What does a fractional CFO actually do?
A fractional CFO owns the financial decision layer of your business a few days a month. Concretely: monthly management accounts you can read, a rolling 13-week cash forecast, margin and unit economics by product or channel, pricing and hiring decisions backed by numbers, and investor-grade models when you raise. The first 90 days are usually about making the numbers trustworthy, then using them.
- Cadence
- Monthly accounts, weekly cash update
- First deliverable
- Reporting pack inside 30 days
- Core artefacts
- Accounts, 13-week forecast, unit economics, model
- Not included
- Bookkeeping and tax filing
15+ years in finance: 100+ financial models built, €40m+ raised for clients, Forbes contributor and lecturer.
The vague version of this answer is "strategic financial leadership". Here is the unvague one.
The first 90 days
Weeks 1 to 2: diagnostic. We map entities, channels, bank accounts and the state of the ledger, then rebuild the last complete month from source data so we know what is actually true.
Weeks 3 to 4: reporting. First management pack: P&L, cash flow, balance sheet and the handful of KPIs that matter for your model, in plain language with the numbers reconciled.
Weeks 5 to 8: cash and margin. A rolling 13-week direct cash forecast with a fixed weekly update slot. Contribution margin by product, channel or client, fully loaded, including the costs most brands forget.
Weeks 9 to 12: decisions. Pricing, discount policy, stock and payment terms, hiring plan, the shape of the next quarter. This is where the engagement pays for itself.
The ongoing rhythm
- Monthly: management accounts, variance against plan, one CFO call where decisions get taken
- Weekly: cash forecast update and a flag on any week that turns red
- Quarterly: re-forecast, scenario work, board or investor material
- Continuous: access between calls for the decisions that will not wait
When you are raising
Driver-based model with defensible assumptions, a data room that survives due diligence, metrics defined the way investors define them, and rehearsal for the questions that kill weak decks. Founders we work with have raised €40m+ on this stack.
What we do not do
Bookkeeping, tax filing and audit. Those stay with your accountant. We also do not produce reports nobody reads: if a number does not change a decision, it comes out of the pack.
Related questions
How many days per month does a fractional CFO work?
Enough to hold the cadence: typically a few days a month, concentrated around month end and the weekly cash update, plus availability between calls.
How fast will I see something useful?
The first reporting pack lands inside 30 days, and the first uncomfortable finding usually lands in week two.
Do you work with our existing tools?
Yes. We build on your accounting system, your store and ad platforms, and your spreadsheets rather than forcing a migration.
Written from our own CFO engagements: how we scope retainers, what we deliver in the first 30 days, and what founders actually ask on diagnostic calls. Third-party studies are cited only when we can link them.
- How we scope engagements – our published scoping factors
A free 30-minute call with a senior CFO. No sales pitch – just a clear read on where your money is and what to do next.