Outgrowing your spreadsheets? Good. That means you're growing.

If your bookkeeping and finance are still being run the way they were when you started out, they are probably struggling to keep pace with where your business is now.

Sakura helps growing SMEs move from the ‘Start up’ mindset and operating on a cash basis, to a more professional and ‘best practice’ approach to provide real financial visibility for the business owner(s) to make good business decisions – all without the cost or complication of building your own ‘in-house’ finance team.

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What business challenges are you facing?

Whether your business has moved beyond ‘Start up’ into an Early Stage, Growth Stage or a Large SME, these are the challenges we hear most often from business owners whose businesses have grown faster than their finance function.

Cash Flow Concerns

Payroll still ‘keeps you awake at night’ and you have no visibility what your cash will look like in 7 days, let alone the next 30 days

Limited Management information

You have a bookkeeper, but no clarity on business turnover or profitability 20 days after last month – and no clear business plan for the next 30 or 90 days

Compliance is Still not Just a Routine

Payroll, VAT returns and annual statutory accounts or Corporation tax returns are still a challenge to prepare or submit on time.

Still Doing the Basics Yourself

Sending invoices, chasing payments and reconciling accounts still land on your desk, taking you away from doing your own best work

Inconsistent Bookkeeping

Xero or Quickbooks (or your excel) are updated when there's time, rather than on a weekly or monthly routine, which means backlogs that grow even more

Decisions Made on Gut Instinct

Big calls for the business, like hiring a new employee or investing in a marketing campaign are made on a gut feeling rather than on the numbers.

A Finance Team structure that is actually the ‘backbone’ of your business growth

This is where many growing businesses hit a wall.

You have the accounting software, a bookkeeper and an accountant, but what's often missing is the layer that can take the responsibility for the financials from you, as the business owner, and turns it all of that into decisions that confidently made.

Sakura brings you an outsourced Finance Team solution that provides all of the routine bookkeeping with the ability to reliably deal with the compliance simply and with the minimum of fuss. Additional monthly or quarterly reporting along with a genuine finance partner who understands and explains your numbers, so you always know where you stand.

We work to our own ‘best practice’ weekly and then monthly rhythm, covering sales activity, supplier invoice processing, full bank reconciliation and detailed month end close and a final review, so nothing slips through the cracks – allowing you to query your numbers and act early where necessary, rather than finding out months later.

Payroll, Pension and HR Services

Financial Reporting & Analysis

Management Accounts (monthly)

Cash Flow Improvement

Daily and Weekly Bookkeeping

Budgeting

Credit Control & Supplier Payment Runs

Tax Planning & Compliance

Whether you need the bookkeeping foundation tightened up or a fuller finance team wrapped around your business, Sakura adapts to where you are now and grows with you.

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Could your business do with more support to focus on cotninued growth?

What changes once your finance function catches up?

MORE Time for you

Spend more time on what your ‘superpower’ is for your business, and much less on admin and being the finance contact.

Finance and Numbers (in Plain English)

From bookkeeping questions to VAT returns and the end of year accounts, taking proactive actions, operating to ‘best practice’ processes and a willingness to explain reports and figures in plain English will build trust (and confidence)

Improved Cash Flow

Increased focus on cash in the bank and on cashflow will enable the cash position to be slowly improved over time

Key Business Decisions Backed by Real Numbers

Clear and consistent monthly reporting, that guides employee hiring, pricing and marketing or other spend - so every major decision is backed by financial information, rather than instinct.

Senior Expertise Without the Overhead

Sakura can tailor the Finance team requirements to your specific needs as your business grows e.g. additional bookkeeper(s), a ‘part’ of a Finance manager each month, or even access to a CFO - at a fraction of the cost of a full time hire, without the recruitment, holiday cover or pension contributions.

Sheena Campbell

I have to do next to nothing to expedite matters... I think you are wonderful. Once again in a shorter time than it takes to say 'Damian, you are wonderful', you respond to my query. I have to do next to nothing to expedite matters and immediately any stress or worry is lifted.

Vic Kimmel

Damian Connolly and Sakura are like an extended part of our own team with super powers in the area of finance.

Liam Hughes

Damian’s critical eye and creative thinking have been invaluable for me over the last year of strategic review meetings

Caroline Durack

Working with Sakura gave us the ability to understand our finances more accurately and helped us in our strategic thinking. This in turn allowed us to make more informed decisions pertaining to our direction of travel as a business.

Eamon Chawke

Thanks to Damian’s advice and guidance, the finance team operates more efficiently and our financial visibility of the business has materially improved. We are now much more confident that we can achieve our 5 year goals !

Deirdre Monks

I got back in touch with Damian last November after a few years, and it honestly felt like no time had passed. He was the first person who came to mind when I had a very specific query, and I knew he was the expert to ask - and he absolutely delivered. Damian has a real talent for explaining things clearly and in plain English, which gave me total confidence in his advice. And rightly so, because everything he advised turned out to be 100% spot on. Highly recommend!

Dominic Goodfellow

Fantastic company. Damian is clear, professional and very measured in his approach, which is welcomed. Excellent customer service. A breath of fresh air. Highly recommended.

Evan Frechette

Damian was very helpful in his consultation, and took the necessary time to listen to my situation in great detail. His explanation for what I needed for my new business was very informative and knowledgeable.

Cyril Lynch

Damian and the team at Sakura provided great support when I set up my consulting company and on an ongoing basis they continue to provide professional, timely and reliable services with regard to the production and filing of annual accounts and the associated compliance requirements.
I would highly recommend Sakura Business Solutions for their dedication, commitment and ability to get the job done!

Ronan Reilly

Damian and the team at Sakura have provided excellent advice to me and also assisted a number of clients to whom Sakura have been recommended. Sakura advised in a professional and capable manner and now, post BREXIT, their offices in Dublin and London are likely to be very valuable to prospective clients seeking professional advice.

Cathy Moore

Sakura Business Solutions and Damian have provided invaluable guidance to our business as we transitioned from sole-trader to limited company. They have also advised us throughout the Covid-19 crisis and kept us fully updated on available government supports. The introduction of Quickbooks has been very useful to us, it is easy to navigate and a very effective tool for managing our accounts. We highly recommend Sakura Business for accountancy and business advice.

Jane Manzor

I have known Damian from Sakura Business Solutions for just over a year. He is a true professional and has been very helpful to me in particular in tax and planning advice. He is also very current and has been a huge help in keeping me up to date on government supports since Covid 19. I would highly recommend Damian and his team for all of your accounting and financial needs. 5 stars!

Jo-Anne Mac Millan

When I moved from my previous accountant, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure about the financial side of my business. Accounts and bookkeeping aren’t my strong points, and I needed support I could trust. Damian and the team at Sakura stepped in and made the transition seamless. They handled the handover efficiently and took time to understand how my business works and what I needed from them. I’m no longer worried about year-end surprises, and I feel more confident making decisions. It’s been a genuinely positive shift, and I’m delighted I made the move to Sakura.

Jean Evans

Damian is a fountain of knowledge and is so generous with his time and knowledge around all things accounting, tax, scaling your business, getting exit ready and working to go international in business between Ireland and UK or vice versa.
He is a true gentleman, very approachable, particularly on topics that can feel and seem overwhelming. He is calm and patient; definitely an ally to have in your corner!

From the Insights Blog

Two things every business owner should read before starting their exit journey.

Why Cash is the Lifeblood of Your Business, and What a Fractional CFO Can Do About It

Ask any group of growing business owners what keeps them awake at night, and the answer is almost always the same: cash. Not profit margins, not turnover targets, not even their biggest client relationship. Cash.

And not because they are living lavishly or making reckless decisions. Usually quite the opposite. The truth is that cash has a tendency to leave a business very easily indeed, whilst arriving back in at a rather more leisurely pace. If you have ever run a business of any size, you will recognise that particular rhythm immediately.

Read in full →

When Should You Get Business Advice From Your Accountant?

A lot of the conversations SME owners have with their accountant are compliance conversations: VAT returns, tax deductibility, statutory deadlines. Business advice is different. It's the conversation about what to actually do next, whether that's how to respond to a cashflow gap, whether to take on external finance, how a particular decision will play out in the numbers, or how to structure something so it holds up later. It's advisory rather than administrative, and it tends to matter most at exactly the moments a business owner has the least spare time to think it through properly.