About The Numbers Chef
Financial clarity. Better decisions. Stronger businesses.
Running a business is difficult enough without having to make important decisions using financial information you don't fully understand, don't completely trust, or receive too late to be useful.
That's where The Numbers Chef comes in.
We work with business owners, founders and managers who want greater control over their finances, clearer visibility of business performance and experienced financial support when making important decisions.
Our approach goes beyond accounting and historical reporting.
We help you understand what is happening in your business, why it is happening, what is likely to happen next and what you can do about it.
More Than Just Numbers
Financial reports should help you run your business. Unfortunately, too many don't.
A Profit & Loss report without explanation tells you what happened, but rarely tells you why. A set of accounts without comparison to budget, last year or expectations provides numbers without context. And a cash flow problem discovered after the cash has disappeared isn't much of a forecast.
At The Numbers Chef, we believe financial information should be clear, timely, relevant and actionable. That means translating financial data into practical business insight.
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Where is profit being made?
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Where is margin being lost?
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Why is cash getting tighter?
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Are costs increasing faster than revenue?
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Can the business afford another employee?
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Is the proposed investment financially sensible?
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What happens if sales fall by 10%?
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Can the business fund its next stage of growth?
These are the questions business owners and managers need answered. And they are the questions a good Virtual CFO should be asking.
Meet Peter Adams DBA
Virtual CFO, Accountant and Business Strategist
The Numbers Chef was founded by Peter Adams DBA, an experienced Virtual CFO, accountant and business strategist who combines traditional financial management disciplines with modern financial technology and analysis.
Peter's experience extends beyond accounting. Having worked in senior finance, management and consulting roles, he understands that the numbers on a financial report are the result of decisions being made throughout a business — from pricing and purchasing to staffing, operations, investment and growth.
That operational perspective matters.
A Virtual CFO should not simply identify that gross margin has fallen. They should help management understand why it fell, what caused it and what should be done next.
Peter holds a Doctor of Business Administration, together with accounting qualifications, and has extensive experience helping SMEs, startups and growing businesses with financial management, business planning, forecasting, financial modelling and strategic decision-making.
He is also a Bronze Xero Certified Advisor and QuickBooks ProAdvisor, allowing financial strategy to be supported by practical understanding of the systems businesses use every day.
Virtual CFO Support Without the Full-Time CFO
Many small and medium-sized businesses reach a point where basic accounting is no longer enough. The business may be growing. Cash flow becomes harder to manage. Margins start moving. More employees are hired. Management information becomes more important. Decisions become larger and mistakes become more expensive.
Yet employing an experienced full-time CFO may not be commercially practical. A Virtual CFO fills that gap.
The Numbers Chef gives business owners and managers access to experienced financial thinking and decision support without the cost and commitment of employing a full-time CFO. Depending on your business, this can include:
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Financial strategy and decision support
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Cash flow management and forecasting
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Budgets and financial forecasts
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Management and board reporting
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Profitability and margin analysis
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KPI development and monitoring
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Xero and financial systems improvement
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Financial modelling and scenario analysis
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Business growth planning
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Risk and internal financial controls
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Business plans and feasibility studies
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Acquisition and financial due diligence
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Succession and exit planning
The objective isn't to produce more reports. It is to give management better financial control and better information for making decisions.
From Starting Up to Growing and Eventually Exiting
Businesses need different financial support at different stages.
Starting Up
A good idea still needs to make financial sense.
We help entrepreneurs and startups understand startup costs, funding requirements, pricing, break-even points, cash requirements, financial forecasts and commercial viability before too much money is committed.
The earlier financial discipline is introduced, the fewer expensive mistakes usually need correcting later.
Growing
Growth creates opportunity, but it can also create financial pressure surprisingly quickly.
More customers can mean more employees, stock, equipment, working capital and overheads — often before the additional cash arrives.
We help management understand whether growth is profitable, affordable and sustainable.
Established Businesses
Once a business becomes established, the challenge often changes from survival to control. Management needs better reporting, reliable forecasts, stronger financial systems, meaningful KPIs and greater visibility over profitability, cash and risk. This is where ongoing Virtual CFO support can become particularly valuable.
Exit
Eventually every owner exits their business. The only real questions are when, how and for how much. Preparing years rather than months in advance can make a substantial difference.
We help owners improve financial reporting, identify business value drivers, reduce financial weaknesses and owner dependency, prepare for due diligence and understand the financial implications of different exit options.