About Below the Line Finance
Financial expertise to resource your mission, amplify your impact, and soothe your nervous system.
'Feet on the ground, head in the sky' isn’t just a Talking Heads lyric
It’s also the approach I take to being your CFO.
I believe that financial expertise should help you feel resourced and raring to go, not depleted and dysregulated. To do this, my approach blends the practical elements of finance, like the spreadsheets and systems, with the more human aspect of money, including emotions and founder dynamics too.
Something I hear a lot is...
“I didn’t know finance could feel like this”
because most organisations have never had a CFO or accountant who specialises in making finance feel authentic and human (or one who video calls you from the middle of a meadow with Dartmoor ponies and sheep, for that matter).
But if you want to build something brilliant, you need financial input that’s both grounded and aspirational, and that’s where I come in.
Not just end-of-year figures, but strategy, insight, and systems that support your decisions, your pace, your mission.
AI work with founders and organisations doing things on their own terms. Creative. Often neurodivergent. Carrying complexity while moving fast. People who care about doing things properly - but want finance to feels human, empowering, and aligned with their values.
Up until now, it’s felt like a trade-off:
- Profit or ethics
- Control over your money or joy in your work
- Rigid financial rules or a business that reflects who you are
It doesn't have to be that way. Your finances can support your goals - not work against them.
That's the whole point: structures that fuel your mission, your values, and the way you actually want to live.
I'm Harriet Formby (she/her)
As your fractional CFO I’m here to make sure your finances resource you as well as your business, so that you can continue changing the world.
(And to be clear: the world we’re talking about creating is one that is unapologetically and unashamedly anti-oppression, and pro-equality).
Reimagining Finance
One of my favourite phases is: "Finance and money is a made up system... so we get to reimagine what it means"
I work with founders and organisations who are creative. Mission-led. Usually carrying a lot complexity.
People who care about doing things properly, even though they’re moving fast, with many ideas. They have their feet firmly planted on the ground, but their head proudly up in the sky, even when the world is on fire.
I spent years in the more commercial end of finance advising start-ups to secure multi-£m funding, leading finance transformation projects in Private Equity-backed ventures, integrating acquisitions into Fortune 500s and navigating finance teams through change and growth in a multitude of sectors.
I founded Below The Line Finance in 2020 because I was done watching brilliant, mission-driven people (like you!) get held back by finance that didn't fit them, and wanted to come back to my roots. To support visionary entrepreneurs, mission-driven organisations and creatives who want finance to strengthen their work, not silence it.
My work spans from individuals rethinking their relationship with money, to early start-ups raising their first £100k, to navigating change in often multi-division groups turning over tens of millions.
I've supported purpose-driven organisations across tech, creative, consultancy, retail, wellness, e-commerce, media, and not for profit and social impact sectors.
My brilliant clients are often neurodivergent and always doing things on their own terms to make a difference.
We contain multitudes
And along the way I have become:
- First Class BA (Hons), MA with Distinction, Postgraduate Business Strategist. Published researcher & academic speaker.
- ICAEW Chartered Accountant (ACA) > 9 years PQE experience and Practicing Certificate
- ILM Level 7 Executive Business Coach
- Trauma of Money™ Certified Practitioner
- PRINCE2 | Lean Six Sigma | Scrum Master
- Business Mentor with NatWest Accelerator, Help to Grow, and other entrepreneurial programmes
All of which influences my strategic, holistic, and intuitive approach
My approach
I'm a rebel at heart. I didn't leave the corporate world to do things conventionally.
Wisdom & Honesty
I've sat in enough boardrooms, navigated enough messy transitions, and held space for enough big decisions to know when to push, when to listen, and when to tell you what you really need to hear.
Strategic & Collaborative
From pricing and cashflow to big strategic pivots - whatever's tangled, we explore it, model it, plan it, forecast it, and figure it out together with confidence.
Trauma-informed
As a certified Trauma of Money™ Practitioner, I hold financial conversations without shame or judgement. Because how you feel about money matters as much as the numbers!
"I bring together accounting, financial strategy, and commercial experience so that money stops being the thing you work around and becomes something you trust, understand, and feel genuinely powerful with."
My values
Everything I do centres around these core values:
Empowering
Numbers should feel like fuel, not fear. You deserve to look at your finances and think 'yeah, I've got this' - not feel sick every time you open Xero.
Inclusive
Finance isn't just for people who liked maths at school (I should know, I hated it!). The people doing the most important work are usually the ones the finance industry wasn't built for. That's why I do this.
Down To Earth
You get me - dog hairs, muddy boots and all. Because putting on a cold professional exterior never helped anyone feel safe talking about money. (I did try it)
We are more than cogs in a machine
When I left the corporate world, I bought 15 acres of intensively farmed land in Somerset, next to ancient woodland, and started 're-wilding' it. Tree planting, red kites, newts, otters - and a menagerie of dogs, cats, retired racehorses, Dartmoor ponies, sheep, and a quirky flock of birds. My off-grid office is right in the middle of it all.
"A constant reminder that finance should always be about resourcing what matters most - your dreams, your mission, your life."
Schedule a complimentary call with Harriet today
This is a no pressure chat: where we can get to know each other, delve into your business, discuss any current challenges you’re facing, and explore your goals and aspirations.
These calls are ideal whether you already have a clear idea of your needs or want to scope it out together and get a taster of my style. I’m excited to connect with you and learn more about your journey and goals!