A CFO.Without The $300K Salary.Strategic Finance, On Demand.Provided By VFC.Fractional Engagement·Strategic Depth·Operational Focus
A growing business hits a predictable wall somewhere between $2M and $20M of revenue. The bookkeeper is doing transactional work, the CPA shows up at tax time, and the founder is making CFO-grade decisions on intuition alone.A full-time CFO with the right experience costs $250K–$400K loaded, plus equity — an outlay that doesn’t fit the stage of the business yet.
VFC’s Fractional CFO program provides senior financial leadership at the right cadence— monthly close oversight, cash flow forecasting, board-grade reporting, banking relationship management, KPI design, capital structure work, and the strategic input that turns a financially blind operation into one that knows where every dollar goes and where every dollar will be in 90 days.
The cost of nothaving strategic finance compounds quietly.
A pricing decision made without margin analysis. A hiring round done without runway modeling. A capital expenditure approved without payback math. A bank negotiation entered without leverage data. Each one in isolation is invisible. Cumulatively, they cost a growing business more than the CFO would have cost. The fractional model exists for exactly this stage— the engineering of strategic decisions before they get made.
What Strategic Finance Actually Means.
Each capability below is delivered as part of the standard engagement. The cadence flexes to match the business — monthly for most companies, weekly during inflection moments like a capital raise, acquisition, or major hiring round.
Monthly P&L & Variance Analysis
Not just “here’s the report” — a structured walk through what moved, why it moved, and what to do about it. The bookkeeper produces the report. The CFO interprets it.
13-Week Rolling Cash Forecast
The single most important tool for any growing business. Knowing exactly where the cash will be 13 weeks out— including the impact of pending decisions, planned hires, AP timing, and AR collection patterns.
Banking Relationship Management
Lines of credit, term loans, treasury management, sweep arrangements. We structure the banking relationship and run the bank conversations— not as a one-time event but as an ongoing strategic relationship.
KPI Architecture & Reporting
Defining the 8–12 metrics that actually drive the business. Building the dashboards that surface them weekly. Most businesses report too much and look at too little.
Capital Structure & Funding Strategy
When to take debt vs. equity, when to refinance, how to structure shareholder agreements, when to bring in outside capital. Capital decisions are usually irreversible— they deserve real analysis.
Board / Investor Reporting
The reporting package the board actually reads, in the format they expect. Quarterly financial reviews, annual planning, ad-hoc strategic memos. Communication that builds investor confidence rather than questions.
Most Companies Need A CFO Before They’re Ready To Hire One.
The classic pattern: a business crosses $3M–$5M of revenue, the books start to feel a little behind, the bank starts asking more questions, the team starts asking strategic questions the founder can’t fully answer with the numbers. The need is real. The full-time hire is premature.
The fractional model bridges exactly that window. One day a week, one day a month, or full strategic engagement during an inflection moment— sized to the business and the moment. As the company grows, the engagement scales. Eventually, when the business is large enough, the fractional CFO helps recruit the full-time replacement and hands off cleanly.
Telltale Signs You Need One
The $8M Service Business That Had Never Seen A Cash Forecast.
Growing professional services firm, profitable on paper but constantly cash-tight. VFC fractional engagement transformed the operation in 90 days.
$8M revenue professional services firm. 24 employees. Founder + operations partner. Growing 18% annually, profitable on the P&L, but consistently stressed about payroll and quarterly tax bills.
Existing setup: capable bookkeeper handling monthly close, outside CPA filing tax returns. Zero strategic finance. Cash was a guessing game.
What The First 90 Days Produced
Strategic. Senior. Right-Sized.
The CFO Coordinates Across Every Other Business Discipline.
Financial Reengineering
How the CFO operationalizes the reengineering work over time.
ValuationWhat The Business Is Worth
The defensible valuation work that ongoing CFO discipline supports.
DiagnosticsFinancial Analysis
The deep diagnostic that informs the CFO’s ongoing work.
Tax CoordinationBusiness Tax Strategy
How the CFO coordinates with the VFC tax firm year-round.