Strategic Part Time CFO Services for Growing Businesses

There's no single number. A full time CFO's pay swings a lot with company size, industry, region and track record, and salary is only part of it. Add benefits, bonus, possibly equity, and the months it takes to recruit. For many companies under a certain size, that adds up to more senior finance capacity than they can keep busy. A part time arrangement lets you pay for the hours and the expertise you actually use.

Hourly rates vary with experience and how specialized the work is. Government contract finance, cross border issues and turnaround situations usually sit at the higher end. That said, we rarely bill CFO work by the hour. A monthly scope with set deliverables, like the reporting package, the forecast update and a standing meeting, gives you predictable cost and gives us room to think about your business instead of watching the clock.

In a typical month: review the financials with you, update the cash forecast, track the budget against actuals, flag margin or cost problems, and help with whatever decision is on the table, such as a new hire, a price change or a loan. Over time the role also covers controls, KPIs and lining up financial decisions with your tax planning so there are no surprises in April.

When you've outgrown "the bookkeeper sends me a P&L" but don't need a full time executive. Signs include cash that seems fine one month and tight the next, a lender asking for projections, uncertainty about which customers or contracts are profitable, a first federal contract, or a plan to expand. Owners usually feel it before they can name it.

The bookkeeper records transactions. The controller runs the close and makes sure the numbers are accurate. The CFO asks what the numbers mean and what to do about them. A part time CFO usually works on top of your existing bookkeeping, setting the priorities and building the forecasts that the other roles feed into.

Yes. Contractors have extra layers: DCAA expectations, FAR cost principles, indirect rate pools, timekeeping rules and annual incurred cost submissions. A part time CFO with GovCon background can keep those in shape while still doing the usual planning and reporting. We set up and work in Costpoint, Unanet and QuickBooks Online, and we know what a DCAA auditor will ask for.

Most clients meet with us monthly to go through results and the forecast, with email and phone access in between. When something big is happening, like a new contract, a financing or a cash squeeze, we step up the schedule for a while. You'll always know what we're working on and when to expect it.

Yes, and it works better when they're connected. Your forecast shows where profit is heading, which drives decisions on entity structure, owner compensation, timing of equipment purchases and estimated payments. Our founder is also an IRS Enrolled Agent, so if a business already owes back payroll tax or has an IRS notice open, we can handle the tax resolution as part of the same engagement.