{"id":35957,"date":"2026-04-27T10:11:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T14:11:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=35957"},"modified":"2026-04-29T06:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T10:08:08","slug":"the-pain-is-real-even-when-the-cfo-cant-see-it-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-pain-is-real-even-when-the-cfo-cant-see-it-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"The pain Is real (Even when the CFO can\u2019t see it yet)"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--standard entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--standard\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe pain Is real (Even when the CFO can\u2019t see it yet)\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tConsulting firms are entering a tougher cycle. For CFOs and COOs, the result is familiar: longer DSO, margin surprises after delivery, and a close that drags because data doesn\u2019t line up. Learn how to regain control without adding back-office headcount. \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-27T10:11:29-04:00\">April 27, 2026<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"The pain Is real (Even when the CFO can\u2019t see it yet)\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-pain-is-real-even-when-the-cfo-cant-see-it-yet\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/davidneiberger\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/D_Neiberger-1-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"David Neiberger\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">David Neiberger<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-journey-with-a-cfo-through-the-real-discontinuities-squeezing-management-consulting-firms\"><strong>Journey with a CFO Through the Real Discontinuities Squeezing Management Consulting Firms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consulting firms are navigating a tougher operating environment, one where buyers are more cautious, planning assumptions shift quarter to quarter, and delivery models are changing fast. Add an uncertain backdrop, and being at the financial helm of a management consulting firm is not easy. In fact,&nbsp;we\u2019ve&nbsp;identified&nbsp;four major discontinuities finance leaders are facing and some management consulting best practices you can start to implement today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-journey-with-a-cfo-through-the-real-discontinuities-squeezing-management-consulting-firms\" data-level=\"2\">Journey with a CFO Through the Real Discontinuities Squeezing Management Consulting Firms<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-why-growth-breaks-down-in-consulting-firms-nbsp\" data-level=\"2\">Why growth breaks down in consulting firms &nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-fragmented-digital-core-nbsp\" data-level=\"2\">The fragmented digital core &nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-working-capital-squeeze-nbsp\" data-level=\"2\">The working-capital squeeze &nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-delivery-is-getting-harder-to-predict-nbsp\" data-level=\"2\">Delivery is getting harder to predict &nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-revenue-complexity-is-outgrowing-spreadsheets-nbsp\" data-level=\"2\">Revenue complexity is outgrowing spreadsheets &nbsp;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-this-looks-like-in-practice\"><strong>What this looks like in practice.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMarisa Calder\u201d&nbsp;is a hypothetical consulting CFO (based on a composite of many real people) who can read a P&amp;L like a map.&nbsp;She\u2019s&nbsp;a&nbsp;CPA by&nbsp;training with&nbsp;nearly two&nbsp;decades in project-based services, and she sits at the intersection of partner ambition and operational reality. She owns finance, planning, audit, and risk while reporting straight to the managing partners. When she presents to the board, she&nbsp;doesn\u2019t&nbsp;just \u201cshare results.\u201d She tells the story of&nbsp;what\u2019s&nbsp;really happening across delivery, cash, and margin, and what&nbsp;must&nbsp;change next.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On paper, her firm looks straightforward: a few hundred consultants, dozens of engagements in motion, and a growth mandate that never takes a quarter off. In practice, Marisa lives inside the messy middle, where the finance team is&nbsp;lean, Excel still does too much heavy lifting, and the systems that should connect the business often behave like separate islands.&nbsp;She\u2019s&nbsp;constantly translating between worlds: how a resourcing decision becomes margin, how a&nbsp;scope&nbsp;change becomes write-down risk, and how a late timesheet becomes a late invoice and then a cash problem.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-result\">The Result:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Her stress points are tangible. The partners are pushing for margin transparency as project overrun costs rise 18% year over year, and DSO drifts into the 70\u2013100+ day range. Suddenly, cash&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;an accounting metric.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;the constraint that&nbsp;determines&nbsp;whether the firm can hire, invest, or say yes to a fixed-fee opportunity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Close still takes 10\u201312 days, which means the most important questions get answered too late. Which projects are&nbsp;profitable? Where are&nbsp;overruns&nbsp;building? Is&nbsp;utilization&nbsp;rising for the right reasons? Invoice rework, billing errors, and creeping write-offs turn the revenue cycle into a drag on cash and confidence.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marisa\u2019s north star is \u201cmargin truth,\u201d a real-time view of project economics that partners trust, backed by a digital core that&nbsp;doesn\u2019t&nbsp;require heroics to produce insight. She wants a business where forecasting&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;a debate, where delivery and finance share one version of reality, and where the firm can grow without adding back-office weight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In modern&nbsp;financial management,&nbsp;the expectation&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;just growth.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;control. She needs tighter audit readiness, higher transparency, and faster decisions. She needs to become a finance leader who can keep the firm fundable even when the market&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;forgiving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-why-growth-breaks-down-in-consulting-firms-nbsp\"><strong>Why growth breaks down in consulting firms<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our hypothetical character sketch, based on the real pain&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;facing, makes one thing&nbsp;crystal clear. For CFOs and COOs at&nbsp;mid-size&nbsp;consulting firms, all that pressure&nbsp;crystallizes&nbsp;one big question: How do we fund growth without adding back-office headcount?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer starts with recognizing four operational gaps that are&nbsp;showing up&nbsp;across consulting firms. Each one is measurable, addressable, and tied directly to whether growth is&nbsp;fundable,&nbsp;margins are defensible, and controls are&nbsp;audit-ready.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-this-is-what-pressure-looks-like-in-practical-terms-across-finance-and-operations-today-nbsp\">This is what pressure looks like in practical terms across finance and operations today:&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cash strain:<\/strong>&nbsp;Long DSO ties up working capital and raises borrowing costs.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Visibility lag:<\/strong>&nbsp;Data silos obscure real-time margin. Close takes too long because teams spend time reconciling.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delivery&nbsp;drag:<\/strong>&nbsp;Deadline misses and&nbsp;utilization&nbsp;gaps create EBITDA drag and billing friction.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Invoice leakage:<\/strong>&nbsp;Invoice rework (often 2%+) wastes billable hours, extends disputes, and pushes&nbsp;cash&nbsp;past&nbsp;90 days.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>AI-driven model shift:<\/strong>&nbsp;As more junior work becomes automated, delivery models flatten, raising the bar for clean workflows and real-time controls.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-fragmented-digital-core-nbsp\"><strong>The fragmented digital core<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many firms&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;have a margin problem so much as a visibility problem. When CRM, PSA, billing, and the GL each hold a different truth, reconciliation becomes the work. By the time the numbers agree, the moment to intervene has passed. This is why close drags, forecasts turn into debates, and margin gets discovered after delivery instead of managed during it. Leaders end up flying by lagging indicators because they&nbsp;can\u2019t&nbsp;see engagement economics quickly enough to prevent overruns or protect profitability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fix&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;more reporting.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;fewer seams. When operational and financial data connect cleanly from opportunity through delivery, through billing, and into the GL, margin, WIP,&nbsp;utilization, and AR signals show up early and consistently. That unlocks practical leverage through fewer spreadsheet tie-outs, a weekly&nbsp;margin&nbsp;cadence, earlier overrun alerts, and a&nbsp;shorter close because reconciliation stops being a monthly ritual. This is the first discontinuity because it is the main cause, along with outdated processes, of all the other issues below.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-working-capital-squeeze-nbsp\"><strong>The working-capital squeeze<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-the-working-capital-squeeze-nbsp-in-consulting-delivery-costs-hit-now-cash-arrives-later-but-fragmented-systems-make-it-difficult-to-see-how-much-cash-is-coming-and-how-operational-issues-will-nbsp-impact-nbsp-it-nbsp\">In consulting, delivery costs hit now. Cash arrives later. But fragmented systems make it difficult to see how much cash is coming and how operational issues will&nbsp;impact&nbsp;it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When&nbsp;clients&nbsp;slow procurement, approvals, or&nbsp;sign-offs, the gap widens fast. Payroll goes out on schedule, but collections drift.&nbsp;That\u2019s&nbsp;how a firm can look busy and still feel&nbsp;cash constrained. The telltale signs are familiar: billing readiness depends on which partner is running the&nbsp;engagement,&nbsp;disputes linger because no one owns resolution, collections rely on last-minute heroics, and forecasting becomes spreadsheet triage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What separates high-performing firms&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;a magic DSO number.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;operating&nbsp;discipline, supported by tools that talk to each other and that people&nbsp;truly want&nbsp;to use. Billing gates are consistent, disputes are routed and resolved quickly, collections follow a predictable cadence, and finance has a forward-looking cash view tied directly to delivery and billing signals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first moves are simple but powerful. Standardize collections, assign dispute ownership, tighten billing readiness, and build a weekly cash rhythm that leaders&nbsp;actually use.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-delivery-is-getting-harder-to-predict-nbsp\"><strong>Delivery is getting harder to predict<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The modern consulting delivery model, with hybrid teams, shifting scopes, and more complex resourcing, has made predictability a competitive advantage. When delivery slips, billing tends to slip with it, and&nbsp;margin&nbsp;erosion follows.&nbsp;We\u2019re&nbsp;all familiar with the concept of technical&nbsp;debt but&nbsp;starting a new project before understanding the&nbsp;margin&nbsp;truth of the last one creates a different kind of debt. It increases the risk of repeating the same mistakes&nbsp;repeatedly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside many firms, the symptoms are subtle until&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;expensive. Deadline risk surfaces late. Scope&nbsp;creep becomes&nbsp;normalized.&nbsp;Utilization&nbsp;is managed in arrears, and time capture is inconsistent, creating billing friction and avoidable disputes. Often, delivery leaders and finance are looking at different versions of engagement health, which makes alignment harder precisely when it matters most.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stronger firms treat delivery predictability as a management system, not a project-by-project scramble. They run a weekly operating rhythm that links capacity signals, project health indicators, and margin-risk&nbsp;flags&nbsp;so leadership can intervene early.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best starting moves are straightforward. Build a forward-looking capacity view, standardize time-capture cadence, put&nbsp;scope&nbsp;changes behind approvals, and surface project health weekly in a format leaders can act on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-revenue-complexity-is-outgrowing-spreadsheets-nbsp\"><strong>Revenue complexity is outgrowing spreadsheets<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"h-revenue-complexity-is-outgrowing-spreadsheets-set-against-increasing-asc-606-judgment-multi-currency-work-and-spreadsheet-based-processes-consulting-is-becoming-more-global-and-contracts-more-nuanced-the-revenue-cycle-stops-being-a-back-office-function-and-becomes-a-control-system-multi-entity-delivery-complex-billing-schedules-and-tighter-revenue-recognition-expectations-raise-the-bar-recognition-requires-judgment-consistency-and-traceability\">Set against increasing ASC 606 judgment, multi-currency work, and spreadsheet-based processes, consulting&nbsp;is becoming more global and contracts more nuanced. The revenue cycle stops being a back-office function and becomes a control system. Multi-entity delivery, complex billing schedules, and tighter revenue-recognition expectations raise the bar. Recognition requires judgment, consistency, and traceability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When workflows&nbsp;remain&nbsp;spreadsheet-driven, the consequences show up everywhere. Invoice rework and disputes become routine. Revenue schedules live in fragile tabs. Audit readiness turns into recurring fire drills, and finance spends more time fixing billing than guiding decisions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High-performing firms build revenue-cycle muscle through repeatable, audit-ready workflows that link contracts to obligations, billing events, and reporting. The payoff is both operational and strategic: less rework, fewer delays, and greater confidence in the numbers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The enabling moves are predictable but powerful. Reduce&nbsp;invoice rework drivers, standardize billing approvals and formats, replace spreadsheet dependencies for revenue processes, and add traceability that holds up under scrutiny.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">The Management Consulting Benchmark Guide<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Dive deeper into these discontinuities, and how to fix them, in \u201cThe\u00a0Management\u00a0Consulting Benchmark Guide,\u201d where you can take a 5-minute scorecard to see which discontinuity is costing you the most cash.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-06890e09-f4c1-46df-a36a-29f52b38d14b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download Now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1214\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Human-resource-management-1214x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Two people working in human resource management\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/08\/Human-resource-management-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/cfo\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCFO\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/hub\/growing-a-business\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGrowing a business\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-29062 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-boss-your-business tag-business-intelligence tag-growing-a-business tag-inventory-management tag-productivity tag-staying-competitive tag-supply-chain-management business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1417607997-1215x810.jpg\" 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class=\"reading-time\">19 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/what-is-an-order-management-system-oms\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhat is an order management system?\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tFor businesses handling high order volumes, an order management system (OMS) can be the difference between seamless fulfillment and costly errors. Discover how an OMS works and what to look for when choosing one.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-28210 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-strategy-legal-operations tag-boss-your-business tag-business-intelligence tag-business-strategy tag-distribution tag-growing-a-business tag-inventory-management tag-productivity tag-supply-chain-management business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business industry-distribution industry-wholesale-distribution\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/what-is-order-processing\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-841574854-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-841574854-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-841574854-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-841574854-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-02T11:22:21-04:00\">June 2, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">19 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tOrder processing explained: Steps, systems and best practices\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-28775 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-business-strategy tag-cash-flow tag-growing-a-business tag-small-business business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business industry-nonprofit\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/peer-to-peer-fundraising-best-practices\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1414263386-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1414263386-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1414263386-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1414263386-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-02T05:54:37-04:00\">June 2, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">15 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tPeer-to-peer fundraising guide: Best practices for success\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-36557 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accounting-101 tag-boss-your-business tag-business-strategy tag-cash-flow tag-cloud-financial-management tag-cloud-technology tag-growing-a-business tag-sage-accounting tag-small-business tag-starting-a-business tag-technology business_type-small-business business_type-growing-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/cloud-vs-desktop-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1338373163-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1338373163-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1338373163-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1338373163-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-20T07:46:54-04:00\">May 20, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tCloud versus desktop accounting: Which is right for you?\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-36553 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-boss-your-business tag-business-strategy tag-growing-a-business tag-starting-a-business business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-start-a-waste-management-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Mar2025_GB-Trucking-Logistics_0392-684x384.jpeg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Mar2025_GB-Trucking-Logistics_0392-684x384.jpeg 684w, 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business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Consulting firms are entering a tougher cycle. For CFOs and COOs, the result is familiar: longer DSO, margin surprises after delivery, and a close that drags because data doesn\u2019t line up. Learn how to regain control without adding back-office headcount. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1894,"featured_media":9295,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,47],"tags":[427,153],"business_type":[],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[],"coauthors":[1036],"class_list":["post-35957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","category-people-leadership","tag-cfo","tag-growing-a-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"David Neiberger","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1252669785.jpg","imagine_tags":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36337,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35957\/revisions\/36337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/9295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=35957"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=35957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}