The New F*Word (F for Fractional Finance)

In this episode of The New F*Word host Colin Hewitt sits down with Alison Bolt, a CIMA-qualified CFO, to unpack how fractional finance can help founders build stronger businesses, make better decisions, and avoid costly mistakes as they scale. What You’ll Learn: * How to transition from tactical finance work to strategic advisory * Why copy-and-pivot beats original ideas when building your fractio...

In this episode of The New F*Word host Colin Hewitt sits down with Alastair Manson, Fractional CFO at Flinder, to discuss why the human side of leadership is where real value gets created, how coaching can unlock your teamțs potential, and the practical strategies to shift command-and-control to collaborative leadership. What You’ll Learn: * Why technical excellence alone won’t keep you at the tab...

In this episode of The New F*Word host Colin Hewitt sits down with Jonathan Rosenzweig, Fractional CFO at OpenExchange, to break down how the fractional CFO role differs from a traditional CFO seat and why fractional CFOs are reshaping how growing companies build financial clarity. What You’ll Learn: * How to know when you actually need a fractional CFO vs. a full-time hire * Why your financial na...

In this greatest hits episode, The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt, along with Karen Reyburn, Kevin Jacobs, and Michael Wood, pulls together three themes that keep showing up in growing businesses: human-first advisory, cash discipline, and the hidden cost of ‘big system’ upgrades. What You’ll Learn: * Why fractional CFOs are reshaping how SME businesses think about money * How to connect authentica...

In this episode of The New F*Word host Colin Hewitt sits down with Laura Taylor, Founder of Empowered by Cloud and architect of the RITMOS methodology, to discuss why accounting firms remain stuck in outdated service delivery models. And, more importantly - what it actually takes to transition from compliance work to genuine advisory partnerships that drive real business value. What You’ll Learn:...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Frank Overtoom, a seasoned commercial finance leader with experience across industries, continents, and high-pressure environments. Together, they explore what it really takes to lead financial strategy when decisions carry weight, how the role of the fractional CFO continues to evolve, and how working internationally has shaped Fra...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Siân Grinter, Founder and Fractional Finance Director of Superstar FD, to dive into how she transformed personal adversity into entrepreneurial growth, built a thriving niche in professional services, and learned to set healthy boundaries while scaling sustainably. What You’ll Learn: * How Siân turned personal challenges into motiva...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Mairianne Stewart, Fractional CFO at Plug-In Finance, to discuss her leap from big business to entrepreneurship, what she’s learned helping founders manage cash and growth, and why startups should never wait until it’s too late to bring in a fractional CFO. What You’ll Learn: * Why cash blindness is killing your startup faster than...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Kevin Jacobs, Fractional CFO at BDO USA, to discuss the unglamorous but critical reality of cash flow management, scaling from $30M to $100M in revenue, and why contractors and manufacturers are leaving money on the table by obsessing over profit instead of cash. What You’ll Learn: * Why profit is a vanity metric and cash is your ac...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Pauline Healey, Owner and Director at Logical BI, to share her journey and the lessons she now brings to manufacturers, distributors, and service businesses across the UK and beyond. What You’ll Learn: * How to identify and eliminate hidden manufacturing wastage through systematic process analysis * Why inventory management is cruci...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Clayton Coke, Founder and Managing Director of PRMS, to share his insights on ethical debt collection, prevention strategies, and how businesses can protect themselves from bad debt while maintaining positive customer relationships. What You’ll Learn: * How to implement ethical debt recovery practices that preserve business relation...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Peter Turner, CEO of ConnexionCFO, to share his unique approach to fractional CFO services, why traditional CFO models are being disrupted, and how his innovative equity-sharing model attracts world-class CFOs. What You’ll Learn: * How world-class CFOs differentiate themselves through storytelling and strategic repositioning * Why t...

In this Greatest Hits episode of The New F* Word Podcast, I revisit my conversation with Elliott Gaspar, Founder of Ox Consult and a hands-on advocate for redefining what it means to be a Fractional CFO. Elliott shares how his journey, from scaling startups to raising $600M in funding, shaped his perspective on finance as a true value driver rather than just a cost center. We dive into the differe...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt is joined by Madeline Reeves, Founder and CEO of Fearless Foundry, for a wide-ranging conversation about building resilient businesses, the messy reality of advisory services, and why the finance industry needs fewer shiny tools and more strategy. What You’ll Learn: * How to navigate the AI hype cycle while maintaining focus on genuine business...

In this episode of The New F*Word, host Colin Hewitt speaks with Jo Wood, Co-founder of The 6 Figure Bookkeeper and Hey Monika, about the evolving role of bookkeepers in modern business. Jo shares how she grew The 6 Figure Bookkeeper from 60 Facebook members to 28000, sold her multi-six-figure practice to prove bookkeeping businesses can be valuable assets, and co-founder Hey Monika, an AI-driven...

The Founder Who Learned the Hard Way Wood built Receipt Bank from a startup to a £500 million exit to IRIS Software Group in 2024. During that journey, Receipt Bank eventually migrated to NetSuite as they scaled. Wood now says if today's technology had been available then, they would have stayed on their modular stack rather than making that expensive, complex transition. As someone who's lived th...

Most finance professionals (e.g. accountants and fCFOs) are still relying on outdated marketing tactics: generic websites, vague messaging, and a hope that referrals will carry the business. However, as Karen Reyburn shares, that approach no longer works. In this episode of The New F*Word, I sit down with Karen to chat about what really works when it comes to marketing for accountants and fraction...

Laura Linden, founder of Feisty FD, shares her journey from accidental finance expert to guiding female entrepreneurs to multimillion-pound exits. With 12 years of experience, she reveals key insights on avoiding valuation pitfalls, the critical role of historical cash flows, and why due diligence matters. She also highlights the value of corporate finance advisors and how gender influences risk-t...

Adam Sher, CFO at Vero Capital, shares his journey from Big Four accounting to scaling tech ventures. He empowers Series Seed to Series A startups by streamlining financial operations and investor communications. His insights on SaaS metrics and valuations are invaluable for CFOs helping founders navigating growth. We explore small business challenges, from tariffs to global supply chain disruptio...

Wondering how to tame your startup’s financial chaos? I’m with Ciarán O’Donnell , fractional CFO and Own Your Numbers founder, who equips startups with the financial savvy to grow. We uncover how to spot cash flow traps, decode KPIs, and why EBITDA isn’t just jargon—it could shape your business’s exit value. Packed with wild stories and actionable insights, we explore how a part-time finance exper...

Curious about ditching a cushy corporate finance gig for the wild ride of a fractional CFO business? I sat down with Kat Willem-Kent, a trailblazer who traded a top firm for Fractional Finance, growing it from a one-woman show to a seven-strong team with HR disruption in her sights. Over lunch in London, she sparked the idea and mapped it out in a sunny Paddington square. Kat’s story is raw—bold l...

This episode’s a bit different, I’m trying something new by bringing on not one, but two guests — Michael Spyrou and Tim Johnson , co-founders of Axcelera. I’ve been really curious about how the role of the fractional CFO is evolving, and these two are right at the forefront. Axcelera is a group of CFOs with a fresh approach—combining strategic financial planning with smart tech to help growing bu...

Want elite execs without the big bill or long-term lock-in? I sit down with Stephen Halpin, the mind behind Portfolio XD, a team offering fractional C-suite talent—CEOs, CFOs, CMOs—on demand. Frustrated by consultancy roles where sharp strategies just sat unused, Stephen crafted a model that delivers real impact, not just slides. Post-COVID, Portfolio XD took off as SMEs sought flexible, high-cali...

What’s it take to be a fractional CFO? I’m talking with Elliott Gasper from OxConsult . He’s a hands-on fixer who’s raised millions and scaled companies big-time. Now, he’s shaking up fractional finance. Elliot shares the three types of fractional CFOs he has identified so far and which bucket he falls under. The industry is still growing and with a lot of noise, business owners still don’t get wh...

In this episode, I am joined by Daniella Wainwright ( Wainwright Consulting ), an inspiring fractional CFO who left the corporate grind to build a successful consulting business based on authenticity, mindset work, and a balance between business and well-being. Daniella’s journey is incredible—starting as a trainee accountant at 16, managing multi-million-pound businesses, and eventually shifting...