CFO-level thinking, without a six-figure hire.
Quarterly or monthly strategic advisory for small businesses that have outgrown DIY but cannot justify a full-time CFO. Cash flow, pricing, growth, and the financial decisions that move the needle.
Get a cfo advisory quote
We reply within one business day. No long contracts.
Most small businesses do not need a CFO until they cross roughly $1M in revenue. They do need someone who can read the books, project cash flow, and tell them whether the next decision is going to make money or burn it. That is what fractional CFO advisory delivers.
We sit with you monthly or quarterly, walk through what the numbers actually say, and translate that into specific actions: hire or hold? Raise prices or hold? Take the SBA loan or self-fund? The output is not a 40-page deck — it is a one-page action list and a clear answer to whatever question is keeping you up at night.
What a CFO advisory engagement looks like
Most engagements run quarterly or monthly. Each session has the same shape:
- Trailing 12 review: revenue, gross margin, net margin, top expense categories, cash position. We flag any line item that has shifted more than 10% from baseline.
- Cash flow projection: next 90 days, accounts payable, accounts receivable, planned spend. We tell you when cash will be tightest and what to pre-empt.
- Decision queue: the 1–3 active decisions you are weighing. We model the financial impact and recommend a path.
- Action list: 3–7 specific items to execute before next meeting. Owner, deadline, expected impact.
The decisions we help with most often
- Pricing analysis. Is your price right for the margin you need? Most service businesses we audit are underpriced by 8–15%.
- Hiring vs subcontracting. Hiring is cheaper at scale but expensive in the first 12 months. We model both.
- Equipment financing. Buy outright, lease, or finance? Section 179 implications, cash impact, total cost of ownership.
- SBA loans and lines of credit. When to get one, what size, and what your books need to look like to qualify.
- S-corp election timing and reasonable comp. The single biggest tax decision most owners face.
- Exit planning. If you might sell in 3–5 years, your books need to look one specific way. We start preparing now.
Pricing
| Cadence | What you get | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | One 90-min strategy session every quarter, plus email Q&A between | $400 – $700 |
| Monthly | One 60-min session per month, plus the cash flow projection and action list | $800 – $1,500 |
| Project-based | One-off engagement (loan prep, exit valuation, pricing audit) | $1,500 – $5,000 flat |
Bundled with monthly bookkeeping at a discount. Most clients combine the two so the data we are reviewing is always current.
A landscaping client thought their margin was 32%. After we re-coded their COGS and pulled labor burden into job cost, their actual gross margin was 19%. We raised prices 12% across the board on new contracts, kept the existing book intact, and 8 months later they had recovered to the margin they thought they had all along.
If you do under $250K and run lean, you probably do not need this yet — a quarterly check-in with your bookkeeper is enough.
If you do $500K–$5M and feel like the business is making decisions for you, monthly CFO advisory will pay for itself within a quarter.
If you are preparing to sell, raise capital, or take on a partner, project-based CFO work is non-negotiable.
Most owners pay $1,000/mo and recover it in one decision.
Stop guessing on the financial questions that matter. Get strategic guidance on a cadence that fits.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from regular bookkeeping?
Bookkeeping is rear-view: it tells you what already happened. CFO advisory is forward-looking: it tells you what to do next based on what the books say. Most clients use both.
Do I need to be on monthly bookkeeping with you?
Not required, but it helps. If your books are in QuickBooks and reasonably current, we can advise. If they are months behind, we will recommend a catch-up first — making strategic decisions on inaccurate numbers is worse than waiting.
What size business is this for?
The sweet spot is $300K to $5M in annual revenue. Below that, the cost-benefit is harder to justify. Above $5M, you may need a full-time controller or fractional CFO at higher cadence — we can scope or refer.
Can you help me prepare for a bank loan?
Yes. We prepare the financial package SBA lenders and traditional banks expect: 3-year P&L, balance sheet, debt schedule, owner-comp normalization, and a cash flow projection. We have done dozens of these and know what each lender wants.
Do you help with exit planning or selling the business?
Yes — and the earlier you start, the better. Buyers will pay more for clean books, normalized owner comp, and a documented growth story. We start preparing 18–36 months before a target sale date.
Most clients use four of these together.
Bookkeeping
Monthly books, reconciliation, A/P, A/R
Learn more ServiceTax Preparation & Planning
Personal, business, multi-state, IRS reps
Learn more ServicePayroll
Run payroll, file taxes, year-end W-2/1099
Learn more ServiceBusiness Formation
LLC, S-corp, EIN, registrations
Learn more ServiceNotary Services
In-office and mobile notary
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