Transforming financial efficiency and scalability at Heights
Company background
The challenges
As Heights scaled, they faced critical challenges impacting both operations and financial management:
Operational breakdown and inventory management:
Rapid growth led to stockouts due to gaps in demand forecasting and inventory management. Aligning stock levels with sales demand became crucial to ensure consistent customer satisfaction.
Fragmented financial reporting:
Heights struggled with manual financial processes that could no longer keep up with the increasing volume and complexity of sales data. The lack of segmented sales insights and detailed financial KPIs hindered day-to-day operations and investor relations.
Cashflow management concerns:
Delaying external fundraising increased pressure to manage cash flow effectively. Optimising cash allocation across marketing and hiring while maintaining a clear view of the financial runway became essential.
The solution: flinder's smart finance function
flinder collaborated closely with Heights, deploying a comprehensive solution tailored to their specific needs:
Streamlined financial reporting:
flinder restructured Heights’ financial systems, enhancing data accuracy and timeliness. New cash flow forecasting and margin analysis models empowered the leadership team with actionable insights, supporting smarter financial decision-making and sustaining growth without immediate fundraising.
Automated sales segmentation (A2X implementation):
By integrating A2X, Heights automated sales data management across product lines and regions. This eliminated the inefficiencies of manual data handling, enhancing the accuracy of real-time reporting.
flinder has given us the financial support we need to focus on growing Heights confidently, without the overhead of an in-house finance team.
Strategic cash flow management
flinder supported Heights in developing a robust cash flow strategy. This included reducing overheads, optimising working capital, and leveraging revenue-based financing, giving the company a buffer and extending its financial runway to maintain independence
Cross-functional operational alignment
flinder’s collaboration with Heights’ operational team ensured alignment across sales, marketing, and inventory management. This alignment empowered departments with the necessary financial insights to drive informed decision-making, from marketing spend to stock planning.
Results and impact
Enhanced financial control:
Heights now operates with a reliable and accurate financial reporting system, giving the leadership team the confidence to scale the business without external pressure.
Operational efficiency gains:
The automation of sales reporting reduced the risk of manual errors and improved inventory management through real-time insights, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
Strategic flexibility:
flinder’s advice extended Heights’ financial runway, enabling them to choose when and how to seek investment on their terms, providing the flexibility to grow sustainably.
Improved decision-making:
With access to detailed insights, Heights’ leadership can make more informed strategic decisions, ensuring efficient resource allocation and alignment across departments.
Their support has scaled with our business, giving us trust in our numbers and clear insights into what a growing finance function should look like.
Conclusion
flinder’s partnership with Heights has transformed the company’s financial and operational landscape, supporting sustainable growth to a revenue run rate of £11.5 million and near-positive EBITDA. By implementing strategic solutions, refining financial reporting, and advising oncash flow management, flinder empowered Heights to scale efficiently while maintaining control and flexibility for future growth.
About flinder
flinder builds and runs smart finance functions® for fast-growth and complex e-commerce brands. flinder transforms businesses by implementing, integrating and running financial and operational systems to deliver an end-to-end solution that provides meaningful, timely insight across the business.
