You don't know what you don't know, which makes it difficult to ask for help in areas where you are not sure what the improvements are or if they're even needed. We will commonly perform an assessment of your organization's finance function at the start of any engagement. It is the CFO's job to inform the CEO about both what is needed from a finance perspective as well as where finance can contribute additional value to the overall vision of the company.

Our Fractional CFOs usually work between 2-20 hours a week, but the work schedule is very flexible, subject to your company's needs. Many times a company will call on a Fractional CFO several times a month whenever they need guidance. Other times, the Fractional CFO will spend a set amount of time every week working with the company on a wide variety of challenges.

Fractional CFOs are used to working flexibly and on demand. This means that you may need them close to full-time for a few weeks before converting to a low number of hours for ongoing guidance. Your business may not need the full-time support of a CFO, but having fractional guidance to support your controller and advise your CEO can be an invaluable asset in creating company strategy.

A startup or small business can benefit from the council of a seasoned industry CFO from day one, but realistically the startup won't have demands on their finance and accounting function that warrant the involvement of a CFO until they've raised seed capital. Preparing for future rounds of funding is just one of the many areas in which a fractional CFO can add value to a startup.

A Fortune 500 CFO may not be the best fit in a startup environment. Similarly, a fractional CFO with a background in telecommunications is unlikely to have the expertise needed in a healthcare organization. A CPA can be a great credential to find in a CFO, but not every company will need a CFO with a heavy background in accounting. Circumstances vary for each company depending on the stage and specific needs of the organization.

Yes, we believe there is a huge benefit to financial clarity. Your Fractional CFO can assist your leadership team with anything you may need from strategic planning to financial reports. We will work with you to identify the key metrics and improve your bottom line.

A fractional CFO's involvement depends greatly on the stage and current needs of the organization. In smaller companies, the fractional CFO may personally take on a broad set of responsibilities, including managing the books, negotiating contracts, and more. In a larger company, the fractional CFO may oversee and guide the controller who manages the accounting processes as well as other leaders in the finance function.