Management must explain the business to shareholders, banks, or investors

OPERATING RESPONSE

Reduce a complex business to revenue logic, growth drivers, and cash outcomes
Separate conclusions supported by data from assumptions still being tested
Give different audiences different views of the same fact base

04Historical data and controls will face external review

OPERATING RESPONSE

Trace the data to find gaps that cannot be reproduced or reconciled
Complete the chain across process, authority, and system records
Close risks with an owner, a date, and a remediation list

02 / HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

Keep the existing team. Add the judgment the moment requires.

Routine finance, operating analysis, and executive decisions belong to different roles. Clear boundaries allow external advice to reduce management load rather than add to it.

01 / INTERNAL FINANCE

Finance lead

Keeps the day-to-day finance function reliable

Accounting and tax
Payments and treasury routines
Core reports and records

02 / RYAN / ADVISORY

External operating finance adviser

Handles work that needs senior judgment and cross-functional execution

Operating analysis, budget, and cash
Models, dashboards, and management routines
Fundraising, diligence, and major projects

03 / CEO / MANAGEMENT

CEO and management

Make decisions from a reliable operating view

Set direction and priorities
Allocate resources
Hold owners accountable

I work alongside the existing finance team. The methods, models, and working files remain inside the company for the team to maintain and use.

03 / A PRACTICAL START

Begin by identifying the issue that matters most

The first engagement is fixed in scope. Over two to four weeks, we review the business and evidence, identify the gaps affecting management judgment, and sequence the next 90 days of work.

01Understand what drives revenue, profit, and cash02Identify the data and risks that require attention first03Assign the next 90 days of work to clear owners

01 / OPERATING FINANCERECOMMENDED START

Operating Finance Diagnostic & 90-Day Action Plan

For businesses that have grown faster than their view of profit, cash, budgets, and operating performance.

2–4 weeks
Fixed scope
Operating priority

View operating diagnostic↗

02 / CAPITAL READINESSCAPITAL CONTEXT

Capital Readiness Diagnostic & 90-Day Roadmap

For companies preparing to raise capital, enter institutional diligence, expand overseas, or begin listing preparation.

2–4 weeks
Fixed scope
Capital event

View capital diagnostic↗

04 / SELECTED WORK

Work carried out from inside the business

Each example comes from an executive role and shows the issue, the judgment required, and the operating result. Company names and sensitive information remain anonymised.

FINANCING / DILIGENCE

Rebuilding the financing case and data under diligence pressure

Two months remained in the funding window, historical data was unreliable, and the diligence team suspected fraud.

Supported the closing of RMB 120m in financing.↗

COST / BUDGET

Cost drivers and budget control for an AI business

Monthly cloud spend exceeded RMB 10m, bills were not analysed, and engineering procurement lacked control.

Avoided approximately RMB 10m of cloud cost.↗

DATA / CONTROL

From control redesign to next-day revenue visibility

Business, sales, and finance data could not reconcile, including customer pricing and recognised revenue.

Built customer-level revenue monitoring and integrated alerts.↗

08 / EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE WORK

Experience formed in operating roles

These outcomes were achieved while working inside companies. They show the type of problem I have handled and keep the evidence in its proper context.

01RMB 300m+

Cumulative financing

02RMB 10m

AI cost improvement

0330 provinces · 6,000+

Group management experience

043 countries

International expansion

05 / THE DECISION PATH

Start with one unit of revenue and make the operating judgment traceable

The same path sits behind most management questions. Why does the customer pay, how is revenue earned, what happens to cost and cash, and where should the company place its next unit of resource? When capital is involved, the same facts become the basis for external conviction.

OPERATING & CAPITAL DECISION MAPFROM OPERATING FACTS TO EXECUTIVE DECISIONS

Analytical canvas linking customer value, growth mechanics, operating evidence, financial outcomes, and capital judgment

01 / DECISION QUESTION

Why does the customer pay, and how is revenue earned?

ANALYTICAL FOCUS

Reconcile the customer, need, delivery, pricing, and settlement behind each revenue stream.

OUTPUTBusiness model and revenue architecture

Every conclusion should trace back to an operating fact, a financial definition, and an accountable owner.

06 / FOCUSED IMPLEMENTATION

Once the issue is clear, implement only what is needed

Management has data but lacks an operating view

Operating metrics and management dashboard

＋

Align revenue, profit, cash, and operating activity so exceptions can be seen early and assigned to an owner.

Core operating metrics
Definitions, sources, and owners
Management operating dashboard

The growth ambition is set, but its resource needs are unclear

Budget, cash, and financial model

＋

Connect customers, projects, pricing, and conversion to profit, cash, and funding needs.

Operating scenarios
Cash and budget plan
Critical assumption stress test

External institutions are beginning to examine the company

Fundraising case and institutional diligence

＋

Reconcile business, finance, and fundraising materials before testing revenue, cost, data, and controls.

Fundraising logic and materials
Diligence questions and evidence list
Risk remediation plan

The current finance approach cannot support a new structure

International and major operating projects

＋

Clarify contracts, cash, tax, delivery, and accountability before the business goes live.

Transaction and settlement structure
Project profit and cash model
Governance and authority framework

07 / MATCH THE DECISION

Let the next business decision determine the finance priority

Company size provides context. The real starting point is the decision management is making and whether the current finance capability can support it.

IMMEDIATE TASKDecide whether new business will improve profit

PRIORITYRevenue, cost, and unit economics

DEFERDefer complex capital materials

LONG-TERM ADVISORY

When the company needs senior finance judgment, I join the work directly

For recurring questions around performance, cash, fundraising, or major projects, I can work with the CEO as an external finance and capital adviser. The relationship usually begins with one defined project and becomes ongoing only when continued support is genuinely useful.

01Monthly operating and finance review02Budget, cash, and funding needs03Board and investor reporting04Metric and model maintenance05Financial assessment of major decisions06Finance-team working methods

The internal finance team continues to own its day-to-day responsibilities. I add operating and capital judgment, complex-project experience, and focused execution capacity.

09 / FIT & BOUNDARIES

Choose the right form of support for the current stage

The work tends to fit when

The business is real and the finance team can run core accounting

Management decisions increasingly need profit, cash, and budget support

A full-time CFO is not yet the right commitment

The CEO or core management team will join key discussions

The company is prepared to act on verified evidence

Another form of support may be more suitable when

The main requirement is bookkeeping, tax filing, or payment administration

The request is limited to deck polish or investor lists

Necessary business and finance information cannot yet be provided

A financing, listing, or valuation outcome must be guaranteed

The need is statutory audit, legal opinion, or underwriting

10 / HOW WE WORK

How an engagement takes shape

Initial conversation

Describe what the company is working on and the decision management finds hardest.

Evidence review

Review the existing business and finance information to define the issue and starting point.

Scope agreement

Agree the objective, outputs, timing, responsibilities, and required evidence.

Analysis and execution

Interview, analyse, and build the model or system while calibrating with management.

Delivery and action

Assign owners, timing, and review points so the work enters the operating routine.

11 / QUESTIONS BEFORE WE BEGIN

What usually needs to be clear before we begin

01We already have a finance lead. Is external support still useful?

Yes. The finance lead continues to own accounting, tax, and day-to-day work. I add operating analysis, cash planning, fundraising readiness, and senior judgment on major projects alongside the existing team.

02Does this fit if we are not currently fundraising?

Yes. Profitability analysis, budgets, cash forecasting, management dashboards, and major operating projects can all be handled independently. Capital readiness is one service line, not a prerequisite.

03How much management time does a project require?

A first diagnostic normally requires two or three focused CEO discussions. The finance lead provides existing information, while business leaders join only the interviews relevant to their area. The expected commitment is agreed before work begins.

04Can the engagement address one issue only?

Yes. Where the boundary is already clear, work can begin directly with an operating model, management dashboard, cash plan, diligence preparation, or international transaction structure.

05How is confidential information protected?

The public site does not collect detailed financial information. A formal engagement defines the evidence required, access rights, storage arrangements, and confidentiality responsibilities before materials are shared.

06Must we continue after the diagnostic?

No. The diagnostic produces a 90-day action plan the internal team can run. The company may proceed independently or select focused implementation or ongoing advisory.

Use the project brief for any question not covered here.

START WITH CONTEXT

I would welcome a conversation about the company's next important decision

A short note on what the company is working on and the question management finds hardest is enough. No formal materials or sensitive uploads are needed for the first conversation.

Share the question you are working through↗