Revenue per employee is one of the simplest measures in the business and one of the most revealing.
Your finance team, without the hiring
Clear answers, practical support and help planning your next move, for owners who need more from finance than accounts and tax returns.
Margins, cash, forecasting and reporting in one monthly pack, built in the systems you already use.
Is this where you are?
Your business has moved forward. Has your financial support kept up?
Most owners we speak to aren't short of an accountant. They're short of someone who turns the numbers into answers and follows through.
01
Your accounts get done, but your questions don't always get clear answers.
02
You're making commitments without a clear view of what you can afford.
03
You've delegated financial work, but still spend time checking and coordinating it.
If two of these sound familiar, this is what changes when you work with us.
See who does what ↓What we take on, and what stays with you.
No grey areas from month one.
Setup takes a few hours of your finance or admin team's time in the first fortnight. If your records need catching up first, we'll tell you on the first call.
01
The financial work we take on
Monthly reporting, cash forecasting and the analysis behind your decisions, done in your existing systems. What's included depends on your package.
02
Advice, and who follows it up
We bring the numbers, the options and a recommendation. Your named lead tracks what we agree and follows it up at the next review.
03
What stays with you
The decisions, approvals and the information we ask for. You stay in control; we make sure nothing is left hanging.
What you get, and what happens next
A report pack is the start of the conversation, not the end of it.
Every pack comes with interpretation and follow-through, so you're not left with another document to manage. Monthly on Direction and Partner, quarterly on Clarity.
After the April review · Illustrative
Agreed actions
Done
Reprice the two loss-making retainer contracts
In progress
Model the cash impact of a June hire
Next review
Chase the 3 invoices over 60 days
Reviewed at the start of the May call.
1
Understand what's happening
Your pack arrives within five working days of the period end, once bank feeds and invoices are up to date.
2
Discuss the options
A review conversation with your named lead. What moved, why, and what you could do about it.
3
Agree the next action
Each call ends with a short list of agreed actions, each with an owner and a date.
4
Review progress
The next review starts with those actions: done, stuck or no longer relevant.
Clients stay because the work
keeps paying for itself.
The value isn't the reporting.
It's knowing which numbers matter this month.
Working with Nina and the Upscale team has changed how I make decisions, both for Humanly and for my own financial future. Our planning sessions gave me a clear picture of what the business needs to earn to break even and to grow profitably, and helped me turn our annual plan into practical decisions about how I run it day to day. Nina also improved our administrative processes and helped me make confident choices on areas such as pension contributions. I now lead with the numbers, not gut feel.
We run an international architecture practice across the UK, Europe and Southern Africa. Nina and the Upscale team have been invaluable, supporting us with cross-border tax, invoicing and payroll. Knowledgeable, responsive and genuinely invested in our business, they are a true finance partner.
Pricing
Three levels. One flat monthly fee.
Each level takes on more of the work, and more of the responsibility for following it through.
Clarity
From £595
per month
You finally understand what your numbers are telling you.
Each quarter
A written finance review with commentary, a live dashboard of your core numbers, and a review call.
Your named lead handles
Explaining what the numbers mean and what needs attention.
Makes sense when
Your accounts get done, but they don't answer your questions.
Direction
From £1,250
per month
Numbers that arrive before the decision, not after it.
Each month
Everything in Clarity, plus a cash forecast and budget against actual.
Your named lead handles
Flagging decisions before you make them and costing the options.
Makes sense when
You're planning hires, pricing changes or investment.
Partner
From £1,950
per month
Someone accountable for the finance function, not just the reporting.
Each month
Everything in Direction, plus scenario planning and your operating data connected into one live view.
Your named lead handles
Responsibility for the finance function, and senior input on your key decisions.
Makes sense when
Finance has become a management job you shouldn't be doing.
All levels: no new systems, no long tie-in, one named lead.
Compare what's included ›Our approach
What we focus on.
Five things a growing business needs from finance. Clarity covers the first two, Direction adds the next two, and Partner covers all five.
01
Reliable numbers
Confidence · Clarity
+
Numbers you can trust
Errors caught early
Month-end without the scramble
02
Cash visibility
Foresight · Clarity
+
Cash pressure seen weeks ahead
Hiring timed, not rushed
Plans you can test before committing
03
Understanding profitability
Performance · Direction
+
Know which work genuinely pays
Margin leaks made visible
See how you compare with your industry
04
Support with decisions
Strategy · Direction
+
Big decisions properly costed
Growth planned, not chased
Finance-director thinking at the table
05
Systems that support the business
Infrastructure · Partner
+
Systems that talk to each other
Reporting without the manual work
A finance stack that holds at 3x your size
Questions people ask first.
Before you book a call.
Do you work alongside my existing accountant?
Yes. Your accountant can keep your year-end and tax work. We handle the monthly finance work and advice, and speak to them directly when needed.
Can you take over financial work as well as advise?
Yes, within your package. The section above sets out what we take on and what stays with you.
What if my records aren't ready?
We'll look at them on the first call and tell you what needs catching up before monthly work starts, and what that costs.
What will you need from me?
Read-only access to your systems and the information we request. Then one conversation a quarter at Clarity, and a regular working rhythm at Direction and Partner.
Who will I work with?
Nina Baikoro, your named lead from the first call onwards.
How do we decide which package fits?
We'll recommend one at the end of the first call, based on what you need answered. You can move between levels later.
A 30-minute call about your current finance setup.
With Nina Baikoro, founder and your named lead. We'll talk through how your finance works today, the questions you need answered, and whether Upscale is the right fit. No preparation needed.
Book a 30-minute callPrefer to write first? Use our contact form.
Where finance breaks depends on how you make money
Different businesses hit different walls. Where the finance function strains depends on how you make money — recurring contracts, project fees, stock, or seats.
Book a strategy call
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Recurring contracts, project fees, stock or seats. Each one strains the finance function somewhere else.
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E-commerce and product
Revenue is the easy number. Profit hides in landed cost, payment fees, returns and discounting, all of it applied after the sale is booked. We show you contribution by SKU and channel, and what your stock is costing you in cash.
Software and SaaS
Technology businesses live by metrics. Founders and leadership teams need reporting that shows growth, runway and performance clearly: the kind that drives both operational decisions and investor conversations.
Managed IT and Cybersecurity
You can report SLA performance to the percentage point. Margin by agreement is harder. We separate recurring from project revenue, load the true cost to serve, and show which contracts are actually paying.
Architecture, Design & Engineering
Fee is agreed at the start; profitability is decided over the following months. We track recoverability against time spent, profit by project and the cash timing of stage payments, while there's still room to act.
INSIGHTS
Our latest insights
Performance IntelligenceWhy Revenue Per Employee Matters
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Strategic FinancePlanning your exit: Business Asset Disposal Relief, rates and timing
Business Asset Disposal Relief rose to 18% in April 2026. Here's how the relief works, the conditions that catch owners out, and why exit planning should start years ahead.
Finance InfrastructureFRS 102 changes from 2026: what they mean for project-based firms
The 2026 FRS 102 changes bring a new revenue model and put leases on the balance sheet. Here's what that means for project-based firms, their banks and their tax.
