Control over your financial strategy.
FIRE brings peace of mind.
After a combined 20+ years in leadership roles in Saas and IT Services companies, we started FIRE with a simple goal: to give our clients the kind of financial partnership we wished we had when we operated our finance functions.
We believe financial expertise requires in-dept understanding of the area the finance professional operates in. Our focus is on two core industries: Software-as-a-Service and IT Services.
The finance function within changing organizations
We believe finance consists of two distinct yet closely related areas: reporting over what has been, and guidance on what has yet to come. When both are in order – fixed cadences, no surprises, and reliable forecasts – only than will the organization’s stakeholders have peace of mind.
- An adequate record-to-report process is pivotal: users of the financial information should rely on its accuracy and timely delivery. Moreover, the historic records serve as the prime input for any strategic conversations.
- Reporting alone is not sufficient, expecially in changing organizations: without a clear view on what is to come, the finance organization will become a prime example of a flawless execution and a spectacular failure. Finance must – once the numbers are clear – provide guidance and input to the organization’s financial strategy.
- Finance must be aware of its own costs: the finance operation should always strive towards maximum efficiency by leveraging tools to ease its workload.
Our view on financial strategy: FIRE
- Finance: the means that fund the organization and the proper registration of the organization’s in- and outflow of resources
- Risk: anything that may cause the organization to deviate from its desired trajectory
- Economics: the economical rules by which the organization operates – such as pricing, margins, cost levels, and their interdependencies
That is why FIRE believes the adequate financial expert is not only a finance expert but also carries the nessecary industry knowledge. FIRE is founded by domain experts in these industries and are ready to help you from the first conversation.
Our vision on Experts:
- Industry expertise: we believe in professionals who aren’t new to the task. As intermediary, we will always prefer the seasoned professional to avoid you – our client – being confronted with ramp-up or learning costs.
- IT-savvy: modern finances cannot run without supporting IT infrastructure. We value modern experts who don’t shy away from effectively leveraging modern-day tools to increase the efficiency of the finance operations they manage.
- Unyielding integrity: our professionals understand that only strong ethical conduct ensures that their external stakeholders can maintain trust and confidence in their statements.
- Flexibility: agility is key in busy periods or when unexpected changes happen. Our professionals understand that some jobs demand more than the standard 40-hour work week and that they are expected to be there even more so when things get though.
Our vision on Finance:
- Industry matters: what works in manufacturing does not automatically work in IT Services and vice-versa. We believe it is much easier to add value by repetition.
- Visions require foundation: financial strategy starts with a reliable record-to-report process that is adequate for the stage and ambitions of the organization and planning that acknowledges the rules of physics that apply to the economical model that is being operated.
- Financial control and operational control move in sync: it is difficult – if not impossible – to be operationally in control without being financially in control. The opposite applies as well; it is virtually impossible to reach financial control if the operation is out of sync and too frequently surprises management.
- Economics are finance’s rule of gravity: any sound financial strategy is subject to the boundaries of what’s economically feasible.
Software-as-a-Service
Software-as-a-service (Saas) is a business model that relies on selling recurring licenses that run on relatively low marginal costs. In combination with fast growth, Saas has long made up one of the favorite investment categories for tech investors.
IT Services
The IT Services model evolves primarily on the delivery of value-added services on an hourly or contracted basis. Many IT Service companies struggle to properly understand their margins and combine their value-adding services with the (re)sale of thirdparty or proprietary software.