Financial leadership for your business.

Whether you're growing a business or leading a corporate finance team, we bring experienced senior finance leaders who have done it before, working alongside you to make better decisions with confidence.

For business owners

A dedicated CFO without the full-time cost. Ongoing financial leadership and project support for growing, founder-led businesses.

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For finance leaders

Senior, independent support for your finance function, from cost optimisation and working capital to finance process review and strategic planning.

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Strategic financial thinking changes the quality of every decision.

Olive Business Partners brings experienced finance leaders to organisations that need them, from founder-led businesses building their first finance rhythm to corporate finance teams lifting performance. Our team has run finance functions across FMCG, manufacturing, professional services, retail and not-for-profit, and we bring that experience to work alongside you.

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    Fractional CFO Services

    Your own CFO without the full-time cost. We match growing businesses with an experienced CFO who becomes part of the team, on an ongoing basis or for specific projects

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  • Two people working on financial analysis with charts and graphs, one person is using a calculator while the other is writing in a notebook, surrounded by printed data and a laptop displaying various colorful charts.

    CFO Advisory

    Independent, senior support for corporate finance teams. We help finance leaders reduce cost, optimise cash, protect margin and strengthen their finance function, delivered in clear phases with fixed fees.

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  • A woman with long brown hair and light skin, smiling and talking while sitting at her desk in front of a computer monitor in a modern office.

    CFO Intelligence

    Thought leadership, education and events from experienced finance leaders. Our articles, masterclasses and events share practical thinking on the issues facing business owners and finance teams, from cash and cost to pricing, planning and performance.

    Our latest thinking
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Our Founder

Sarah Petty is the Founder of Olive Business Partners and a qualified CPA, having held senior roles across a mix of startups, fast-growing scale-ups, and globally recognised brands. Her experience includes working with companies such as GE, Kraft Foods, Mondelez, Lion, Bega, Kellogg’s and Wesfarmers.

Sarah is as comfortable in the corporate boardroom as she is working directly with founders. She sits on several boards and is a regular speaker and panellist at industry events.

Our Team

Our team are qualified, senior finance leaders who have run finance functions themselves. Whether you're scaling a business, preparing for a raise or sale, or lifting the performance of a corporate finance team, we match you with the right experience and the right cultural fit.

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Latest Insights

Business Intelligence
How to Build Department Budgets To Guide Decisions
How to Build Department Budgets To Guide Decisions

How to Build Department Budgets To Guide Decisions

By Sarah Petty, Founder of Olive Business Partners

Most business owners build a budget at the top level. A revenue target, a cost estimate, a profit number. Fewer translate that plan into budgets at the department or function level, where the actual spending decisions are being made every day.

Without that translation, the plan stays abstract. It sits at the top of the organisation without ever quite reaching the people whose decisions determine whether it gets delivered.

In this article, Sarah Petty walks through how to build department budgets that connect individual decisions back to the overall plan, and how to turn the budget from a document into a proper management tool.

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How To Handle Pricing Conversations Without The Freeze
How To Handle Pricing Conversations Without The Freeze

How To Handle Pricing Conversations Without The Freeze

Guest contribution by Frances Pratt, Founder of Metisan

The discovery call has gone beautifully. Trust is building, the fit looks right, and then the conversation turns to price. Throats tighten, palms sweat, and what came before quietly unravels.

In this guest article, Frances Pratt makes the case that pricing only feels uncomfortable when selling is confused with manipulation. When the role shifts from vendor to trusted guide, the money conversation changes shape entirely. Frances shares a practical, step by step approach to navigating pricing with clarity, confidence and none of the discomfort that usually comes with it.

Olive Business Partners is pleased to share this guest perspective from Metisan.

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What Your Board And Investors Actually Want To Know
What Your Board And Investors Actually Want To Know

What Your Board And Investors Actually Want To Know

By Sarah Petty, Founder of Olive Business Partners

The start of a new financial year is one of the most important communication moments on the calendar for any business with a board, investors, or external stakeholders. Many founders approach it as a formality. A deck gets prepared, numbers get presented, the meeting ends, and a real opportunity is lost.

In this article, Sarah Petty explores what boards and investors are actually trying to assess in these conversations, and why the most effective updates are not the most polished but the most honest.

A considered read from Olive Business Partners for founders preparing to step into the year ahead with the people backing them.

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Why Your Financial Goals Should Start With You
Why Your Financial Goals Should Start With You

Why Your Financial Goals Should Start With You

By Sarah Petty, Founder of Olive Business Partners

Most business owners set financial goals the same way. They look at last year's revenue, pick a slightly more ambitious number, and work everything else from there. Owner's pay becomes what is left over.

In this article, Sarah Petty makes the case for inverting that order. When revenue leads the goal setting process, the business ends up sustaining itself while the owner absorbs the shortfall. There is a different way to approach it, one that starts with what the business actually needs to pay you.

A grounded read from Olive Business Partners for owners who want their goals to reflect the business they are genuinely trying to build.

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Let’s talk about where you’re heading

Talk to us about what you're working on and we'll point you to the right support, whether that's a Fractional CFO, a CFO Advisory engagement or a recommendation.

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