The close is late or untrusted
Two reports disagree. Payroll is the only number anyone believes. The month cannot be explained to a lender or a partner.
Fractional CFO consulting
The finance seat without a full-time hire.
Fractional CFO consulting for owner-operated firms nationwide. Cash, close, forecast, and the monthly pack that answers whether you can hire, open, or distribute — not a once-a-year tax meeting, and not a bookkeeper asked to be a CFO.
What fractional CFO consulting is
Ongoing finance leadership. We sit with cash, payroll rhythm, the close, and the decisions those numbers should change. It is a working cadence: what happened, what it means, what we do before the next pay date.
It is not outsourced bookkeeping. It is not a slide deck of industry benchmarks. If the books cannot support that cadence, we fix the system first — often an Excel accounting rebuild or a cash-to-accrual overlay.
What you get
- Monthly close package and owner commentary
- Rolling cash forecast tied to receipts, payroll, and known payables
- Pricing, margin, and capacity review
- KPI pack that matches how the firm actually earns
- Coordination with bookkeeping, payroll, banking, and tax — without replacing those seats
- Cash-to-accrual close when the operational books are cash and the contracts are not
Who hires a fractional CFO
Owner-operated firms past the hobby spreadsheet.
Cash is the real constraint
Pay dates, tax estimates, and a large payable all land in the same two weeks. You need a forecast tied to what will actually clear.
The owner is still the CFO
Hiring, pricing, and distributions wait on one person’s memory. The firm needs the questions asked every month, not only at tax time.
How an engagement runs
Name the constraint. Then install the cadence.
Scope
Cash, close, forecast, or pricing. We name the bottleneck before we touch a file.
Read the evidence
Bank, payroll, the current books, the existing pack. The work starts from what is already true.
Stand up the pack
A close, a cash view, and the few KPIs that match how you earn. If the workbook is broken, we rebuild it.
Run the month
A short operating rhythm so the next pay date does not depend on a walkthrough.
Fractional CFO FAQ
Questions we hear first.
What does a fractional CFO do?
The finance seat without a full-time hire: cash, close, forecast, pricing, and the monthly pack that tells the owner what the month actually was. It is a cadence, not a one-time model.
How is this different from a bookkeeper or CPA?
Bookkeeping records what happened. A CPA files and advises on tax. A fractional CFO uses the books to decide what happens next. We coordinate with those seats. We do not replace them.
When should a firm hire a fractional CFO?
When revenue is real, the close is late or untrusted, and the owner is still the only person who can answer whether the firm can hire, open, or distribute.
Do you replace our bookkeeper?
No. If the books cannot support a close, we say so and fix the system first.
Can you work with cash-basis QuickBooks?
Yes. When contracts or prepaid spend need GAAP, we build a cash-to-accrual overlay rather than ripping out QuickBooks.
Do you work with clients nationwide?
Yes. Engagements run remotely.
How does an engagement start?
A short note through the contact form: what is stuck in the close, the cash, or the monthly pack. If it is a fit, we scope the constraint, then the cadence.
What if the problem is the spreadsheet, not the seat?
Then the first project is the file. See Excel accounting systems.
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