Why This Conversation Matters Right Now
Ever presented a cash flow forecast only to have the CEO say "but that's not what's in the bank today"? Discovered a £150K invoice nobody warned you about? Watched a founder budget VAT as company revenue?
These are signs of a knowledge gap between you as a finance professional and your clients or team, one that stops cash flow from becoming the decision-making and confidence-building tool it should be.
Watch Now
We're bringing together top finance leaders who have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of forecasting. They’ll unpack:
The real-world consequences when cash flow forecasting goes wrong.
Why direct forecasting methods are often easier for CEOs to grasp?
The biggest red flags, from missing expenses to hidden liabilities.
The role of tools like Float in bringing order, clarity, and accuracy.
How communication and shared ownership keep forecasts alive and useful.
Our panel will tackle the fundamental question: what type of cash flow forecasting actually makes or breaks your impact? They share the battle-tested frameworks for building forecasts that catch these problems early.
🔑 Key Moments
You only run out of cash once
“You can be loss-making many times... But you make a mistake with your cash and it could be fatal and you don't get a second chance to get it right next time.” - Ramzi Al-Masri
Get your go-to-market wrong? You learn and pivot. Overspend on marketing? You adjust next quarter. But run out of cash once, and the business is over - even if customers are queuing up and the product works perfectly. This is why short-term cash flow forecasting is equally important to long-term forecasting. The point isn't always to know the exact right answer; it's to be prepared for the eventualities that may come to pass.
The £1.2M VAT bill nobody saw coming
“Over the next 15 months, you've got 1.2 million of VAT to pay on that... I had to actually explain that the VAT wasn't our money.” -Ciaran O'Donnell
A beautifully maintained cash flow forecast showed revenues flowing in with 20% VAT on top - but no provision for quarterly VAT payments. The founder genuinely didn't realise the VAT wasn't theirs to keep. This isn't about incompetence; it's about the gap between running a business and understanding the accounting mechanics beneath it. Finance professionals instinctively translate accruals to cash movements, but business owners don't. That's where fractional CFOs create real value lies, not just building forecasts, but building forecasts that decision-makers can actually use.
Scenario planning for peace of mind
“You've helped me sleep better at night because I know what will happen. This A or B is going to happen. We've already planned both of those out.” - Stacey Borrow
For agency owners, one big client win or loss can throw everything out. Stacey uses short-term cash flows to run scenarios in advance: what happens if we lose this major client versus what happens if we win that new one. Decisions are made before the event occurs. When the client calls to say they're leaving, there's no panic - just execution of the plan that's already in place.
Speaker Spotlight
Elliott Gaspar Host
Elliott Gaspar is a seasoned finance leader and startup operator. With roots as a chartered accountant and a background in computer science/data, he has helped multiple companies scale from early-stage to multi-million-pound operations.
Stacey Borrow
Stacey is a small agency specialist, whoI brings fractional financial support to agency owners, allowing them the benefit of day-to-day access to financial expertise without the cost of a full-time FD. Stacey promotes the importance of financial clarity from day 1, encouraging agency owners to build the processes in the good times so they are already there when times get tough.
Ramzi Al-Masri
Ramzi is a Chartered Accountant and former CFO, turned Fractional CFO. Delivering Financial Clarity, Strategic Direction, Growth, Profitability and Cash Flow to Startups, Scaleups and SMEs. Whether it's financial performance, fundraising or an exit, Ramzi can support.
Ciaran O'Donnell
Ciaran is an FD for start-ups, typically investment backed from Seed to Series A. These fast growth start-ups need some finance director level expertise but are not ready for a fulltime role. Ciaran helps them to start, plan, grow, track, raise, manage cash, whatever's needed.
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