Fractional CFO & Controller

The seat between a bookkeeper
and a full-time CFO

The close, the board pack, the rolling forecast and the judgement calls. Fixed monthly fee, no lock-in.

Book a free consultation View case studies

Serving founders from pre-seed through Series C

Selected clients across the US, GCC and Europe

What it covers

3 things, done every month

A controller keeps the numbers correct. A CFO decides what to do about them. On a retainer you get both, on a cadence you can plan around.

Close and controls

  • Monthly close and bookkeeping oversight
  • Revenue reconciled from billing and processors through to the general ledger
  • Accrual discipline, cut-off and balance sheet review
  • Chart of accounts kept fit for reporting
  • Audit trail on every adjustment

Reporting the board reads

  • Monthly reporting pack generated from the model
  • Budget against actual with the variance explained
  • Core KPIs: revenue, margin, burn, runway
  • Board and investor pack when the cycle calls for it
  • Lender reporting during active financing

Forward view and judgement

  • Rolling 13-week cashflow forecast
  • Hiring plan and runway maintained, not rebuilt
  • Scenario models before a decision, not after
  • Pricing, contract and cost calls with the numbers open
  • A standing call with someone who has seen the outcome before
Fit

When a retainer is the right call

And when it is not. We would rather tell you to wait than sell you a seat you do not need yet.

Take the retainer if

  • The close is late or contestedNumbers arrive weeks after month end, or arrive and get argued with
  • The board is asking harder questionsVariance, unit economics and runway need an owner
  • Cash timing is the constraintReimbursement, grant or multi-payer timing drives the week
  • A raise or a lender is in playSomeone senior has to sit opposite them
  • The founder is the finance functionAnd it is now the most expensive hour in the company

Wait if

  • You need books kept, not judgementStart with our accounting and bookkeeping service instead
  • You need one deliverable, onceCommission the model or the deck on a fixed fee instead
  • Pre-revenue with a simple burnA spreadsheet and discipline will hold for now
  • You already have a full-time finance leadWe would be duplicating a seat you pay for
Cadence

How the month actually runs

The same rhythm every month, so nothing is a surprise and nothing waits for a reminder.

The month
  1. Week one
    01
    Diagnose

    Close

    Prior month closed, reconciled and reviewed. Every adjustment documented with the reasoning behind it.

    A clean ledger
  2. Week 2
    02
    Rebuild

    Report

    Reporting pack issued from the model. Budget against actual, with the variance explained in words, not colours.

    A board-ready pack
  3. Every Monday
    03
    Operate

    Forecast

    The 13-week rolling cashflow is refreshed and any timing risk is flagged the same day it appears.

    No cash surprises
  4. Bi-weekly
    04
    Review

    Decide

    A standing call on the decisions in front of you, with the model open and the scenarios already run.

    A decision made
Scope

Exactly where the seat starts and stops

Stated plainly on both sides, because the boundary matters more than the brochure.

Included in every tier
Monthly close and oversightReconciled books, documented adjustments, a balance sheet that stands up.
Reporting pack from the modelBudget against actual with the variance written out, issued on a date you can plan around.
Rolling 13-week cashflowRefreshed weekly, with timing risk flagged the day it appears.
A partner throughoutThe same senior owner for the life of the engagement, with a delivery team behind them.
Handled by others
Audit opinionsWe prepare the file your auditor asks for. We are not your auditor and issue no opinion.
Tax filingWe work alongside your tax preparer and give them clean books. We do not file returns.
Securities adviceWe are not a broker-dealer. We model the round; we do not advise on the instrument.
Day-to-day bookkeepingThe retainer oversees the books rather than keeps them. We do keep books, priced separately as accounting and bookkeeping.

Need the books kept, not just overseen? Accounting and bookkeeping is quoted separately.

See accounting & bookkeeping

Need deliverables rather than a monthly seat? Models, decks, business plans and teasers are sold on a fixed fee.

See fixed-fee materials
A month-end close in progress, screens and printouts
Month end

The close runs the same way every month

Reconciled, reviewed and signed before the pack goes out. Your board reads a number, not a draft.

Case studies

2 seats, and the question each one had to answer

A controller makes the numbers correct. A CFO decides what to do about them. One had to win a facility; the other had to find a margin no cost report could see.

Our guarantee

What we guarantee, and what we cannot

We take ownership of the finance function, which means the close, the reporting and the numbers a board relies on.

We are answerable for
The close, on the date agreedA fixed monthly timetable, published in advance, met every month.
The accuracy of the board packEvery figure traceable to the ledger, with variances explained rather than described.
The runway arithmeticCash, burn and the date it runs out, recalculated every month against actuals.
Raising the risk earlyIf a number is heading the wrong way, you hear it from us before the board asks.
We are not
The decisions themselvesWe will tell you what the numbers imply. Whether you hire, cut or raise is yours.
The fundraise outcomeWe prepare you for the room. We are not in it, and we do not control who writes a cheque.
Board dynamicsWe can make the reporting unambiguous. We cannot make a board agree with it.
Statutory audit or tax opinionsWe are not your auditor and not your tax adviser. We work alongside both.
Retainers

Priced on complexity, not on hours

Pick the tier that matches how complicated your revenue and structure actually are. Move up or down as that changes, with 30 days notice either way.

Fractional controller & CFO | monthly retainer
Tier 1

Foundational Fractional Controller

$1,750/ month

Single-entity companies with straightforward revenue: one product line, one payer type, standard recurring revenue such as SaaS.

  • Monthly close and bookkeeping oversight
  • Financial model with actuals against projections, updated monthly
  • Core KPI tracking: revenue, burn, runway
  • Bi-weekly advisory call
Tier 2

Growth-stage Controller & CFO

$2,750/ month

Companies with layered revenue or operational complexity: multiple payers, government or grant funding, multi-entity structures, or reimbursement-driven timing.

  • Everything in Tier 1
  • 13-week rolling cashflow forecast, updated every Monday
  • Revenue reconciliation from billing software, card processors and bank statements through to the general ledger
  • Board or investor reporting package prepared monthly
  • Lender and investor liaison support during active financing
Tier 3

Strategic Fractional Controller

$4,000/ month

Companies where your CFO needs a seat at the decision table rather than a reporting line to it: active fundraising, restructuring, multi-entity consolidation, or headcount decisions.

  • Everything in Tier 2
  • Board meeting attendance and participation
  • Direct involvement in layoffs, contract negotiations, expansion and wind-down calls
  • Scenario modeling for major decisions: new contracts, new markets, cost restructuring
  • Negotiation support with lenders, CDFIs and investors

These are the published figures, fixed in writing before work begins. Every other fee we charge sits on one page.

Compare with every other fee

Tiers are set by the complexity of the business, not hours worked. Work outside them — multi-entity consolidation, transaction support — is scoped individually and quoted within 24 hours.

Questions

Asked before every engagement

How quickly can you start?

Usually within a week. We scope in a single call, send a fixed monthly fee within 24 hours, and begin at the next close.

Do you replace our bookkeeper?

The retainer oversees the books rather than keeps them. If you have no bookkeeper, we can keep them too under our accounting and bookkeeping service, quoted separately.

Is there a lock-in?

None. Retainers run month to month and either side can stop with 30 days notice. Everything we build is delivered to you and stays yours.

Who actually does the work?

A partner owns and reviews the engagement for its life, supported by our analyst and bookkeeping team. Continuity matters most in the month a board question lands.

Can we change tier later?

Yes, in either direction, with 30 days notice. Most companies move up when a raise or a second entity arrives, and back down after.

Do you work outside the US?

Yes. We work with companies across the US, the GCC and Europe, and report in the currency your board reads.

How much of our time does the retainer take?

Roughly 2 hours a month: one review call and a short set of questions. Much more than that and we are doing your job rather than ours.

What happens if we stop?

30 days notice, and you keep the model, the workpapers and the reporting pack. We hand over rather than hold anything back.

Can you be our CFO in board meetings?

We can attend and prepare you for them, but we are not an employee and we do not sign your accounts. If you need a name on the register, you need a hire.

Contact

Take the seat
off your desk

Book a call and get a fixed monthly fee within 24 hours. If a retainer is not the right answer yet, we will say so.

Schedule your free consultation
What happens next
  • 1

    Free consultation

    A short call on your current finance setup and what the board needs next.

  • 2

    Tier and fixed fee

    A recommended tier with the monthly fee stated, within 24 hours.

  • 3

    Onboarding week

    Access, chart of accounts review and the current model brought up to date.

  • 4

    First close

    Your first closed month, reported the way your board should have been reading it.