Finance Function & CFO Advisory
CFO-level thinking without a full-time CFO
“We need CFO-level thinking without hiring a full-time CFO.”What owners tell us
The situation
Signs you are facing this
- Big decisions are made without a financial model
- Banks or investors ask questions nobody can answer quickly
- The accountant is strong on compliance but not strategy
- The owner is the de facto CFO, and has no time
The situation
CFO-level thinking without a full-time CFO
Driver 1
Cost of a full-time hire
A senior CFO salary is hard to justify at this stage.
Driver 2
Gap between bookkeeping and strategy
Nobody links the numbers to the plan.
Driver 3
Growing outside expectations
Lenders, boards and investors want more than the team provides.
- 1
Diagnose
Assess the finance function
See what exists, what is missing, and the priorities.
- 2
Design
Set the agenda
Budget, cash plan, reporting pack and funding plan.
- 3
Embed
Lead on a set rhythm
Regular reviews with leadership, plus support for key decisions.
- Monthly CFO-level review
- Budget and rolling forecast
- Board and lender reporting
- Decision support papers
Common questions
What does a part-time CFO do?
Provides senior finance leadership for a set number of days or hours: planning, forecasting, funding, reporting to the board and guiding the accounts team.
Is a virtual CFO the same as an accountant?
No. An accountant records and reports transactions; a CFO uses that information to plan, raise funding and support decisions.
Related situations
- “Our finance team records numbers but gives us little insight.”Finance records the numbers but gives no insight
- “There are too many reports and I still do not know which numbers matter.”Too many reports, and still unclear which numbers matter
- “Our business has grown faster than our systems.”The business has outgrown its systems