The quiet bottleneck in many growing businesses: why hiring a finance professional matters
If you’re running a growing business, hiring a finance professional might not be at the top of your to-do list – but it should be. The right finance hire can be the difference between scaling smoothly and hitting unexpected roadblocks. Finance isn’t just about bookkeeping or compliance anymore – it’s about having a strategic partner who drives growth, controls cash flow, and provides clear insights to help your business thrive.
Why growing businesses delay hiring a finance professional (and regret it)
Let’s be honest – finance isn’t flashy. When sales are rising and operations feel under control, it’s tempting to stick with your accountant, your admin assistant doing payroll, and your monthly management pack (which might arrive two weeks late).
But as your business scales, so do the risks:
Cash gets tighter as expenses outpace billing cycles
Systems that worked for 10 people break at 40
You’re asked for forecasts you don’t have
Investors or bankers want more than your latest P&L
No one’s quite sure what your margins actually are anymore
At this stage, finance is no longer a back-office function. It becomes a strategic asset – or a bottleneck.
What makes a great finance professional hire for an SME?
Hiring a finance professional isn’t about bringing in someone to close the books. It’s about hiring someone who can:
✅ Align financial strategy with business objectives
✅ Spot operational inefficiencies hiding in your numbers
✅ Forecast with context (not just formulas)
✅ Build a team that scales with you
✅ Help you confidently answer questions like:
Can we afford to hire 5 more salespeople?
Should we take the working capital loan?
Are we ready for that second location?
This is why many growing businesses are now prioritizing their first strategic finance hire – whether it’s a Financial Manager, Controller, or CFO depending on size and complexity.
Common mistakes when hiring for a finance professional
Here’s what we see far too often:
1. Hiring a finance professional that is too junior
A skilled bookkeeper is essential, but not a finance strategist. They won’t deliver the insights you need to drive growth or engage with funders.
2. Hiring a finance professional that is too corporate
Someone from a large enterprise may struggle in an agile SME environment. You need someone who can build from scratch, not manage an already-oiled machine.
3. Delaying the hiring of a finance professional too long
By the time you feel the pain – cash flow surprises, urgent funding, a missed opportunity – the damage is done. A great finance hire is proactive, not reactive.
The ROI of hiring a strategic finance professional
Done right, your finance hire becomes one of the most powerful drivers of growth, not a cost center. Here’s what growing businesses often see when they bring in the right finance expertise:
Better cash control
With tighter cash flow forecasting and visibility into billing cycles, you avoid nasty surprises.
Stronger planning
Strategic finance professionals support growth by translating ambition into viable forecasts and budgets.
Improved decision-making
You get dashboards and metrics that actually support business decisions – rather than numbers for the sake of compliance.
Simplified compliance
Audits, tax, and statutory submissions become less painful, more proactive.
Stronger funding readiness
When the right opportunity arises – bank loan, investment, or expansion – you’re already prepared.
Team confidence
A dedicated finance leader brings process, structure, and direction, reducing the burden on other departments.
What growing businesses are doing differently
We work with SMEs across multiple industries, and the ones that scale the smartest? They don’t leave finance to chance.
Instead, they:
✔ Define what they actually need
Is this about streamlining reporting? Prepping for funding? Tightening cash controls?
The best leaders start with desired outcomes, then build a role to match.
✔ Prioritize both skill and cultural fit
A great finance hire needs to understand your tools (Xero, Zoho, NetSuite, etc.), but also your pace, your values, and your ambitions.
✔ Use a specialist to recruit
Finance hires aren’t like marketing or sales hires. You need someone who:
Understands the technical landscape
Can filter for your growth stage
Avoids the “CV says yes, reality says no” problem
How OCFO’s Talent Solutions support hiring of finance professionals
At OCFO, we’re not a generic recruiter. We build and lead finance teams ourselves, so when we assist with a permanent placement, it’s with hands-on insight into what works.
Here’s what our process looks like:
1. Discovery
We work with your leadership to define what success looks like in this role, short- and long-term.
2. Sourcing & screening
We tap into our pre-vetted network of top-tier finance talent, then assess not just for skill, but for stage fit, strategic capacity, and cultural alignment.
3. Candidate snapshots
You don’t get a pile of CVs. You get a curated shortlist, each with a clear summary of why they’re relevant.
4. Offer & onboarding
We stay involved through negotiation and onboarding, helping set up success metrics and team alignment from day one.
Bonus: Because we place interim and permanent finance professionals daily, we know who’s actively exploring new roles – and who would be a hidden gem for your team.
When to make the move
Still wondering if now is the time?
You’re likely ready to hire a finance professional if:
You’re planning for growth but unsure of the numbers
You’re losing sleep over cash flow or missed reports
You’re engaging banks, funders, or considering expansion
Your finance team lacks direction or bandwidth
You’re relying on reactive decisions vs. proactive planning
Finance isn’t the place to “figure it out later.” It’s the function that unlocks smart decisions, now.
Ready to hire a finance professional? Let’s do it right
If you’re scaling and ready to build the kind of finance function that supports growth, OCFO can assist.
Our Talent Solutions Recruitment service is built for SMEs and growing companies like yours. You get:
A defined hiring roadmap
Access to finance professionals who know how to build
Placement support from people who understand finance first
📨 Let’s talk about your next finance hire
Or explore our permanent recruitment solutions
Finance isn't overhead, it’s leadership
Your business doesn’t need more reports. It needs a finance professional who thinks ahead, brings clarity to chaos, and supports smarter decisions.
Hire for the business you’re building, not just the one you’re in.
Frequently asked questions:
It depends on your goals. For financial reporting and controls, a Financial Manager may be ideal. If you’re preparing for funding or expansion, a more senior hire like a Financial Controller or CFO may be needed.
*Not sure if your business is ready for a CFO? Take our short quiz to find out
If you’re scaling operations, facing increasing financial complexity, or planning strategic moves (like raising capital), it’s time to consider a permanent finance team member.
OCFO combines recruitment with deep finance expertise. We understand what growing businesses need because we work directly with finance teams, not just candidate CVs.
Yes. We help companies hire permanent finance professionals locally, remotely, or in hybrid setups – tailored to your operational model and culture.
We handle scoping, sourcing, shortlisting, interview support, and onboarding advisory. You’ll receive a curated shortlist of finance professionals matched to your stage and goals.
