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Sheshi Research · 2026

The ERP records it.
The board sees it.
What happens in between
has never been studied.

The Numbers Story is a structured research conversation with finance leaders — on how financial data moves through its lifecycle from close to published result, and what that process actually costs.

Join the conversationReceive the report
100
Conversations
Direct, structured conversations with finance leaders. In-person and virtual.
3
Communities
Enterprise finance leaders · Startup founders · Investors and VCs
1
Published report
Research findings shared with participants before public release.
0
Commercial agenda
This is research. There is no product pitch at the end of any conversation.
The study

What The Numbers Story examines

Financial results are documented at the output. The process that produces those outputs has never been systematically examined. This study does that — directly, with the people who run finance, at scale.

The conversation
Direct. Structured. In depth.
100 conversations with CFOs, Finance Controllers, startup founders, and investors. Not a survey. Structured, in-depth conversations about how finance actually operates.
The gap
The unexamined middle.
Between the transaction recorded in the ERP and the result seen by the board, something complex and largely invisible happens. This study maps it.
The output
A published research report.
Findings that reflect what was actually heard — including findings that are inconvenient or surprising. Distributed to all participants before public release.
Participants

Who is in this conversation

Three communities — each sitting at a different point in the financial reporting chain.

01
CFOs and Finance Controllers
The people responsible for closing the books, producing management accounts, and reporting to boards and investors. They carry the accountability for what the numbers say.
02
Startup Founders
Founders managing finance through rapid growth — tracking burn, reporting to investors, building financial infrastructure for the first time.
03
Investors and VCs
Investors receiving financial information from portfolio companies. Their perspective closes the loop on the full reporting chain.
The published report

Not available for a conversation right now?

Receive the published findings when the study concludes. You will receive the report before it is publicly released.

No other communications unless you request them.
About this study
The Numbers Story is conducted by Sheshi — a company building financial operating infrastructure for organisations. The study is independent. Sheshi funds it because understanding the problem at this depth is essential to building the right solution. No external body commissions it or influences its findings. Research enquiries: [email protected]
About Sheshi
Sheshi is building the Financial Operating System for organisations — the governed layer between raw financial data and trusted, publishable results. Founded by a Chartered Accountant with two decades of practice experience, Sheshi is built for the way finance actually works. sheshi.ai →