Bridging numbers and operations to unlock smarter growth

We recently attended YF’s OpsFest, where our CEO & Founder Henrik Grim joined a panel of finance and operations leaders, including Rich Francis (Finance and Ops Director, Phizz), Max Adorian (COO, Living Things) and Philip Oakley (MD, Outserve). The conversation unpacked how ops and finance can work together to scale faster and smarter.

See the summary below for our key takeaways from the panel.

Finance and ops will clash - and that’s okay

• Finance wants to preserve cash; ops wants enough stock to meet demand.

• The solution isn’t to eliminate tension - it’s to manage it through communication and shared data.

• “Finance and ops often speak different languages - the key is learning to translate.” (Henrik Grim, Mimo)
  
  
  

Forecasting should be a team effort

• Long lead times mean you can’t forecast once a month and hope for the best.

• With 12-week production lead times, brands like Living Things and Phizz must forecast far ahead, revisiting projections weekly.

• “If a massive opportunity comes up in four weeks, but we have a 12-week lead time, we have to be realistic.” (Max Adorian, Living Things)

• The best teams update forecasts weekly and align sales, ops, and finance around the same numbers.

• Everyone should understand what’s driving demand - not just the sales team.

• “You have to plan far enough ahead that sales, ops, and finance are working from one forecast -otherwise you’ll spend half the month digging yourself out of a hole.”
  (Richard Francis, Phizz)
  
  
  

 Cash flow is the metric that matters

• Rapid growth eats working capital fast.

• “Treat cashflow like a team sport,” (Philip Oakley, Outserve) - everyone should know when money is coming in and going out.

• Always pay staff and main manufacturers on time.

• Negotiate with HMRC and large suppliers if needed - many are open to structured payment plans.

• Prioritise smaller suppliers who depend on timely payments.

• Early-stage brands often rely on equity funding, but mature ones turn to smarter financing tools like Mimo Flex to protect ownership.

• Living Things initially used equity for working capital - later recognised as an expensive choice. They now prefer more flexible, loan-based options.
  
  
  

 Transparency across teams

• Great finance teams share key KPIs with the whole company - runway, inventory value, and margins.

• When everyone understands the financial reality, decisions get smarter across the board.

• “Everyone in the company should know how we’re really doing.” (Max Adorian, Living Things)
  
  
  

Automate early

• Delegate the time-consuming stuff first: invoicing, chasing payments, reporting.

• Use automation tools to free up time for strategy and growth.

Watch the full video below: