Why hire a Fractional or Outsourced CFO? What are the value proposition areas?
The four core services Fairlight Accounting Fractional CFOs provide.
1. Financial Statement Reviews: A Core Service OUR FRACTIONAL CFOS start with.
One of the foundational services we at Fairlight Accounting provide as part of our Fractional CFO package is a comprehensive review of financial statements. This includes analyzing the profit and loss statement (P&L), the balance sheet, and the cash flow statement. We are not just reading numbers—we are offering a thoughtful perspective on what those numbers mean for the business.
For instance, how are gross profit margins trending? Is cash from operations increasing or declining? Are debt levels aligning with previously set goals? As a Fractional CFOs, our role is to interpret the story behind the data and provide actionable insights. Being honest and thorough—we highlight the positives, acknowledge the challenges, and address the areas that need immediate attention. We let our clients know what’s working, what needs to stop, and what should change. This balance of transparency and guidance is key for us in delivering value.
We keep this discussion at a strategic, high-level perspective. We focus on the big picture and trends that will drive future decisions. While Fractional CFO services are typically forward-looking, starting with a review of financial statements ensures our clients are grounded in their current financial position. By understanding what’s happened so far, we create a clearer path for the strategies and actions needed to achieve their goals.
2. Cash Flow Forecasting: An Essential Tool for Fractional CFOs
Another key service our Fractional CFOs provide is cash flow forecasting. While the process itself is straightforward, its impact can be transformative. At its core, cash flow forecasting involves three simple steps: start with the current cash balance, add the expected inflows, subtract the anticipated outflows, and you’re left with a projected future cash balance. This projection can cover weeks, months, or even years, depending on the business’s needs.
The power of cash flow forecasting lies in its ability to guide decision-making. It becomes an indispensable tool for answering critical questions:
Can we afford to hire a new operations team member?
Is there room in the budget to increase marketing efforts?
Can the CEO justify paying themselves a higher salary?
Rather than guesswork, these decisions are grounded in data-driven insights provided by the forecast. By regularly using this tool, we allow our clients to gain clarity and confidence to navigate both short-term challenges and long-term opportunities. As Fractional CFOs, we ensure our clients use cash flow forecasting consistently, which helps them maintain financial stability and make informed strategic moves to grow their business.
3. Budgets and Projections: A Strategic Must-Have for Fractional CFO Services
The third essential service every one of our Fractional CFOs provides is budgets and projections. These are not external CPA-driven projections meant for investors or tax filings; instead, they are internal management tools designed to guide strategic decision-making.
Here’s how it works: we are creating forward-looking financial statements, such as a projected profit and loss (P&L) statement, tailored to the business’s plans for the coming months, quarters, or years. These projections translate their goals into financial terms, showing what the business’s financials might look like on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis.
It allows businesses to see how their decisions—like launching a major marketing initiative—might impact profitability. For example, if they anticipate revenue growth from the initiative but also foresee increased SG&A expenses, we model these changes. The result? Clear insights into how hitting revenue goals while managing expenses will affect profitability.
When paired with a cash flow forecast, this tool provides a level of visibility most business owners have never experienced. It helps our clients plan smarter and avoid the common trap of making decisions based on hope or intuition. Without this guidance, many of the businesses and entrepreneurs we worked with made have previously unknowingly took on initiatives that, even if were successful, lead to losses.
By providing budgets and projections, we equip our clients with a powerful framework to evaluate the timing, scale, and financial implications of their decisions. This enables our clients to game plan more effectively, strategize with precision, and understand both the short-term and long-term impacts of their choices—giving them the confidence to grow sustainably.
4. FINALLY, GOAL SETTING.
The fourth essential service our Fractional CFOs provide is goal setting. While it may seem obvious that business owners have goals, the reality is often more complex. Many six-figure, seven-figure, and even eight-figure entrepreneurs struggle to translate their personal aspirations into actionable business objectives. This is our Fractional CFOs step in and provide a much-needed framework.
For example, suppose our client’s personal goal is to pay off their $200,000 mortgage within five years. We work with them to break this big-picture goal into actionable steps. As an example, we start by determining the required increase in distributions—$200,000 divided over five years. From there, we reverse-engineer these financials to figure out how to generate the necessary cash flow.
Using insights from our clients’ P&L, we pinpoint the exact targets. For instance, we might determine they need to increase monthly revenues by $30,000, maintain a gross profit margin of 62%, and achieve a net profit margin of 23%. With these metrics in place, we build a month-by-month plan that keeps them focused on achieving these financial benchmarks.