— The Great Work · Dossier No. 03 —
A part-time chief financial officer in your corner: cash flow forecast honestly, decisions made with numbers you trust.
Most small businesses do not need a full-time chief financial officer. They need one for the hard questions: can we afford the hire, should we elect S corporation (S-corp) tax status, what is this partner's share actually worth, will we make payroll in March. A fractional CFO is that person, part-time, on retainer, sitting on top of clean books, ideally ones we keep.
Founders past the shoebox stage: there is a profit and loss statement, there are employees or contractors, and the decisions now have real money attached.
Also nonprofits and foundations that need board-ready reporting, and partnerships facing a buyout, a restructure, or a wind-down.
A 13-week cash flow forecast, refreshed quarterly, so you see the tight months before they arrive.
Budget vs. actual reporting in a pack suitable for a bank, a board, or an investor call. No pivot tables required, no finance degree assumed.
Entity and tax-structure planning: S-corp election analysis, setting a reasonable owner's salary, limited liability company (LLC) formation, restructuring, and dissolution.
Deal support: multi-method business valuation, member buyouts, and the contract math behind them.
The CFO work sits on top of the monthly close, so it starts from numbers we stand behind. Most clients pair it with our bookkeeping; if you already have a bookkeeper you trust, we can work alongside them.
Every month closes with a proprietor's letter. Every quarter adds the 13-week forecast and the budget-vs-actual pack.
A monthly retainer, reviewed quarterly, scoped to your actual volume. Never hourly. The quarterly review is on your calendar before you sign.
A part-time chief financial officer. You get senior financial judgment on retainer, without a full-time executive salary.
Usually, yes. The forecasts are only as good as the books underneath them, so most clients have us keep both.
Yes: eligibility analysis, preparing Form 2553 (the Internal Revenue Service form that makes the election), setting a reasonable owner's salary, payroll setup, and the tax-impact model. Your certified public accountant (CPA) files the returns.
Record No. E-011 · Healing Practice
Received: fourteen months of unreconciled books, two entities tangled at the bank level, a tax deadline in six weeks.
Returned: both entities closed monthly and on time, clean CPA handoff inside the deadline, and a chart of accounts the founder can read without calling anyone.
— Filed · The Books Now Close —
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— Log Entry · Forecast Filed —