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Why IllumiFi

Connected data. One trusted view of your business.

We help businesses connect data that is sat across systems and platforms into a trusted, single source of truth. With agreed metric definitions and reliable data foundations, your team will spend less time piecing information together and more time acting on it.

Book a discovery call Take the Data Clarity Health Check
What we build

How we get you answers you can trust

For growing UK businesses.

What we do

We connect data from across your business, agree how key metrics are defined and establish a trusted single source of truth, creating a consistent foundation for understanding performance across the business, exploring new questions and introducing automation, advanced analytics and AI.

Where we differ

We bring commercial, finance and data expertise together. We start with what your business needs to understand, then connect the systems, data and definitions needed to support it. From design and implementation to ongoing management, we provide an end-to-end data and analytics capability for your business at a fraction of the cost of building it internally.

Who we suit

Businesses whose data is spread across systems, who spend too long pulling information together, or whose current capability doesn't enable them to answer the questions that matter. We build the connected data foundations that bring your data together into one trusted view, in a platform that evolves with you, as your business grows.

Why businesses call us

Six questions we hear. Which one is yours?

Each one shows how we solve it and which service does the work.

  1. Why do the numbers change depending on who we ask?

  2. Why do we rebuild the same report by hand every time someone asks?

  3. Do all our reports and dashboards work from the same definitions?

  4. Is the AI we use giving us answers we can act on?

  5. Is our data ready for AI to use?

  6. Where do we find people who have done this before?

Q3 trading

Illustrative. The figures are invented.

Revenue£4.82m£0.07m over
Gross margin38.6%** Before returns
Orders61,204£78.75 an order
Cash£1.31m30 September
Q3 revenueIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Shopify export£4.82mBefore returns
Xero£4.56mAfter returns
sales_tracker_old.xlsx£4.71mUpdated by hand

With IllumiFi

Sales, before returns£4.82mShopify export
Returns(£0.26m)Shopify export
Revenue£4.56mAgrees to Xero
Report refreshIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Board_pack_Q3_FINAL_v7.xlsx12 days agoBy hand
Margin_by_brand_v3.xlsx9 days agoBy hand
Cash_forecast (copy 2).xlsx15 days agoBy hand

With IllumiFi

Board packEvery Monday, 06:00Automatic
Margin by brandEvery Monday, 06:00Automatic
Cash forecastEvery Monday, 06:00Automatic
Gross marginIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Finance report38.6%£1.86m on £4.82m, before returns
Board pack41.3%£1.99m on £4.82m, before returns and delivery costs
Margin dashboard34.9%£1.59m on £4.56m, after returns and delivery costs

With IllumiFi

Finance report37.5%£1.71m on £4.56m, after returns
Board pack37.5%After returns
Margin dashboard37.5%After returns
What the AI tool comparedIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Q3 sales, before returns£4.82mShopify export
Q2 revenue, after returns£4.55msales_tracker_old.xlsx
Change+5.9%Two definitions

With IllumiFi

Q3 revenue, after returns£4.56mSingle source of truth
Q2 revenue, after returns£4.55mSingle source of truth
Change+0.2%One definition
SourcesIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Shopify exportNot testedOwner: E-commerce
XeroNot testedOwner: Finance
sales_tracker_old.xlsxNot testedOwner: nobody

With IllumiFi

Shopify export98% completeReady
Xero96% completeReady
sales_tracker_old.xlsx61% completeFix first
Sign-offIllustrative

Without IllumiFi

Board packNot checkedPrepared by Finance
Margin by brandNot checkedPrepared by Finance
Cash forecastNot checkedPrepared by Finance

With IllumiFi

Board packCheckedBy a senior lead
Margin by brandCheckedBy a senior lead
Cash forecastCheckedBy a senior lead
Board_pack_Q3_FINAL_v7.xlsxPrepared by: Finance. Checked by: nobody yet.

What changes

Without IllumiFi

Two people pull the same figure and get different answers. Nobody can say how accurate the data is, so meetings turn into arguments about the numbers.

With IllumiFi

Everyone works from the same numbers, and you know how far to trust the data under them. Meetings move on to what to do next.

Without IllumiFi

Someone pulls figures from several systems and builds the report in a spreadsheet. Next time it is asked for, they do it all again, and it arrives late.

With IllumiFi

The report is ready when someone asks. Your team stops assembling figures and spends that time on what they say.

Without IllumiFi

Each report and dashboard works from its own idea of what a number means, so the same figure looks different depending on where you read it.

With IllumiFi

A figure reads the same in the board pack, the dashboard and the finance report. Nobody has to ask which one is right.

Without IllumiFi

You use AI tools already, but you cannot rely on their answers. They can only be as good as the data they read.

With IllumiFi

The data your tools read is checked, defined and owned, so their answers come from trusted data.

Without IllumiFi

You have not started with AI yet. Whatever tool you pick will answer from the data you give it, so first find out what you hold and how far to trust it.

With IllumiFi

You can see which data is ready for AI to use and what to fix first. When to start is your call.

Without IllumiFi

Your analysts need a senior lead to set priorities and check their work, or one job needs people who have done it before. A full-time hire is hard to justify.

With IllumiFi

Analysts get clear direction and a senior check, and the job is done by people who know how. Your team keeps the result.

Your AI tool

Reads 3 sources. None checked.

Reads the single source of truth.

What is the revenue for Q3?

Without IllumiFi

Revenue for Q3 is £4.82m.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Revenue for Q3 is £4.56m, after returns.

Checked

Is the board pack up to date?

Without IllumiFi

Yes. The latest version is Board_pack_Q3_FINAL_v7.xlsx.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Yes. It refreshes every Monday at 06:00.

Checked

What is our gross margin for Q3?

Without IllumiFi

Gross margin for Q3 is 38.6%.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Gross margin for Q3 is 37.5%, after returns.

Checked

How does revenue compare with last quarter?

Without IllumiFi

Revenue is up 6% on last quarter.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Revenue is up 0.2% on last quarter.

Checked

Which of our data can I trust?

Without IllumiFi

All three sources are ready to use.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Two sources are ready. Fix sales_tracker_old.xlsx first.

Checked

Has anyone checked this board pack?

Without IllumiFi

Yes. Finance prepared it.

Unchecked

With IllumiFi

Yes. A senior lead has checked it.

Checked

Illustrative. This stands in for whichever AI tool you use.

Checked data and numbers that agree

How we solve it

  1. Map where your data lives, check it for gaps and errors, and report what you can rely on.
  2. Compare the reports in use and mark where the same number comes out differently.
  3. Agree one meaning for each number with your team and write it down. Name who keeps the data right.
See Data Foundations

Built once, then refreshed for you

A UK e-commerce retailer saved 750+ hours a year once its reporting ran automatically. We built its Analytics Platform in under three months.

How we solve it

  1. Connect the systems the report draws on, so the figures arrive without anyone pulling them.
  2. Build the report once, on definitions we agree and write down with you.
  3. Automate the refresh, then run the platform and change it as your business changes.
See the Analytics Platform

A single source of truth for every report

How we solve it

  1. Settle the KPIs with your leadership team, and what each one means, before anything is connected.
  2. Bring your systems together in one place and build the reports and dashboards on those meanings.
  3. Run it. Each new system feeds the single source of truth, each new report reads from it, and nothing drifts apart.
See the Analytics Platform

Check the data your AI tools read

How we solve it

  1. Find which data your AI tools read, and check it for gaps, errors and figures that conflict.
  2. Agree one meaning for each number they depend on, and write it down.
  3. Name who owns each source and set the standard it must meet, so it stays right.
See Data Foundations

Check your data before you pick a tool

How we solve it

  1. Map what data you hold, where it lives and how it moves between your systems.
  2. Test its quality and completeness, and report what is ready to use and what is not.
  3. Define the key numbers and hand you a plan that closes the gaps in order of risk.
See Data Foundations

Senior people for the work that needs them

How we solve it

  1. Agree with you what the work is: directing your analysts, or one specific job.
  2. Put in senior people who have delivered the same kind of work before.
  3. Work alongside your team at each stage, and check the work before it is relied on.
See Advisory Support

Which service answers your question?

Start with the one that fits. Each stands alone, and none has to come first.

Analytics Platform

We run your analytics for you as an always-on service. Your systems feed one place, and every report and dashboard reads the same agreed numbers.

Covers: reports rebuilt by hand every time; reports and dashboards that do not share definitions

See the Analytics Platform

Data Foundations

We get your data into shape: we check it, define it and name an owner. It comes as five modules, which you can take alone or as a set.

Covers: numbers that change depending on who we ask; AI tools answering from data we cannot rely on; data not ready for AI to use

See Data Foundations

Advisory Support

We put senior data and analytics people in your business without a permanent hire: flexible scoped support, or help building towards an in-house team.

Covers: finding people who have done this before; a senior lead for our analysts

See Advisory Support

Five stages, and we run every one

01

Discover

We learn how you report today and what slows your decisions.

02

Define

We agree the KPIs you need and give each one a single, written meaning.

03

Integrate

We connect your systems and check the data, so what lands in one place can be relied on.

04

Develop

We build the dashboards around those KPIs.

05

Run

We automate the refresh and keep the data right as your business changes.

Proof, from one client

One UK retailer: 71% 12-month ROI, 750+ hours saved a year

A UK multi-brand e-commerce retailer (£25m to £30m annual revenue) had its CFO and finance team spending too much of their time extracting data and building reports. We built an automated data platform in under three months, then ran it as a managed analytics service. The figures below are that one retailer's results: hours saved on reporting, return on investment and payback. Ask us how closely it matches your business.

71% 12-month ROI
750+ hours saved a year
7 months payback period
Read the full case study
Questions buyers ask

What to know before you choose a provider

What makes IllumiFi different from other data and analytics providers?

We build a single source of truth for your numbers. Each one has an agreed meaning, and every report, dashboard and AI tool reads from the same place. Many providers stop at advice, or at dashboards, and leave you to join up the rest. We check the data, agree what each number means, build the reports, then run it all for you. The senior people who scope the work also do it and keep it running.

What is a single source of truth?

A single source of truth is one checked, agreed version of your numbers. Every report, dashboard and AI tool reads from it, so they all give the same answer. Each key metric has one agreed definition, written down, so finance and sales cannot read one figure two ways. The data under it is checked for gaps and errors and kept right as your business changes. The result is one trusted view of your business. IllumiFi builds it, then runs it for you.

How to choose a data analytics provider?

Ask six questions. Choose the provider that backs every answer with something you can check. Will they check your data and agree what each number means before they build on it? Do they deliver, or only advise? Do they start from your decisions or from a tool? Is the service sized for a business like yours? Who looks after it once the build is done? Can you verify their track record? Ask us the same six.

How is IllumiFi different from advice-only firms that recommend and leave?

We stay to deliver and run the work. Advice-only firms hand over recommendations and leave you to act on them. We carry the advice into the build, then run the platform for you after go-live. The retailer in our case study had its platform built in under three months and moved into an ongoing managed service.

In-house data team vs managed analytics: how does IllumiFi compare?

We build and run your analytics with a team of senior people, so nothing depends on one hire. An in-house team gives you permanent ownership, but you hire, manage and retain it. A fractional analyst or freelancer can build reports for you, but continuity can rest on one person. If you plan to hire in-house later, Advisory Support can help you shape that team.

Is IllumiFi right for a business of our size?

Yes. IllumiFi suits UK businesses of roughly £10m to £100m turnover. It fits best when your data is spread across systems, when decisions are held up by numbers that disagree, or when reports are built by hand. Our case study is a retailer with £25m to £30m annual revenue. On the call we will say how closely it matches your business. If we are not the right fit, we say so.

What happens after the build?

We keep running it, and we keep the data accurate as your business changes. We maintain the platform, add new sources and make sure each new report reads from the same agreed numbers. Once its platform was built, the retailer in our case study stayed on for maintenance and ongoing improvement.

Who actually does the work?

The senior people who scope your work also deliver it and keep it running. IllumiFi has no layers, so nothing is handed down to a junior team. Tom Shuttleworth and Nader Hosni co-founded IllumiFi in December 2024, each with over 20 years of senior finance, data and analytics leadership.

What if we are not ready to build a platform yet?

You do not have to be. Data Foundations gets your data into shape first. It checks the data, agrees what each number means and sets who owns it, in five modules you can take alone or as a set. If you want a quick read first, take the Data Clarity Health Check and get a score and recommended next steps by email. Or book a 30-minute discovery call. There is no deck and no pitch.

Start with the number you trust least

Tell us about it, or pick the question above that is yours. We will say which service fits and where to start.

Book a discovery call Take the Data Clarity Health Check
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