Engagement

What an engagement is, and is not

Stratus Schema Business Finance offers inquiry-based financial planning consultations and planning support focused on small-business cash-flow and financial management. An engagement is a defined piece of planning work, settled with you in advance, that produces a written reading of your cash position and a short list of forward actions.

It is not bookkeeping, audit, tax filing, investment management, or licensed financial advice. Where a question sits outside planning support, we say so and refer you to a suitable professional.

The shape of an engagement

Every engagement moves through the same four stages, sized to the business in front of us.

1. Inquiry. Write to us with a brief outline of your business and the cash-flow question you want answered.
2. Scoping conversation. We review your message and arrange a brief call to check we are answering the right question. This stage is free, and it is where we decide together whether planning support will genuinely help you.
3. Cash-flow read. We examine the money coming in and going out, the tax dates ahead, and the buffer you hold, then record our reading — the gaps, the timing, and the levers that actually shift cash in your business.
4. Planning conversation and written plan. In a follow-up conversation we agree a handful of forward actions — a reserve target, payment timing, tax-date readiness — and hand you a written plan you can operate alone.

What the work typically contains

The precise contents are settled at scoping, but an engagement usually includes some of the following.

• A forward cash-flow timing map, plotting VAT quarters and supplier due dates alongside the inflows you expect.
• A buffer sized to how volatile your inflows actually are, with a set cadence for topping it up.
• A schedule for tax dates that puts the money in place ahead of each due date.
• A short written plan you can run yourself, with the levers and dates named.

What an engagement does not include

To keep the work honest, the following sit outside what we offer.

• We do not file taxes, prepare statutory accounts, or act as your accountant.
• We do not sell investment products, insurance, or loans.
• We do not guarantee outcomes that depend on markets, customers, or your own trading decisions.
• We do not publish prices, packages, or credentials as confirmed business facts on this site. Commercial terms for a paid engagement are settled in writing with you before any work begins.

Who this tends to suit

Small-business owners who can share a few recent months of figures and who want a readable plan rather than a dashboard. If your books are not yet tidy, that is workable — say so in your inquiry and we will agree what is needed before any planning begins.

Start an engagement

The first step is always an inquiry. Use the contact page to send the opening message, or email us directly. Most inquiries receive a reply inside two business days.