Exit-Readiness CFO Services for UK Consumer Brands

Get your UK consumer brand ready to sell. We own the numbers, clean up the financials, and build a defensible forecast that survives buyer scrutiny — on the same simple monthly retainer.

The problem we solve

Most of the discounts taken in a sale are not clever buyer tactics. They are pre-existing problems made visible in diligence — stock that moves slower than the forecast assumed, profit that does not clean up as neatly as the deck implied, a working-capital gap nobody flagged. Each one comes off the price.

Oro is the finance leader who finds those problems first and either fixes them or prices them in, so the buyer’s diligence confirms what you already showed them rather than uncovering surprises. The result is a higher price and a faster, calmer process.

What is in scope

  • Full ownership of the numbers. We take ownership of your finances and work alongside your accountant, so one person is accountable for the numbers a buyer will scrutinise.
  • Business and cash forecasting. A defensible forecast a buyer believes, plus a working-capital target modelled and locked down before close.
  • Cost optimisation. Clean, normalised profit — finding the margin and justifying the add-backs line by line.
  • Ad hoc financial analysis for decisions. The one-off questions that move the price — the valuation range, customer and product concentration, and the levers you can pull before the process starts.
  • Monthly investor and board reporting. A monthly pack with clear recommendations, plus a diligence pack ready before the data room opens.

Working alongside your sell-side adviser

The sell-side mandate sits with a corporate finance firm or boutique bank. Oro does not compete with that and does not take a percentage of the sale. We take responsibility for the numbers and the diligence, so your adviser can focus on positioning and the buyer process. You end up with two people on your side: one running the process, one running the numbers.

Pricing

One simple monthly retainer of £2,000 to £6,000, depending on scope. One-month rolling notice either side — you are never locked into a CFO that is not working.

Frequently asked questions

What does it cost?
The same simple monthly retainer as our ongoing work: £2,000 to £6,000, depending on scope. No percentage of the sale.
When should we start?
As early as you can. Most of the discounts taken in a sale are pre-existing problems made visible in diligence. The more runway we have, the more of them we can fix before a buyer sees them.
Will you run the sale?
No. The sell-side mandate sits with a corporate finance firm or boutique bank. We get the numbers ready and sit alongside you through the process.
Can you tell us what the brand is worth?
Yes — a benchmarked range, with the levers you can pull in the next year to move it. Not a formal valuation, which is the buyer’s job.
What kinds of buyers do you prepare for?
Strategic acquirers, private equity, aggregators, and family offices. The core financial discipline is the same; the tailoring differs at the margin.
Written by William Smithwhite, Founder and Fractional CFO.
Last updated 2026-05-28.