A CPA looks backward; a Fractional CFO looks forward. Your CPA makes sure your taxes are filed and your books are compliant based on what happened last year. A Fractional CFO builds financial models, fixes cash flow timing, and dictates pricing strategy to ensure you make more money next quarter. If your CPA is your historian, your CFO is your navigator.

The breaking point is usually between $7M and $10M in revenue. At this stage, "founder math" stops working. You have too much cash tied up in payroll, operations, and receivables to manage in your head. If your revenue is growing but your bank account isn't, or if you're constantly surprised by cash shortages, it's time to bring in a Fractional CFO to build scalable financial systems.

A full-time, heavy-hitting CFO for a mid-market company typically costs $200,000 to $300,000+ per year in salary, bonuses, and benefits. A Fractional CFO delivers that exact same executive-level strategy for a fraction of the cost, structured as a predictable monthly retainer. You get the strategic brainpower to scale your business without the full-time payroll burden.

A Fractional CFO engagement is based on outcomes, not hours. Depending on the size and complexity of your company, we typically act as your executive financial partner for a set number of days per month. However, the value isn't in the time spent at a desk; the value is in the strategic decisions we make, the cash flow leaks we plug, and the executive dashboards we build so you can run your business efficiently.

A strong Fractional CFO should pay for themselves multiple times over. We generate ROI by finding hidden margin leaks, restructuring your pricing so you capture more profit per sale, optimizing your capital structure to reduce interest costs, and preventing expensive hiring or expansion mistakes. The ultimate ROI comes when we help you engineer a highly profitable business exit.

No. A Fractional CFO does not replace your bookkeeper or your tax CPA; we manage them. We take over the executive financial leadership of your company. We ensure your bookkeeper is coding transactions correctly so the data is useful, and we collaborate with your CPA to ensure your corporate strategy aligns with the most tax-efficient structure.

A CEPA helps business owners build a company that is highly attractive to buyers, ensuring maximum payout when it's time to sell. We don't just broker the sale; we spend 2 to 5 years prior to the sale fixing profit margins, cleaning up the books, and removing the owner from daily operations. This "exit architecture" often doubles or triples the final sale price of the business.

This is the most common problem in fast-growing companies. You are suffering from a cash timing gap. Even if a product or project has a 30% gross margin on paper, if you pay for materials and labor on day 1 but don't collect from the client until day 60, you are bleeding cash to float the growth. A Fractional CFO fixes this by restructuring your billing terms, optimizing payables, and building a 13-week cash flow forecast so you never run dry.

You will see clarity in the first 30 days. Our initial engagement focuses on mapping your current cash flow, identifying immediate margin leaks, and building an forecaseting framework. Within 90 days, we typically implement new pricing strategies, fix cash timing gaps, and establish a forward-looking financial model that gives you total control over your business decisions.

Your business is ready to sell when it can operate profitably without you, when your financial records can survive rigorous due diligence, and when your EBITDA margins are optimized for your industry. If buyers look under the hood today and see messy books or a company that relies entirely on the founder, they will discount their offer heavily. A Fractional CFO builds the financial foundation that commands a premium valuation.