Strategic financial leadership for manufacturing and industrial SMEs.

I partner with CEOs across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to fix cash volatility, sharpen margin visibility, and build finance functions that support long-term value creation.

Book a discovery call See engagement tiers
About

A CFO partner — not outsourced commodity support.

Yosra Fraj

I work with founders and CEOs running manufacturing, industrial, and venture-backed businesses where cash is tight, reporting is unclear, and margin visibility is weak.

My role is to bring the financial discipline and strategic framing typically reserved for larger companies — liquidity planning, capital allocation thinking, clean reporting cadence, and a finance team that can scale with the business.

Engagements are retainer-based, senior-led, and built around the Cash Before Growth framework — a structured approach to liquidity, governance, and capital allocation for manufacturing SMEs.

  • Liquidity and cash flow management
  • Financial strategy and capital allocation
  • Management reporting and margin clarity
  • Finance systems and process design
  • Building and leading finance teams
  • Board and investor communication
Engagement tiers

Three ways to work together.

Tiers are fit-based, not progression-based. The right starting point depends on where the business is and what the CEO needs most.

Cash Control
For businesses where cash volatility is the primary risk.
$3,000 / month
  • 13-week rolling cash forecast
  • Weekly liquidity review with CEO
  • Working capital diagnostics
  • Working capital discipline
  • Monthly liquidity review
  • Monthly CEO working session
Discuss fit
Financial Clarity
For businesses needing reporting discipline and margin visibility.
$5,000 / month
  • Everything in Cash Control
  • Monthly management reporting pack
  • Product and customer margin analysis
  • KPI framework and dashboards
  • Budget vs. actual review cadence
  • Bi-weekly CEO strategy session
Discuss fit
Strategic CFO Partner
For businesses preparing for growth, capital raises, or transformation.
$10,000 / month
  • Everything in Financial Clarity
  • Capital allocation framework
  • Fundraising or lender readiness
  • Board and investor reporting
  • Finance team build and leadership
  • Weekly CEO partnership cadence
  • Board observer
Discuss fit
The book

Cash Before Growth.

A CFO's playbook for manufacturing companies on liquidity, margin discipline, and capital allocation.

"In manufacturing, profit is an opinion. Cash is the verdict."
Forthcoming
A field manual for manufacturing CEOs

Most manufacturing CEOs manage by profit and discover, too late, that their company has run out of cash. Cash Before Growth is the playbook for the ones who want to see the verdict before it arrives.

Fifteen chapters. Five parts. Every chapter ends with a decision you can make this week — from installing a weekly cash cadence to repricing under pressure to rebuilding a finance function that actually serves the CEO.

Proof

Outcomes that matter to CEOs.

Representative results from a recent manufacturing engagement.

30–40%
Reduction in cash conversion cycle within the first quarter
7-figure
Working capital released through receivables and inventory discipline
10-day
Month-end close cadence, down from multi-week lag

Representative engagement — industrial manufacturer

Situation. A mid-sized manufacturer was profitable on paper but running persistent cash shortfalls. Management reporting arrived weeks after month-end, working capital was locked in aged receivables and excess inventory, and the CEO had no reliable view of product or customer margins.

Engagement. Joined as fractional CFO on a Financial Clarity retainer. Built a 13-week rolling cash forecast, tightened the month-end close, introduced customer and product margin analysis, and redesigned receivables and payables cadence with operations.

Outcome. Cash conversion cycle improved materially within the first quarter, working capital was released and redeployed into operations, and the CEO now runs weekly cash and monthly margin reviews — supported by a finance team capable of sustaining the cadence independently.

Contact

Let's talk.

If you're a CEO or founder navigating cash pressure, unclear margins, or a finance function that needs structure — start here. Initial conversations are exploratory and confidential.