Fitzgerald Power launch Strategy 360 with Series of Research Analysing the Challenges faced by Irish SMEs

Fitzgerald Power, leading Irish financial advisory and accountancy services firm, is expanding its services with the launch of Strategy 360. The new service is a result of a trend with clients, which the financial experts noticed over time – a lack of a clear strategic planning for growth.

The Fitzgerald Power Strategy 360 framework brings together: Strategic Planning, Financial Planning, Optimising Operations, Exit Planning & Value Creation, and Tax Planning. Ahead of launch, Fitzgerald Power surveyed over 80 of Ireland’s top SME leaders across multiple industries to produce three white papers. Each paper highlights key data showing a need for strategic planning support and exit strategies for Irish SMEs.

Strategy 360, White paper 1: Future proofing your business, why strategy come first

• 75% of respondents reported having a strategic plan, but only 27% have a clear, documented plan to grow their business valuation.
• Our research shows 59% of SMEs don’t have an independent chairperson — a clear sign that governance and accountability need strengthening.
• Only 50% of respondents review their strategic plan annually and 18% of all respondents don’t support their strategic plan with a business development or human resource plan.
• 87% of SMEs say their strategic plan is supported with a rolling budget, ensuring financial alignment.
• 64% of respondents are targeting international markets, but scaling globally remains a significant hurdle.
• 60% of SMEs are targeting long-term organic growth, reflecting a shift toward building long-term sustainability.
• Irish SMEs represent 99.8% of all enterprises but account for just 30% of total exports, highlighting the challenge of scaling internationally.
• By combining SWOT, The Strategic Flywheel, and Three Horizons models, SMEs can build integrated strategies that maximise growth and future-proof their businesses.

Strategy 360, White paper 2: Powering success, how finance and operations drive SME growth

• Only 52% of Irish SMEs use a dynamic forecasting model, highlighting a significant gap in financial planning.
• Just 27% of SMEs have a defined process for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), leaving many without clear visibility into their progress.
• 36% of SMEs operate without a formal HR function, limiting their ability to scale effectively.
• 83% of SMEs track performance against a rolling budget, showcasing the importance of real-time financial planning.
• While 81% of SMEs have an internal finance function, only 75% prepare management accounts and information every month.
• Embedding a structured operating cadence, clear ownership, and accountability mechanisms is essential for SMEs to reduce dependency on individual owners or key employees, improve scalability, and maintain focus on strategic goals.
• Maintaining a rolling 12-month cash flow forecast and tracking tailored KPIs are critical for SMEs to anticipate financial peaks and troughs, manage liquidity, and align operations with long-term objectives.

Strategy 360, White paper 3: From growth to legacy, exit and tax strategies for business owners

• Only 33% of SME owners have an exit plan, highlighting a significant gap in strategic succession planning.
• Less than half of respondents reviewed their tax structure in the past two years, meaning they may potentially leave money on the table when they eventually exit.
• Only 32% of SMEs have been valued by an independent expert recently, highlighting the fact that exit preparedness is low.
• However, 59% of SME owners have a plan to grow the valuation of their business, which suggests a disconnect between intention and preparation.
• 68% of respondents have sufficient capital to deliver their strategic plan, indicating financial readiness for growth.
• 33% of SME owners have a target of five years to exit, emphasising the importance of medium-term planning.
• 55% of respondents structure their tax to maximise available CGT reliefs, demonstrating awareness of tax-planning opportunities.
• 29% of SMEs have raised external investment, highlighting SME Ireland’s focus on debt to fund growth.
• Recurring revenue, strong margins, and client diversification are key valuation drivers that SMEs must focus on to maximise their exit value.

Fitzgerald Power has been leading the pack for many years with events like The Real Deal. To launch Strategy 360 in earnest, Fitzgerald Power will be hosting an event this October designed for ambitious SME leaders who want to grow sustainably and plan with confidence. It’s about stepping away from day-to-day firefighting to focus on long-term vision, profitability, and future exit. Whether it’s strategic planning, finance, operations, exit and value creation, or tax planning, Strategy 360 brings it all together under one roof. The event will take place at The Stella Cinema, Rathmines on October 15th and interested parties can register here.

On the launch of Strategy 360 and encouraging Irish entrepreneurs to futureproof, CEO of Fitzgerald Power, Stuart Fitzgerald, said: “Strategy 360 is the culmination of our collective experience at Fitzgerald Power. Driven by client demand, and shaped by decades of experience working as advisors to SME owners and management teams across Ireland, Strategy 360 has been designed to help ambitious entrepreneurs map and deliver their goals. In line with the Fitzgerald Power ethos, it’s a service rooted in innovative thinking, futureproofing and putting the client first. The research conducted in our white papers really shows that there are some serious barriers to growth for Irish entrepreneurs and a lack of time, commitment or investment in long-term strategy together with a lack of planning when it comes to exit strategies means many SME’s aren’t built to scale and exit. Ireland is bubbling with entrepreneurial talent so our goal with this service is to offer full 360 expert led support that really enhances the entrepreneurial journey.”

To celebrate the launch of the service Fitzgerald Power created an AI generated conceptual video showcasing the Irish entrepreneurs’ journey – this merging of creative and emotive thinking with innovative technology sums up the spirit of Strategy 360 – moving forward with purpose.

For more information visit www.fitzgeraldpower.ie or follow on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.