Hire Offshore Fractional CFOs

Financial planning & analysis (FP&A)

• • Build and maintain a three-statement model linking P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow
• • Run monthly budget-vs-actuals with variance analysis and a written commentary for leadership
• • Model scenarios — base, upside, downside — and quantify the levers that move runway

Cash flow & runway management

• • Own a rolling 13-week cash forecast and flag liquidity risk before it becomes urgent
• • Manage working capital: collections cadence, payment terms, and DSO/DPO targets
• • Track burn rate and runway monthly, and model the impact of hiring or spend decisions

Fundraising & investor support

• • Prepare data rooms, cap-table math, and investor-ready financials for a raise or loan
• • Build the fundraising model and defend the assumptions in diligence conversations
• • Support term-sheet review and dilution analysis alongside counsel and the founders

Board reporting & KPI systems

• • Produce the monthly board deck: financials, KPIs, and a clear narrative on what changed
• • Define the metrics that matter — CAC, LTV, gross margin, magic number, net revenue retention
• • Stand up a KPI dashboard so leadership sees the numbers without waiting for month-end

Unit economics & pricing strategy

• • Break down contribution margin and payback period by product, segment, or channel
• • Pressure-test pricing and packaging against gross margin and CAC payback targets
• • Advise on the finance side of pricing changes, discounting policy, and sales comp plans

What is the difference between a fractional CFO and hiring an accountant or bookkeeper?

A bookkeeper records transactions and reconciles accounts. An accountant closes the books, handles AP/AR, and prepares statements. A fractional CFO sits above both — they decide what the numbers mean and what to do about them: runway, pricing, fundraising readiness, unit economics, and the board narrative. You still need the execution layer feeding clean data upstream, which is why most clients pair a fractional CFO with our [accounting outsourcing service](/services/accounting-outsourcing/) or an offshore [accountant](/hire/accountant/). The CFO is strategy and judgment; the accounting team is the machine that produces the numbers the CFO reasons over.

How does fractional pricing work — is this a full-time salary?

No. A fractional CFO is a part-time engagement, so you pay a retainer rather than a full salary. Pricing starts at $2,500 per month for roughly two days a week and scales with scope — a company mid-raise or closing an acquisition needs more hours than one that wants a monthly board pack and a cash forecast. A full-time US CFO costs $250,000–$400,000+ per year fully loaded; a fractional model gives you the same caliber of judgment for the slice of time you actually need. We scope the days-per-week in the kickoff call and adjust as your needs change.

Can a fractional CFO help us prepare for a fundraise?

Yes — fundraising support is one of the most common reasons SMBs bring in a fractional CFO. They build the fundraising model, clean up the cap table math, assemble the data room, and make sure your historical financials will survive diligence. During the raise they defend the assumptions with investors and help you read a term sheet — dilution, liquidation preferences, option pool math. We match a CFO who has been through the specific raise stage you are at, whether that is a first priced round, a SAFE, or a bank line of credit, so you are not paying for on-the-job learning during a diligence sprint.

Will a fractional CFO work in our accounting system and timezone?

Yes. In the kickoff we confirm your stack — QuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Xero, whatever billing and FP&A tools you run — and only shortlist a CFO fluent in it, because you do not want to pay for someone to learn NetSuite on your dime. On timezone, fractional CFOs schedule standing sync hours that overlap your team for board prep, leadership meetings, and diligence calls, and do the deep modeling work async. Most US clients get 3–4 hours of real-time overlap on the days the CFO is engaged, which is enough for the meetings that need to be live.

How fast can a fractional CFO start, and what happens in the first month?

Onboarding runs about 10–14 business days: we shortlist vetted candidates within a week, you run a final interview, and the CFO begins with a finance-function audit. In week one they rebuild your three-statement and cash model; by week two you have a 13-week cash forecast and a budget-vs-actuals process. By the end of month one there is a KPI dashboard and a first board deck. If it is not working, our 30-day free replacement applies — we re-match at no cost. Because it is a retainer, you can also scale the days up or down as your needs shift.

Do we still need our accounting team if we hire a fractional CFO?

Almost always yes, and the CFO will be the first to tell you so. A fractional CFO is a strategic hire, not a substitute for the close. They rely on a bookkeeper or accountant to produce accurate, on-time numbers — a CFO reasoning over stale or wrong data is worse than useless. The healthiest setup is a clear division of labor: offshore [bookkeepers](/hire/bookkeeper/) and accountants own the transactions and the close, and the fractional CFO owns forecasting, board reporting, and capital strategy on top of that clean foundation.