A four-tier monthly retainer, not a one-size advisory product
Samera Growth Advisory is the ongoing advisory service inside the Samera growth cluster. It runs as a four-tier monthly retainer – from single-practice owners looking for one strategic conversation a quarter, through to PE-backed DSOs running 30 sites who need Arun on every call.
It’s a ladder rather than a single product because a 1-3 site owner is not in the same conversation as a 20-site DSO. Forcing both through one retainer would short-change both. The four tiers exist so you start where you are, and move up as the group grows – without restarting the relationship.
One relationship, many workstreams. Inside a Tier 2, 3 or 4 retainer, the work that gets done changes month to month. Some months it’s fee structure and pricing. Other months it’s tax structure, an acquisition model, or board reporting. The retainer pays for ongoing access to the team and the way they work. The specific bit of work that earns its keep that quarter shifts with what your group needs.
Tier 1 to Tier 4, single practice to PE-backed DSO
Each tier below is the right answer for a different scale of business and a different stage of growth. The free 30-minute consultation is the scoping call that tells you which one fits.
Tier 1 – Entry
Diagnostic plus ad-hoc
From £500 + VAT (Growth Strategy Session) plus ad-hoc specialist work, 1-3 sites
For
1-3 sites, single-practice owners and very small groups.
Shape
Not a monthly retainer. Built around the GSS diagnostic plus on-demand specialist services.
What you get
- The £500 Growth Strategy Session – 60 minutes with Arun, four-area review of your business in advance, written follow-up
- Specialist work when you need it – Fee Review, Buying Group membership, Cash Flow Forecasting, Tax Planning
- Quarterly Arun check-ins to keep things moving
Why this tier
Most single-practice owners don’t need a monthly advisory retainer. They need one good look at the numbers and then targeted work on whatever moves them most. Tier 1 is built for that.
Exempt
Tier 1 does NOT require Samera to manage your accounting. You can stay with your existing accountant and use Samera for the strategy work only.
Tier 2 – Foundation
Foundation retainer
£1,500/month + VAT, 2-5 sites, Natasha-led with quarterly Arun access
For
2-5 sites.
Shape
Monthly retainer, accounts-team led with quarterly Arun access.
What you get
- Monthly management accounts review
- Annual tax planning session
- Quarterly CFO meeting, 60 minutes
- Personal tax planning
- Email support between meetings
Delivered by
Natasha leads, accounts team delivers.
Why this tier
You’ve moved past one site and the accountancy work has grown with you. You want a monthly look at the numbers and a quarterly strategic conversation – without paying for an Arun-led monthly board meeting you don’t yet need.
Tier 4 – Strategic / DSO advisory
Strategic retainer
From £6,000/month + VAT, 15-30 sites or PE-backed, Arun on every call
For
15-30 sites or PE-backed.
Shape
Monthly retainer, Arun on every call and available between, plus the wider team.
What you get (everything in Growth, plus)
- Arun personally on every call, available between calls
- Investor and lender meeting representation
- M&A pipeline advisory
- Bespoke reporting for PE sponsors and bank covenants
- 48-hour priority response across the team
- Direct coordination with adjacent institutional work – Financial Infrastructure build, Bespoke AI on samera.ai, offshore / GCC on sameraglobal.com, Exit Planning
Delivered by
Arun throughout, with senior delivery from Natasha and Uros and access to the wider Samera group.
Why this tier
At 15+ sites and especially when PE is on the cap table, the advisory conversation isn’t about cleaner accounts. It’s about normalised EBITDA, KPI architecture across sites, investor-grade reporting, M&A pipeline, and how the capital structure will look at exit. Tier 4 is built for that conversation.
All retainer tiers require Samera to manage your accounting. Tiers 2, 3 and 4 require Samera to run the day-to-day accounts. This is a quality requirement, not a commercial one – we need live, accurate data to do the advisory work properly. Tier 1 is exempt; you can keep your existing accountant if you want strategic input only.
Tier 3 and Tier 4 are capacity-limited. Arun leads the Tier 3 monthly board meeting personally and is on every Tier 4 call. Capacity is intentionally limited so the quality of the advisory work stays consistent. If you’re interested in Tier 3 or Tier 4, the free 30-minute consultation will tell you honestly whether there’s current availability. If there isn’t, we’ll be straight about that rather than stretching to take on work we can’t deliver well.
Five workstreams that run through every Tier 2-4 retainer
The detail varies by tier but the underlying workstreams are the same. Below is what the retainer actually does month to month.
Pillar 01 – Monthly CFO meeting
A scheduled meeting each month (60 minutes at Tier 2, 90 minutes at Tier 3, on-call at Tier 4). Financial performance reviewed, KPIs tracked, decisions stress-tested before you make them. Led by Arun from Tier 3 upward; led by Natasha at Tier 2 with Arun involved quarterly.
Pillar 02 – Acquisition and debt advisory
Modelling for acquisitions, refinances and growth capital. Uros Turcic (FCA-authorised commercial finance broker, director at Samera Finance) sits inside the advisory team so the deal modelling and the brokerage execution happen in the same conversation. Standard at Tier 3 and Tier 4; available ad-hoc at Tier 2 when an acquisition comes up.
Pillar 03 – Board-ready reporting
Monthly management accounts, cash flow forecasts and practice benchmarks formatted for lenders, investors and your board – not just for HMRC. At Tier 2 it’s clean management accounts. At Tier 4 it’s PE-grade, covenant-aware reporting.
Pillar 04 – Tax planning
Ongoing personal and corporate tax planning. Group structure reviews. Dividend and remuneration planning. Done through the year, not at year-end. Annual at Tier 2, quarterly at Tier 3, sitting inside every conversation at Tier 4.
Pillar 05 – Growth and exit planning
Whether you’re acquiring your next site or building toward a PE exit, we model the numbers, stress-test the assumptions and give you a clear financial path. At Tier 3-4 this includes M&A pipeline work and exit narrative development. When the exit timeline tightens (typically 12-36 months before sale), the Practice Exit Accelerator becomes the dedicated execution product.
Same workstreams, different depth. A Tier 2 retainer client gets light versions of all five workstreams – monthly accounts review, annual tax planning, quarterly CFO meeting. A Tier 4 client gets deep versions – PE-grade reporting, integrated M&A pipeline, Arun-led board meeting every month. Same workstreams, more depth as you move up.
The people who lead growth advisory engagements
CEO, Samera
Leads all Tier 3 and Tier 4 advisory engagements, plus the monthly board meetings at Tier 3 upward. Conducts the Growth Strategy Sessions personally.
- Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) – the senior tier of UK chartered accountancy
- Former Vice President, Bank of America, with prior senior roles at PwC and Credit Suisse
- Co-founder of the Neem Tree Dental Group – has been a dental practice owner since 2008
- 25+ years in dental specialist accountancy
- First Class Engineering degree from a Russell Group university
Accountancy Senior Manager
Leads delivery on Tier 2 Foundation Advisory and oversees accounts mechanics on Tier 3-4 engagements. Manages the team that handles monthly accounts review, quarterly tax planning and statutory work. At Samera since 2014.
Director, Samera Finance
FCA-authorised commercial finance broker. Leads acquisition financing, debt structuring and refinancing work on Tier 3 and Tier 4 engagements where capital structure is part of the advisory conversation. 15+ years in commercial finance, dental-specialist since joining Samera.
Wider team
Karyn Mehra (Practice Director and Neem Tree co-founder, strategic input on operational governance), Aditi Singh (senior accountant, Tier 3-4 delivery), plus the broader Samera accounts, tax and finance teams.
Six Samera growth advisory clients on the work
Been with Samera since 2008 when we bought our first dental practice, their knowledge and expertise is second to none not least because they also own their own dental practices, putting them a unique position in terms of their knowledge and advice for the Dental Industry. Whether you’re setting up from scratch or acquiring an existing practice, Samera have been there to offer advice on raising finance, staff and team issues, tax knowledge, leadership and having a strong vision, marketing, getting into purchasing groups and also purchasing equipment. It’s been a pleasure to work with them.
Saijel Kachhala – 5 Stars
Arun Mehra and his friendly team helped and advised me in all matters of accountancy, raising finance, payroll, furlough support and general business advice. The whole teams collective vast experience and knowledge in all business matters and dentistry is invaluable when you are running any type or size of business.
Antimos Ouzounoglou – 5 Stars
Huge thanks to Natasha, Aditi, Arun, Karyn, and the entire Samera team for their outstanding support and guidance. Their professionalism, responsiveness, and deep expertise is a great support for our business. I truly felt supported every step of the way. Highly recommended!
Rajvansh Juneja – 5 Stars
Arun, Natasha and all the team at Samera have provided outstanding service to me over a number of years – they are experts and are friendly and easy to deal with – would thoroughly recommend.
Peter Grimes – 5 Stars
Samera have been my accountant for 7 years and have continued to provide me with accurate accounts and timely submissions. Their digital workflow eases the management of receipts and filing. I have found them to be supportive and knowledgeable particularly during the recent crisis.
Patrick Abbott – 5 Stars
Four things that pair with the retainer at institutional scale
Tier 3 and Tier 4 retainer clients often engage one or more of these alongside the advisory work. They’re priced and delivered separately – the retainer doesn’t include them and they don’t include the retainer. The Growth Advisory team coordinates the relationships so you’re not running four vendor conversations.
Financial Infrastructure build
A project-priced piece of work that builds the financial reporting and control set-up a PE buyer or institutional lender wants to see. Seven distinct deliverables (reporting blueprint, KPI architecture, normalised EBITDA framework, month-end close checklist, forecast model, due diligence folder, dashboard requirements). 3-6 months from kick-off to handover. UK + India delivery team. Read more.
Bespoke AI (samera.ai)
Custom dashboards, automation and software built around how your group actually runs. The data and visibility layer that surfaces what the FI build defines. Priced and delivered on the samera.ai product domain. Visit samera.ai/bespoke.
Offshore accountants and GCC setup (sameraglobal.com)
For groups large enough to justify offshore work. Either UK-trained accountants embedded inside your team (Hire offshore accountants) or your own 100%-owned India entity (GCC setup). Both live on sameraglobal.com. Visit sameraglobal.com.
Practice Exit Accelerator
The 18-month exit programme. When the exit timeline tightens (typically 12-36 months before sale), the Accelerator becomes the dedicated execution product. Tier 3-4 retainer often runs alongside the Accelerator in the final 18 months. Read more.
Sibling products, not retainer add-ons. These four are sometimes mistaken for a “Tier 5” or “premium add-on” on the retainer. They’re not. Each is a separately scoped product with its own price and delivery. The Growth Advisory retainer is the ongoing relationship; these are the discrete pieces of work that sit alongside it when the group is at the size to need them.
Common questions about Samera Growth Advisory
I’m not sure which tier fits. How do I work that out?
Book the free 30-minute consultation. Arun will ask about your scale (number of sites, multi-entity structure if any), what you’re trying to achieve over the next 12-24 months, and where you currently feel stuck. Most 1-3 site owners start at Tier 1. Most 2-5 site groups start at Tier 2 or Tier 3. Most 5-15 site groups start at Tier 3. PE-backed or 15+ site groups start at Tier 4. The consultation is a scoping call, not a sales call – if Tier 2 is the honest answer rather than Tier 3, that’s what we’ll say.
Do I have to use Samera as my accountant?
Tier 1 doesn’t require it – you can use the Growth Strategy Session and ad-hoc specialist work while staying with your existing accountant. Tiers 2, 3 and 4 do require Samera to manage your accountancy. This is a quality requirement, not commercial: we need live, accurate data each month to do the advisory work properly. Trying to advise on numbers from a different firm with different timing rarely works.
Can I move between tiers?
Yes – and this is how most engagements evolve. A Tier 1 client often moves into Tier 2 after 6-12 months when the accountancy work has grown. A Tier 2 client moves into Tier 3 when they go from clean accounts mode into active acquisition mode. A Tier 3 client moves into Tier 4 when PE comes onto the cap table or the group passes ~15 sites. You don’t restart the relationship – the team and the framework continue, the depth and cadence shift.
What does the £500 Growth Strategy Session get me, and how is it different from the free 30-minute consultation?
The free 30-minute consultation is scoping – we’re working out which tier (if any) fits, no analysis, no recommendations. The Growth Strategy Session is paid diagnostic work – £500 + VAT for a 60-minute session with Arun, four-area pre-review of your business, written follow-up. If you become a Samera client within 90 days of the session, the £500 is credited in full against your first invoice. The GSS sits inside Tier 1 of the ladder.
How does Tier 4 relate to the Financial Infrastructure build?
They’re separate products. Tier 4 is the ongoing monthly retainer – the advisory relationship that runs continuously. The Financial Infrastructure build is a finite project (typically 3-6 months) that delivers the financial control function as a discrete deliverable. Most institutional groups that commission an FI build are also Tier 3 or Tier 4 retainer clients – the build creates the infrastructure, the retainer is the ongoing relationship that uses it. The pricing is independent: retainer monthly, FI project-priced.
What’s the relationship between Tier 4 and DSO advisory?
Tier 4 is DSO advisory. The Strategic / DSO advisory tier sits at the top of the retainer ladder and is purpose-built for groups at 15-30 sites or with PE on the cap table. The previous “DSO Advisory” page at samera.co.uk has been folded into this Tier 4 framing – same audience, same delivery, named clearly as the top tier of the ladder rather than as a separate product.
What does Uros Turcic at Samera Finance actually do inside a retainer?
When the advisory work involves capital structure – an acquisition, a refinance, a debt restructure – Uros sits inside the conversation rather than being introduced as a separate broker downstream. At Tier 3 and Tier 4 this is integrated by default; at Tier 2 it’s available ad-hoc when an acquisition or refinance comes up. Brokerage on every product except squat fit-out loans is free to the client; lender commission is paid to Samera Finance on completion, disclosed in writing upfront. Full detail on the Samera Finance broker page.
Is Growth Advisory the same thing as what Samera used to call Growth Consultancy or CFO Services?
Yes, with restructuring. Growth Consultancy was the original name; it was renamed to Growth Advisory in May 2026 to distinguish it from the separate Financial Infrastructure build product. CFO Services and DSO Advisory were earlier separate pages on the Samera site – they’ve been folded into this single Growth Advisory page as Tiers 2-3 (CFO) and Tier 4 (DSO). The work is the same; the page architecture is cleaner.
What happens after a Tier 4 client decides to sell?
Typically the engagement evolves into Tier 4 retainer plus the Practice Exit Accelerator running alongside in the final 18 months. The retainer continues to handle the ongoing financial leadership; the Accelerator runs the exit-specific workstreams (EBITDA enhancement, owner-add-back normalisation, governance prep, buyer-ready financial pack). When the sale runs, Samera as sales agent handles execution at 2.5% commission. The exact interaction of the Exit Planning 1% success fee with the Sell hub 2.5% commission is being finalised at the time of this page – the Exit Planning page carries the current commercial detail.
Other Samera capabilities that pair with Growth Advisory
Grow a dental practice
The growth cluster hub – audience triage, all four growth products, specialist orbit, cross-domain capabilities. The wider context this advisory product sits inside.
Financial Infrastructure build
The project-priced institutional engagement that pairs frequently with Tier 3 and Tier 4 retainers. Seven artefacts, 3-6 months, UK + India delivery model.
Practice Exit Accelerator
The 18-month structured exit programme. Often runs alongside Tier 3 or Tier 4 retainer in the final 18 months before sale.
Dental accountants
The accountancy foundation underneath every Tier 2-4 retainer. Required infrastructure for retainer tiers.
Dental practice finance broker
FCA-authorised commercial finance brokerage – the integrated capital structure capability that sits inside Tier 3 and Tier 4 work via Uros Turcic.
Growth Strategy Session
The £500 + VAT entry diagnostic. The most common Tier 1 starting point. Credited if you become a client within 90 days