One trusted view of
the firm, built together.
This is a top-level proposal, shared ahead of your data wish list and our session with Zav and Luke at Sprint. Its job is to agree the shape of the work and how we would run it together. The detail, the exact dashboards, sources and sequencing, we will firm up once those two things are in hand.
The numbers that run the firm, in one place.
Today the information that runs McLaren lives in separate systems. Client and plan data sits in intelliflo, the accurate valuation and AUM picture in Fastrak, and the finances in Xero. Pulling a clear, current view across all three is manual and slow. This proposal is about closing that gap: knitting your own data together into live management dashboards, so you can see total AUM at a glance and drill into any part of it, with the firm's financial MI alongside.
We would deliver this iteratively, getting a useful first dashboard in front of you quickly and building out from there, rather than as one large fixed project. It is structured as an ongoing engagement: a committed two days a week of my time to lead the work and act as a sounding board, with specialist build support brought in only as needed. The intention is a genuine long-term partnership, starting with this data work (Project 2), then the investment tool (Project 1), and whatever comes next.
Why data first, and why now.
When we met with Rory, the priority became clear. On the investment side you are still on a discovery journey with the DFM, and it makes sense not to build something that their tooling might later replace. On the data side, however, you are close to ready: you know the sources, you know the outcome you want, and the value is immediate. So we lead with the data and reporting work.
- The outcome is well defined. High-level dashboards of AUM and financials, drillable by adviser, product, provider, fund and client age, refreshed automatically.
- The sources are known. intelliflo (via a Microsoft Azure landing area), Fastrak for accurate valuations, and Xero for the financials.
- You would rather not build from the ground up. The value is in knitting the data together and surfacing it well in Power BI or Tableau, not in reinventing a reporting tool.
- Rory brings real firepower. Zav and Luke at Sprint can provide curated data feeds, so we work hand in glove rather than duplicating effort.
If any of this is wrong, tell us and we will adjust. The whole proposal rests on it.
A clean data foundation, and dashboards on top.
The data foundation
Knit your sources into one clean, modelled set of data, held within your own environment. intelliflo via a Microsoft Azure landing area, Fastrak for accurate valuations and AUM, and Xero for the financials. Built to let new sources slot in later without a rebuild.
The dashboards
A high-level AUM and financial overview, with drill-downs by adviser, product, provider, fund and client age range, plus pipeline and workflow views from IO and the top-line financial MI Rory wants. Surfaced in Power BI or Tableau, refreshed overnight to start and live where the source allows.
| Source | What it gives | How we get it |
|---|---|---|
| intelliflo | Clients, plans, advisers, workflows and pipeline, fees and income | Microsoft Azure landing area (your data), modelled in |
| Fastrak (Sprint) | The accurate valuation and AUM picture: who holds what, where, worth | Curated feeds via Sprint (Zav) |
| Xero | Financials: turnover, profit versus forecast, banking, top-line MI | Automated data extract into the dashboards |
Secure by design. Everything runs within your environment. UK or EU hosting, least-privilege access, GDPR and FCA aligned, and McLaren remains the controller of its data throughout. Where we work against a live connection, we do not extract or store your data outside your systems.
An iterative partnership, not a one-off build.
The single most important thing about how we would work: this is an ongoing relationship, run in small, useful steps, not a big lump-sum project handed over at the end. That suits the work, it suits how McLaren likes to move, and it keeps you in control of both cost and direction at every stage.
- Quick first value. A working dashboard in front of you within the first couple of weeks, from the most available data, then we layer on.
- You steer as we go. Each step is short, so priorities can flex and nothing is locked in months ahead.
- Low commitment. A three-month initial term, then rolling monthly. Scale my involvement up or down as it suits.
- One relationship, many projects. Data and MI first, then the investment tool, then whatever else is most useful. The same simple arrangement flexes to fit.
Project 2 (data and MI) is where we start, because it is ready and the value is immediate. Project 1 (the investment tool) follows once the DFM picture is clear, and other ideas slot in from there. My goal is to be the person you can hand these to, one after another, and trust to deliver.
How the first weeks would run.
Indicative, from a proposed start of Monday 20 July 2026. We would confirm the exact sequence against your wish list and the Sprint session.
Foundations and a first view
Confirm the wish list and the metrics that matter, connect the most available data (Fastrak AUM first), and stand up a first working dashboard so you have something real in hand early.
Knit it together
Bring in the intelliflo data via Microsoft Azure and the Xero financials, model it cleanly, and build out the drill-downs and the financial MI Rory wants.
Refine, automate and extend
Tighten the refresh toward live where it helps, add views as the team uses it, and line up the next piece of work, whether that is the investment tool or another idea.
Ready to start on the 20th.
With the NDA in place and your wish list to hand, I would propose starting on Monday 20 July 2026, at two days a week. That gives just enough time for the NDA tidy-ups, your wish list, and the session with Zav and Luke, without losing momentum. A first useful dashboard would follow inside the opening fortnight.
Simple, transparent, and built to flex.
A committed retainer for my time, with specialist build brought in only when we are building. Predictable monthly cost, no large upfront commitment, and clear day rates underneath so you always know what you are paying for.
| Element | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| My time, committed Lead, architecture, AI, dashboard design, coordination with Sprint, and strategy time with Rory |
£1,500 / day £1,000 / day |
My standard rate is £1,500 a day. For a committed two days a week on an initial three-month retainer, I reduce this to £1,000 a day, which is £2,000 a week, around £8,000 a month. |
| Senior build, as needed Alex, CTO and lead engineer | £1,000 / day | Engineering delivery, billed only on active build days agreed with you in advance. Typically only a few days are needed per project. |
| Specialist support, as needed Eden, finance and Xero specialist | £750 / day | For the Xero and financial MI piece. Again, only a handful of days across a project. |
| Term | 3 months, then rolling | An initial three-month commitment to build momentum, then rolling with a minimum of one month's notice either way. |
| Third-party licences | At cost | Any data, warehouse or BI licences agreed up front and billed at cost. |
Around £8,000 a month for two committed days (per week) of my time, plus a few days of specialist build per project as and when needed. It scales with what the firm wants, and as other projects come up we simply flex the same arrangement rather than starting again.
What we would confirm together.
This proposal is deliberately top-level. A short list of things to settle as we start, most of which the wish list and the Sprint session will answer:
- Your wish list of the exact metrics and views the MI should show.
- Microsoft Azure as the landing area for the intelliflo data, and the shape of Sprint's curated feeds.
- Power BI or Tableau as the front end, and where the dashboards are hosted.
- Refresh cadence, overnight to start, moving to live where the source allows.
- The named people on my side who would access your environment, agreed under the NDA.
A small, senior team you can trust with the data.
The named people who would work on this, all bound under the NDA, with your data staying inside your own environment.
Nine years building and scaling a fintech platform (50,000+ landlords, FCA-touching), exited in 2026, now focused on applied AI and data for real businesses. Leads the work and is your day-to-day point of contact.
Six years as CTO, sold his first tech business at 18, and has built financial systems and hardcore data integrations before. Brought in for the senior build work as needed.
Finance specialist and Xero expert who built a Making Tax Digital solution feeding off Xero. Brought in for the financial MI and Xero integration.
The right fit for where McLaren is now.
- It matches how you want to move. Iterative and low-commitment, with value early and control throughout.
- It complements Sprint. We work alongside Zav and Luke, using their feeds, rather than reinventing what already exists.
- It is built like an owner would build it. Focused on the outcome and on doing it properly, with your data kept safe inside your own systems.
- It is the start of something. Data first, the investment tool next, and a partner you can keep handing the next idea to.
Getting going.
NDA finalised
The few tidy-ups agreed, with Unbusy Works Ltd as the contracting party.
Your wish list and the Sprint session
A short wish list of what the MI should show, and a session with Zav and Luke on the data feeds.
Confirm this into a plan
I turn this top-level proposal into a confirmed, detailed plan on the back of the above.
Start Monday 20 July
Two days a week, first dashboard live inside the opening fortnight.
A top-level proposal to refine together once the data wish list and the Sprint session are complete.