LUCIEN LIVSEY

Sectors/Support

Venture-Backed Start-Ups. Tech & Digital Media. Marketing Agencies. Fintech. E-Commerce.

A Week Across the Finance Function

No two weeks are the same, but it’s usually a mix of month-end closes, payroll, management accounts and investor reporting for seed to Series A start-ups. Alongside that, I build financial models, advise founders on FP&A, and look for ways to automate finance processes using AI.

Training gave me a strong technical grounding, but moving into fintech showed me how much I enjoy fast-moving, growing businesses. Fractional finance lets me combine both, bringing proper rigour to start-ups at the stage it matters most.

Founder Experience, First-Hand

As an ACA with top-10 firm training and hands-on start-up experience, I can handle everything from technical accounting to building the models founders use to raise funding. I also run my own e-commerce business, so I understand the pressures founders face first-hand, which shapes how I approach every client relationship.

Moving from audit into start-ups taught me that perfect information rarely exists, and decisions can’t wait for it. I’ve learned to give founders clear, practical answers quickly, then refine as the picture develops, rather than holding advice back until everything is fully confirmed.

Plain English, Fast Answers

My non-negotiable is being responsive and explaining the numbers in plain English. Founders are time-poor, so they need to trust they’ll get a clear answer when they need it. With one media client, I took over their management accounts and turned them into commentary the founders actually used to make decisions. The early challenge was messy historic data, but getting that fixed quickly built real trust.

From Anxious to Confident

The most satisfying aspect of working with clients is seeing founders go from feeling anxious about their finances to using the numbers to make confident decisions. What stands out most about being part of both my team and the wider AAB organisation is that I get the pace and variety of working with start-ups, while AAB adds the depth of expertise across tax, advisory and more. It means I can bring in specialist support for clients whenever they need it.

A recent example that stands out involved helping a client navigate a complex employee exit, working through the payroll and tax treatment of the termination payment so it was handled correctly. It gave the founders peace of mind during a sensitive situation. The greatest compliment a client has given me was being told, ‘For the first time, I actually understand my numbers.

Lean, Automated, Scalable

Start-ups need finance that scales with them without the cost of a full in-house team. I tackle that by building lean, automated processes early, so the function grows with the business rather than needing to be rebuilt later. A common misconception about the profession is that finance is just bookkeeping and compliance; done well, it’s one of the most valuable strategic tools a founder has.

My top strengths are strong technical foundations combined with a commercial, founder-first mindset. I’m also hands-on with technology, from Xero to Python and AI tools, which helps clients get more done with less. Looking ahead, AI and automation in finance is the big one for me, particularly using it to speed up month-end and reporting while keeping the human review that accuracy demands. I also want to keep deepening my FP&A and investor reporting expertise.