A finance director, part-time

A fractional CFO is a finance director who works with your business a few hours a month instead of full-time. A full-time CFO in the US costs six figures a year; most small businesses need the same expertise in a smaller dose. What's included: • Annual budget — a month-by-month plan of revenue and expenses that we then compare against actuals. • Cash flow forecast — see in advance which month may run short of cash for payroll, taxes or inventory. • Financial model — "what if" scenarios: a new hire, a second location, rising supplier prices, losing a major client. • Profitability analysis — by client, service, product or property. It often turns out that part of the work is done at a loss. • Key metrics (KPIs) — a short monthly report: revenue, margin, cash balance, receivables, months of runway. • Loan and investor readiness — financial statements and forecasts for a bank (including SBA loans) or an investor, plus answers to their questions about the numbers. • Tax-aware decisions — owner salary, S-Corp, retirement contributions and large purchases are decided with the tax effect in view, not after the fact. Everything rests on clean monthly bookkeeping. If it isn't there, we start with it: without accurate numbers any forecast is a guess. I don't manage investments or recommend securities — that is the job of licensed investment advisers.