About Below the Line Finance
Financial expertise to resource your mission, amplify your impact, and soothe your nervous system
“I didn’t know finance could feel like this!”
That's something I hear a lot - because most organisations have never had a CFO or accountant who makes finance feel authentic, human, and genuinely inspiring!
Sound familiar?
You're here to build something brilliant - and you need the financial input that actually helps you do that.
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.
Meet Harriet Formby — Founder & Fractional CFO
I founded Below the Line Finance in 2020 because I was done watching brilliant, mission-driven people get held back by finance that didn't fit them.
I wanted to build something different. Where money becomes a resource that fuels bold ideas, not a blocker that drains them.
How I got here
I’ve supported purpose-driven businesses across tech, creative, consultancy, retail, wellness, e-commerce, media, and social impact sectors. My work spans from early start-ups raising their first £100k to multi-division groups turning over millions.
Before founding BTLF, I spent years in corporate finance:
- Advising tech and creative start-ups to secure multi-£m funding
- Leading finance transformation projects in Private Equity-backed ventures
- Integrating acquisitions into Fortune 500s and seeing how rigid, outdated structures squeeze out impact
I came back to my roots to support visionary entrepreneurs, mission-driven organisations, and creative founders who want finance to strengthen their work, not silence it.
My credentials
Here are the credentials I've earned over the years:
- ICAEW Chartered Accountant (ACA) > 9 years PQE experience
- Postgraduate Business Strategist -First Class BA Hons, Distinction MA (published researcher & academic speaker)
- ILM Level 7 Executive Business Coach
- Trauma of Money™ Certified Practitioner
- PRINCE2 | Lean Six Sigma | Scrum Master
- Mentor with NatWest Accelerator, Help to Grow, and other entrepreneurial programmes
My approach
Instead of rigid rules and outdated thinking, I take a strategic, holistic approach:
Facilitator and consultant
Holding space for big decisions, navigating ambiguity, and telling you what I really think (with the expertise and regulation to back it up).
Practical and collaborative
From budgets and forecasts to systems, dashboards, and strategy.
Trauma-informed
As a certified Trauma of Money™ Practitioner, I hold financial conversations without shame or judgement.
I bring together accounting, financial strategy, and commercial experience in a way that’s clear, supportive, and action-focused. My role is to strengthen your mission, so money becomes the thing that amplifies your work rather than holding it back.
My values
Everything I do centres around these core values:
Empowering
Numbers should feel like fuel, not fear.
Inclusive
Finance that makes sense to humans, not just spreadsheets.
Down to earth
Clear, collaborative, and practical.
Outside of Work
I live in the Somerset countryside, surrounded by a menagerie of animals — dogs, cats, retired racehorses, Dartmoor ponies, sheep, and a very quirky flock of birds.
The good life, but also a constant reminder that finance is always about resourcing what matters most!
Schedule a complimentary call with Harriet today
Harriet offers a no pressure chat, to 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!