- A fractional CFO does the forward-looking finance work on a part-time basis: budgets, cash-flow forecasts, KPIs, pricing, hiring, financing and growth decisions.
- The controller makes the numbers right; the CFO decides what to do with them. Forecasts are only as good as the books underneath, so many clients start with our fractional controller.
- Led by both partners: a CPA with four decades of reporting experience, and a systems partner who builds the forecasts, dashboards and reports.
- Ends in decisions, not binders. Each engagement produces a budget, forecast or plan you use every month.
- Fractional CFO
- A fractional CFO is a senior finance professional who provides chief-financial-officer work (budgeting, cash-flow forecasting, KPI reporting and advice on pricing, hiring, financing and growth) on a part-time or project basis instead of as a full-time employee.
What fractional cfo means here
Most owner-managed businesses reach a point where the books are fine but the owner still cannot answer the important questions. Can we afford the next hire? Which jobs actually make money? How much cash will we have in four months? How large a credit line should we ask for? That gap is where a CFO usually sits, and most smaller businesses cannot justify a full-time one.
Our fractional CFO work fills that gap. We build the budget, the 13-week and 12-month cash-flow forecasts and the handful of KPIs (key performance indicators) that matter for your business, then meet with you regularly to read them together. The aim is fewer surprises and better-timed decisions.
Both partners are involved. Our CPA partner brings decades of financial reporting and the judgment that comes from reading many businesses' numbers. Grant builds the reporting itself, so forecasts and dashboards pull from your actual systems instead of being retyped into a spreadsheet each month.
Who it's for, and who it isn't
A good fit
- Owners facing decisions on hiring, pricing, equipment or expansion who want the numbers behind them.
- Businesses with uneven cash flow: seasonal trades, project-based firms, practices waiting on slow payers.
- Companies with reliable monthly statements that now need someone to turn them into a plan.
- Family businesses beginning to think about succession, a partner buy-in or a sale.
- Owners preparing for a conversation with a lender, investor or board.
Probably not
- Businesses without reliable books. We will start with our fractional controller or bookkeeping service and add CFO work once the numbers can bear weight.
- Owners looking for a single motivational session or a generic business plan template.
- Start-ups raising venture capital. Our work is with operating businesses.
What's included
How we work
- ConsultationWe talk through the decisions in front of you and the questions you cannot answer today.
- Financial diagnosticWe review recent years' statements and your current books to understand margins, the cash cycle and trends, and to confirm the numbers are reliable enough to plan from.
- Written proposalA defined scope (a project, a monthly CFO retainer, or both) and fee in writing.
- Build the toolsBudget, forecasts and KPI reporting built from your actual data and connected to your systems where possible.
- Monthly reviewA standing meeting to read the numbers together, compare them with the plan and decide what to do next.
- Annual resetEach year we review the plan against results and rebuild the budget for the year ahead.
Fractional CFO or fractional controller: which comes first?
The two roles answer different questions. A controller makes the numbers right: the close, the statements, the reconciliations and the controls. A CFO decides what to do with them: budgets, forecasts, pricing, hiring, financing and growth. Each depends on a bookkeeper recording the transactions underneath.
| Bookkeeper | Fractional controller | Fractional CFO | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main question | What happened? | Is it accurate, complete and on time? | What should we do next? |
| Typical work | Recording transactions, reconciliations, payables and receivables | Month-end and year-end close, statements, controls, audit readiness, bookkeeper oversight | Budgets, cash-flow forecasts, KPIs, pricing, financing, hiring, growth and exit planning |
| Time horizon | Past | Past and present | Future |
| Main reader | The controller or accountant | Owners, lenders, auditors | Owners, lenders, boards, buyers |
| At Bloemet | Bookkeeping | Fractional controller, led by our CPA partner | Fractional CFO, led by both partners |
Many clients start with the controller. Forecasting from unreconciled books only produces confident errors, so we make sure the numbers hold up before we plan from them.
For a longer comparison, read Bookkeeper vs CPA vs Controller: who does your Ontario business actually need?
13-week and 12-month forecasts: why you need both
- 13-week cash-flow forecast
- A 13-week cash-flow forecast is a week-by-week projection of cash receipts and payments for the next quarter, used to manage short-term liquidity: payroll, supplier payments and the timing of collections.
The 13-week forecast is for managing the next quarter. The 12-month forecast is for planning the year: hiring, equipment, seasonal swings and the size of any credit line. Together they answer the questions below.
- When is cash tightest? The month or week your balance is lowest, and by how much.
- Can we afford this? The effect of a hire, a vehicle or a lease on cash, not only on profit.
- How much is tied up in receivables? What quicker collection would free up.
- What if sales fall? How long the business can carry a slow quarter.
- What do we need from the bank? The size and timing of any credit line, before you ask for it.
Our guide to 5 KPIs every owner-operated business should watch monthly covers the measures that sit alongside the forecast.
How it's priced
Fractional CFO work is scoped and quoted in writing. Some clients start with a defined project, such as a budget and cash-flow forecast or a lender package; others retain us for monthly CFO support. Either way, the scope and fee are agreed before work starts.
The fee is driven by the condition of your books, the number of entities and revenue streams, how much of the reporting can be pulled automatically from your systems, how often we meet, and whether the work includes board, lender, investor or exit preparation.
Questions owners ask
What does a fractional CFO actually do?
A fractional CFO does the forward-looking finance work on a part-time basis: budgets, 13-week and 12-month cash-flow forecasts, KPI reporting, pricing and margin analysis, and advice on hiring, financing and growth. A controller makes the numbers right; the CFO decides what to do with them. See Bookkeeper vs CPA vs Controller for how the roles fit together.
Which do I need first, a controller or a CFO?
Usually the controller. If the close is slow, the balance sheet is uncertain or nobody reviews the bookkeeper's work, start with our fractional controller. If the statements are already reliable and the questions are about what to do next, CFO work can start straight away. Many clients use both.
How do I build a budget my team will use?
Build it from last year's actual results, not a wish list. Involve the people who will be held to it, limit their lines to the costs they control, and compare actual with budget every month in a short meeting. A budget nobody opens after January has quietly failed.
How is a cash-flow forecast different from a budget?
A budget sets targets for revenue and spending over a year. A cash-flow forecast predicts when money will actually arrive and leave. A profitable business can still run short of cash; the forecast is what shows you that in advance.
Which KPIs should a trades company or professional practice track?
Fewer than you think. A trades company typically watches gross margin by job, backlog, labour utilization, days to collect receivables and cash on hand. A professional practice watches billable utilization, realization (fees collected compared with time recorded), work in progress and days to collect. Our guide to KPIs for owner-operated businesses goes further.
Is a fractional CFO worth it for a smaller business?
It depends on the decisions in front of you. If you are hiring, borrowing, buying equipment or changing prices, senior financial input on those decisions is where the value lies. If the business is stable and decisions are small, a reliable monthly close may be enough for now, and we will tell you so.
Can you help us prepare for a bank loan, a board meeting or a sale?
Yes. We prepare the statements, forecasts and explanation a lender or board expects, and work through what a buyer will examine in a sale. For valuations, legal structure or tax planning on a sale, we coordinate with your lawyer and other advisors.
Do we need to use your controller or bookkeeping service to use your CFO service?
No, but we do need books we can rely on. If your current bookkeeper or accountant keeps them well, we work from those. If not, we will recommend fixing that first.