What a fractional CFO actually does
A bookkeeper records what happened. A CFO tells you what it means and what to do about it. We close the books, yes. We also read the numbers for what they are saying about the business, bring you the questions worth asking, model the scenarios you are considering, flag the risks before they become problems, and hold you accountable to the plan you set.
The monthly rhythm
- Monthly close, reviewed, signed off, and translated into a report that answers business questions rather than accounting ones.
- A monthly strategic call to walk the numbers, review progress against the plan, and surface what needs attention.
- Ongoing availability by text, phone, or Microsoft Teams for the questions that come up between meetings.
- Quarterly tax strategy review, not just year-end filing.
- Annual planning session to set the coming year and stress-test assumptions.
The standing meeting is half the product. Left to itself, the strategy conversation loses to operations every single week; a recurring seat across from someone who has already read your numbers forces the conversation that keeps getting deferred. And the decisions made in that room get revisited in the next one, because someone outside the business is expecting the follow-through.
How we work with you
The engagement runs on your cadence. If you text us with a question about a wire at 4 pm, you hear back the same day. If you are making an offer on a property and need a quick model by tomorrow, we are on it tonight. The rhythm of our work matches the rhythm of yours. That is what makes a fractional CFO arrangement actually valuable, and it is the piece most firms quietly cannot deliver.
AI inside the engagement
AI is built into how we run fractional CFO work. For the mechanical pieces (categorization, reconciliation, anomaly detection, draft reporting) we use it to move faster. For the strategic pieces (scenario modeling, research, drafting, synthesis) we use it to think better. And because our clients are often figuring out AI in their own operations, that conversation is part of the engagement too. You get a CFO who has already spent the hours.
Who this is for
Small and midsize businesses somewhere between needing a bookkeeper and needing a full-time CFO. Typically $1M to $10M in revenue. Owner-operated, in growth or transition, with enough complexity that getting the financial function right actually moves the business.
Who this is not for
Pre-revenue startups that just need basic bookkeeping. Businesses that want cheap compliance and nothing else. Anyone who wants a vendor rather than a partner. We will say so honestly and point you elsewhere.
First engagement
A free 30-minute call to understand the business. If it is a fit, we scope and price a three-month onboarding that gets us inside the numbers, followed by the steady-state monthly engagement. Most clients are in full rhythm by month four.
A CFO you cannot reach is not a CFO. We designed our practice around the opposite premise.
The information on this page describes services we offer and general considerations for the subject matter. It is not advice for your specific situation, does not create a client relationship, and should not be relied upon without direct consultation. Tax and accounting rules change frequently. Specific outcomes depend on the facts of each engagement and the terms of a signed engagement letter. Dollar figures and examples are illustrations, not projections of your results.