Let's skip the
corporate nonsense.

You've got a planning, data, or reporting problem.
We fix those. No jargon. No 200-slide decks.

Perspective December 2025 4 min read

You can carry on as you are...

Hem Maan

Founder, Bolt Consulting

Most finance teams we meet have normalised chaos. Month-end panic isn't a crisis anymore - it's just how it is. The spreadsheet only one person understands? That's just Dave's spreadsheet. The data that doesn't quite match? You'll fix it next quarter.

The Sunday afternoon reconciliations? Part of the job. The board asking a question your model can't answer? You'll figure something out. You always do.

And that's the thing - you've made it work. Your team is talented. They've held it together with duct tape and determination. Nobody's called it a crisis because you haven't let it become one.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

The gap between where you are and where you could be isn't a two-year transformation programme. It's not ripping everything out. It's a few focused decisions, made well.

Staying where you are is a valid choice. But if you're still reading, you're probably ready for a different one.

Month-end takes 12+ days

Your team scrambles to close the books while the board waits for numbers that are already outdated by the time they arrive.

"Which spreadsheet is current?"

Version control is a nightmare. Critical decisions are made on conflicting data while your team plays detective tracking down the source.

Board asks, you can't answer

"What if revenue drops 15%?" Simple scenario questions require 2-3 days of manual rework. The CFO shouldn't need to promise "I'll get back to you."

Errors hiding in plain sight

Broken links, circular references, manual overrides - your forecasts carry risks you can't see until audit finds them first.

FP&A talent keeps leaving

Your best people didn't earn finance degrees to spend 80% of their time copy-pasting. They want strategic impact, not data entry.

Technology paralysis

Anaplan? Pigment? Planful? Power BI? Every vendor says they're the answer. You need unbiased guidance, not another sales pitch.

Optimisation Study

We audit what you have, map what you need, and build a transformation roadmap tailored to your reality.

From £5,000*

Technology Selection

Unbiased guidance on the right platform for your needs. We negotiate with vendors on your behalf.

Included if applicable

Implementation

End-to-end delivery: requirements, build, testing, training. We stay until it works.

Can span 1-12 months†

Admin-as-a-Service

Ongoing support without hiring FTEs. We keep your systems optimised as your business evolves.

From £3,000/month

* Often waived if we proceed to a full engagement.

† Depends on scope and complexity. Simple projects can go live in weeks.

Trusted by

Certified across

Bolt is seen as a trusted delivery partner and we'd work with them again without hesitation. They provided an excellent service, delivered in a clear and transparent way, helping us achieve our goals ahead of schedule and within budget.

Alastair Lauder

Chief Operating Officer, Lime SMA

Read the full case study →

Questions

Frequently asked

How is Bolt different from a Big Four consultancy?

We're practitioners, not slide-deck consultants. Our team has built and maintained the systems we implement - over 25 years of hands-on EPM experience. We're faster (8-12 weeks vs 6-12 months), more hands-on, and we don't disappear after go-live. We also won't staff your project with graduates learning on your budget.

What if we've tried implementing planning software before and it failed?

Common scenario - we've rescued several. Usually it's not the platform that failed, it's the implementation approach. We've seen projects scoped at 12 weeks take 18 months because nobody defined the planning process before buying software. Our £5,000 Optimisation Study diagnoses what went wrong and whether it's fixable. Sometimes we rescue, sometimes we recommend starting fresh. Either way, you'll know within two weeks.

How disruptive is implementation to our finance team?

Less than you'd expect. We design around your calendar - month-end, we step back; year-end, we pause. Most finance teams spend 2-4 hours per week during implementation, not 2-4 days. We do the heavy lifting.

What does working with Bolt look like in week one?

Day 1-2: We're in your systems understanding your data and current process. Day 3-4: Workshop with your team to map pain points and priorities. Day 5: You see a working prototype of your first use case. No death-by-PowerPoint, no lengthy discovery phases. We move fast because we've done this before.

Ready to make a decision?

No pitch deck. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about your options.

Show me your work

Let's skip the
corporate nonsense.

You can carry on as you are...