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Turn Financial Chaos Into Clear Direction
Stop making six-figure decisions on gut instinct. Get financial leadership that transforms reactive planning into confident, data-driven growth.
Trusted by leaders making million-dollar decisions who can't afford to guess
9
Growth Planning
Strategic roadmaps
Risk Management
Scenario planning
Profit Optimization
Fix margin leaks
Investor Ready
Financial clarity
Is This You?
Is Your Financial Planning Holding You Back?
Growing businesses often face these challenges. If any of these sound familiar, you're not alone—and there's a better way.
You're making money, but you're not sure how much you're keeping
Revenue is growing, but profitability is a mystery. You can't tell which products, services, or customers are actually making you money—and which ones are draining resources. You could be working twice as hard while your margins silently erode.
Every growth decision feels like a gamble
Should you hire that key person? Launch in a new market? Say yes to that big contract? Without clear financials, you're making six-figure decisions based on gut feel and hope. One wrong move could burn through months of cash or leave revenue on the table.
You have no idea where you'll be in 6 months
There's no rolling forecast. No scenario planning. No "what if we lose this client?" model. You're reacting to what happened last month instead of planning for what's coming next. By the time you see the problem, it's too late to fix it.
Investors, banks, or your board are asking questions you can't answer
What's your runway? Your burn rate? Unit economics? Path to profitability? You're scrambling to pull numbers together instead of having them ready when opportunities arise. You're leaving funding, credit lines, and strategic partnerships on the table—or worse, losing credibility with the people who matter most.
Your finance team is drowning in reporting, not driving strategy
Your controller or bookkeeper is stuck closing the books and chasing receipts. No one has time to build forecasts, model scenarios, or support leadership decisions. You're paying for a finance function that can only tell you what already happened—not what to do next.
The processes that got you here won't get you there
Spreadsheets are breaking. Monthly close takes too long. KPIs aren't tracked consistently. What worked at $2M is falling apart at $10M—and you know it won't survive $20M. Scaling without fixing this means more chaos, more mistakes, and eventually, a crisis that forces you to stop everything and rebuild.
Operations and finance don't speak the same language
Sales makes commitments without understanding the financial impact. Marketing spends without clear ROI tracking. Everyone's working hard, but no one owns the numbers. Misalignment is costing you in blown margins, missed targets, and team frustration—and it only gets worse as you grow.
You're guessing at pricing—and leaving money on the table
You set prices based on what competitors charge or what "feels right," but you've never calculated what it actually costs to deliver. You might be winning business that loses money—or turning away profitable work because you're pricing blind. Without knowing your real costs, every pricing decision is a guess that's quietly killing your margins.
Sound familiar? Let's fix it.
Get Strategic Financial LeadershipHow We Help
Strategic Finance, Tailored to You
No cookie-cutter solutions. Every engagement is customized to your specific challenges, growth stage, and goals.
Strategic FP&A
Customized financial planning and analysis tailored to your specific business needs, growth stage, and industry.
- Rolling forecasts & budget management
- Cash flow planning & runway analysis
- Investor-ready reporting packages
- KPI development & tracking
- Profitability analysis by product, service, or customer
Financial Modeling
Robust, dynamic models built specifically for your business decisions—not generic templates that miss the mark.
- Scenario planning & sensitivity analysis
- Unit economics deep-dives
- Pricing & profitability models
- Financial preparation for fundraising
- 3-statement financial models
Growth Strategy Support
Turn financial data into actionable insights that drive confident decisions and growth. Identify opportunities and prioritize where to invest.
- Market expansion analysis
- Resource & capacity planning
- Customer & product profitability
- Operational efficiency reviews
- Strategic initiative prioritization
Not sure what you need?
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Read ArticleTestimonials
What Leaders Are Saying
"She has a solid acumen for synthesizing complicated data sets into clean executive summaries, along with recommendations for potential cost savings and financial impacts."
Vice President of Business Strategy
Freedom Forever
"Her ability to zoom out and see the bigger picture made her a valued partner in our cross-functional work—brought a thoughtful, solutions-oriented perspective."
Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Manager
WHSmith North America
"Demonstrated a rare blend of analytical acumen, business savvy, and interpersonal warmth... consistently brought clarity, structure, and a collaborative spirit to every conversation."
Talent Acquisition Leader
WH Smith
10+
Years FP&A Experience
Meet Your Strategic Partner
Hi, I'm Iryna Krutsenko
I'm a Strategic Finance Consultant with over a decade of experience helping growing businesses transform how they think about their numbers.
After years of leading FP&A functions across government, public, and private sectors, I've seen the same pattern: companies with tremendous potential held back by reactive financial processes that can't scale with them.
As Managing Director of Nine Lives Strategy, I help businesses get the finance leadership they need—leadership that doesn't just report on the past but actively shapes the future. My approach combines deep technical expertise with practical, actionable insights tailored to your specific situation.
Whether you're preparing for a funding round, navigating rapid growth, or just need clarity on your path forward—I'm here to help you make confident, data-driven decisions.
P.S. If you're wondering about the name Nine Lives Strategy—yes, it comes from a love of cats. I believe that, like cats, businesses should be able to survive, adapt, and land on their feet no matter what. The best businesses don't just react to challenges—they anticipate them and pivot strategically 🐾
10+ years in FP&A across multiple industries
Government, public, and private sector experience
Translates complex data into clear stories non-finance leaders actually understand
Resources
Tools to Help You Get Started
Free resources and tools designed to help you build better financial processes.
Coming 2026
Small Business Guide to the Numbers That Actually Matter
by Iryna Krutsenko
A practical guide to the 15 metrics every growing business needs to track. Stop guessing—start knowing which numbers actually drive growth and profitability.
Free
Survival 6 Financial Health Workbook
A complete tracking system for the 6 critical metrics that prevent 80% of small business failures. Track cash runway, gross margins, revenue growth, and more—with automated calculations.
Free
Free Excel Templates
No signup required
Download ready-to-use financial analysis templates and start planning. More free resources coming soon—bookmark this page! Reach out using our contact form to request priority for specific templates you need most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about working together
Free Offer
Financial Health Check
Get a customized financial assessment of your business — completely free.
Here's how it works:
- 1.Fill out our quick intake form (basic info about your business, revenue, costs, goals)
- 2.I'll review your situation and prepare a customized analysis
- 3.We'll schedule a 30-minute call to go over my findings and recommendations
You'll walk away with 2-3 specific actions you can take to improve growth, efficiency, or scalability. No strings attached.
Limited availability:
I can only prepare 3-5 custom analyses per month. I'll confirm within 2 business days if I can take on your assessment.
Best for:
Businesses doing $500K+ in revenue and ready to act on feedback.
Fill out the intake form to get started
Get In Touch
Ready to Take Control of Your Finances?
Let's start a conversation about how strategic financial leadership can transform your business.
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