Strategic Financial Planning & Analysis that turns your numbers into a growth roadmap — so your next big move is confident, not gut-driven.
Strategic roadmaps
Scenario planning
Fix margin leaks
Financial clarity
Growing businesses often face these challenges. If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone — and there's a better way.
Revenue is growing, but profitability is a mystery. You can't tell which products, services, or customers are actually making you money — and which ones are draining resources. You could be working twice as hard while your margins silently erode.
Should you hire that key person? Launch in a new market? Say yes to that big contract? Without clear financials, you're making six-figure decisions based on gut feel and hope. One wrong move could burn through months of cash or leave revenue on the table.
There's no rolling forecast. No scenario planning. No "what if we lose this client?" model. You're reacting to what happened last month instead of planning for what's coming next. By the time you see the problem, it's too late to fix it.
What's your runway? Your burn rate? Unit economics? Path to profitability? You're scrambling to pull numbers together instead of having them ready when opportunities arise. You're leaving funding, credit lines, and strategic partnerships on the table — or worse, losing credibility with the people who matter most.
Your controller or bookkeeper is stuck closing the books and chasing receipts. No one has time to build forecasts, model scenarios, or support leadership decisions. You're paying for a finance function that can only tell you what already happened — not what to do next.
Spreadsheets are breaking. Monthly close takes too long. KPIs aren't tracked consistently. What worked at $2M is falling apart at $10M — and you know it won't survive $20M. Scaling without fixing this means more chaos, more mistakes, and eventually, a crisis that forces you to stop everything and rebuild.
Sales makes commitments without understanding the financial impact. Marketing spends without clear ROI tracking. Everyone's working hard, but no one owns the numbers. Misalignment is costing you in blown margins, missed targets, and team frustration — and it only gets worse as you grow.
You set prices based on what competitors charge or what "feels right," but you've never calculated what it actually costs to deliver. You might be winning business that loses money — or turning away profitable work because you're pricing blind. Without knowing your real costs, every pricing decision is a guess that's quietly killing your margins.
Sound familiar? Let's fix it.
Get Strategic Financial LeadershipSame strategic FP&A expertise, two entry points. Find the track that fits your business.
Funded or fundraising — this is for you. Let's make sure your finances keep up with your pace.
Know exactly how your cash is being used and where you can extend your runway without sacrificing growth.
Clear visibility into how long your current funding lasts under different scenarios, so you can plan ahead.
Financial packages that speak the language VCs expect, with the metrics they actually look for.
Get your numbers buttoned up before you pitch. Models, projections, and answers to the questions investors will ask.
You've built something real. Now your finances need to keep up.
See which clients, projects, or services actually make you money and which ones are quietly draining it.
Data-backed pricing that captures your true value. Stop leaving money on the table or losing deals on price.
Move beyond rearview-mirror reporting. Build forecasts that help you make decisions before they become urgent.
Track performance against plan with clear variance analysis. Know where you stand, not where you hoped to be.
Not sure which track is right for you?
$449Business Financial Health BlueprintFinance made simple and venture capital decoded through an operator's lens. For founders building to last.
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Subscribe on LinkedIn"She has a solid acumen for synthesizing complicated data sets into clean executive summaries, along with recommendations for potential cost savings and financial impacts."
Vice President of Business Strategy
Freedom Forever
"Her ability to zoom out and see the bigger picture made her a valued partner in our cross-functional work — brought a thoughtful, solutions-oriented perspective."
Strategic Sourcing Manager
WHSmith North America
"You offer a great service to business owners who may not be as financially savvy. Having someone offer an unbiased, objective analysis is priceless."
Founder & Creative Director
T Collective
I'm a Strategic Finance Consultant who works with founders building something real. At Nine Lives Strategy, unlike a fractional CFO, I'm not an executive hire. I'm the person who helps you see clearly — where you actually stand, what your numbers are telling you, and what decisions you can make with confidence right now. My approach is direct, plain-language, and built around your specific situation.
The moment I love most in my work is what I call the "oh shit" moment — when I show a founder exactly where a problem is hiding, what it's already costing them every month, and what it'll cost them by end of year if nothing changes. And then the relief right after, when we map out concrete steps to fix it. That shift — from anxiety to clarity — is what I do this for.
When I meet founders, I always end up asking: "what keeps you awake at night?" Half joke, very real. Because the answer is almost always financial — and almost always solvable. They just haven't had someone show them how yet.
If you're losing sleep over a growth decision, a fundraise, or just the feeling that something in your numbers is off — that's exactly where I come in.
P.S. If you're wondering about the name Nine Lives Strategy — yes, it comes from a love of cats. I believe that, like cats, businesses should be able to survive, adapt, and land on their feet no matter what. The best businesses don't just react to challenges — they anticipate them and pivot strategically 🐾
Free resources and tools designed to help you build better financial processes.
by Iryna Krutsenko
A practical guide to the 15 metrics every growing business needs to track. Stop guessing — start knowing which numbers actually drive growth and profitability.
Plug in your numbers and instantly see your runway, burn rate, and fundraising timeline. Built for pre-seed and seed SaaS founders who need investor-ready forecasts without the complexity.
A complete tracking system for the 6 critical metrics that prevent 80% of small business failures. Track cash runway, gross margins, revenue growth, and more — with automated calculations.
Common questions about working together
Stop guessing. Get a clear, expert diagnosis of your business finances — plus a prioritized roadmap of what to fix first.
In our sessions, clients have consistently identified opportunities worth 10–20% of annual revenue.
45-minute diagnostic where I walk you through findings — you come with questions
Your Financial Health Blueprint, Priority Roadmap, and a 30-min review call
You're a founder or business owner making financial decisions without clear data. Maybe you're:
This isn't generic advice. If you're underpricing your services, I'll show you by how much.
Get Your BlueprintTakes ~10 minutes to complete the intake form
Let's start a conversation about how strategic financial leadership can transform your business.
Book a free 30-minute consultation call at a time that works for you.
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