The Client Journey Begins
Financial Chaos is Solved by Process, Not Effort.
We eliminate the reactive cycle of historical accounting by implementing a rigorous, phased methodology designed to transform your financial function into a powerful, forward-looking decision engine. The client journey is a highly focused 5-Phase Implementation Sprint structured to achieve maximum impact with minimal operational disruption.
This process culminates in a single, customized One-Page Business-Intelligence Dashboard that integrates all financial and operational data, providing the CEO and leadership team with total financial command. We move you from confusion to certainty, ensuring every strategic decision is data-backed and built for profitable growth and enterprise value.
Most Businesses Lose Financial Clarity
The 5-Phase Implementation Sprint
Wiring Your Strategic Finance Foundation
Our implementation is executed through five critical, sequential phases, with the goal of achieving a bulletproof financial foundation built for decisions, not just filing.
Phase 1: Assessment & Alignment (Pre-Day 0)
Objective:
Define the scope, gather necessary credentials, and align on key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals before implementation begins.
Key Tasks:
Finalize the engagement agreement and service tier. Secure access to existing accounting software and operational platforms. Conduct the kick-off meeting to solidify key metrics (e.g., target Gross Margin, desired CAC Payback).
Acceptance Gate:
All access and system credentials secured; the CEO and our CFO are fully aligned on the target outcomes for the next 120 days.
Phase 2: Books Rebuild and Historical Cleanup (Day 0–30)
Objective:
Produce clean, decision-ready books that align with strategic management definitions.
Key Tasks:
Rebuild the Chart of Accounts: Restructure your entire general ledger into three non-negotiable strategic buckets: Delivery Costs (Cost of Goods Sold/Service), General and Administrative (G&A), and Sales and Marketing (S&M).
Payroll Split: Accurately split all payroll costs by function (e.g., Delivery, G&A, S&M).
System Foundation: Connect all bank accounts/systems, post all activity weekly, and reconcile the Balance Sheet.
Acceptance Gate:
We can compute the three core financial gates (Gross Margin, G&A Share, S&M Share) with 100% confidence and without any caveats.
Phase 3: Data Plumbing and KPI Capture (Day 30–60)
Objective:
To fully automate the capture of operational data and financial KPIs, ensuring metrics populate reliably and consistently.
Key Tasks:
System Integration: Set up reliable data feeds from critical operational systems (CRM, subscription platforms, ad platforms) into the financial stack.
Metric Definition: Lock in plain-English definitions for all dashboard metrics.
Data Validation: Run parallel checks to validate that sales activity (wins/losses) and marketing spend flow accurately into the financial ledger.
Acceptance Gate:
Every metric planned for the final dashboard can be computed from live data and tied back to the general ledger for at least two consecutive weeks.
Phase 4: Tax Plan and Three-Year Model (Day 60–90)
Objective:
To move from reactive history to proactive, predictive financial strategy, defining what to change when.
Key Tasks:
Strategic Tax Plan: Develop and document the Annual Tax Plan (compliant strategies) and define implementation steps.
Predictive Modeling: Build a dynamic three-year financial model with scenarios (baseline, growth) that dictates when to hire, if to change pricing, and how new investments impact the bottom line.
Cash Policy: Implement the company’s Cash and Reserves Policy (protocols for tax reserves and emergency funds).
Acceptance Gate:
The financial model is fully built and we can confidently answer, “If our biggest price or package changes, what is the exact impact on Gross Margin, CAC Payback, and hiring capacity?”.
Build and Launch the One-Page Dashboard (Day 90–120)
Objective:
To deliver and train the team on the single, integrated One-Page Business-Intelligence Dashboard—the tool that runs your strategic decisions.
Key Tasks:
Dashboard Creation: Connect all validated financial and operational feeds.
Decision System Rules: Apply Red-Yellow-Green rules to the metrics that map directly to our decision-making process.
Leadership Training: Conduct intensive training to ensure the team knows how to read the dashboard and answer the critical questions: “Is it safe to grow?” and “What should we fix first?”.
Acceptance Gate:
A client is considered stable after Day 120, and the engagement transitions to the ongoing service cadence.
Start making decisions with real financial clarity. Book a call to see how strategic finance can support your next stage of growth.
Early Wins & Value You Will Feel During Implementation
Our “highly front-loaded” approach means you get immediate strategic value, even before the final dashboard launch:
By Day 30: Financial Foundation Established
By Day 30, your books are clean, your balance sheet is accurate, and your Chart of Accounts is fully functional and aligned with how the business actually operates.
Confidence in Margin: For the first time, you have a clear and reliable understanding of the true gross margin of your services, allowing you to evaluate profitability with confidence.
By Day 60: Data and KPI Confidence
By Day 60, key performance indicators are automated and fully visible, with all operational metric feeds reconciled to the financials.
Confidence in Data: You can trust your growth metrics—such as close rate and revenue per client—knowing they are accurate, consistent, and directly tied to the general ledger.
By Day 90: Strategic Clarity and Forward Planning
By Day 90, a documented strategic tax plan is in place alongside a comprehensive three-year financial model.
Confidence in the Future: You have a clear roadmap guiding capital allocation, hiring decisions, and pricing strategy for the next 36 months, enabling proactive and strategic decision-making.
The Steady State: Monthly Service Cadence (After Phase 5)
Once stable, your service becomes a disciplined, monthly process focused on continuous decision-making and accountability. This is your ongoing Fractional CFO process.
The Fixed Close Calendar & Reporting Structure
We run a strict, non-negotiable schedule to ensure fresh, decision-ready financials are available before the month is half over.
- By the 5th: All operational and bank statements are available to the team.
- By the 8th: All reconciliations and bookkeeping tasks are complete.
By the 12th: Management Financials are issued (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Summary, and the updated One-Page Dashboard).
The Monthly Decision Meeting
Between the 12th and 18th of each month, we meet with you to review the One-Page Dashboard and apply the Bennett Decision System. This meeting is designed to turn financial and operational data into a clear, focused action plan for the month ahead.
The Bennett Decision System
The Goal
The goal of the Bennett Decision System is to create disciplined, repeatable decision-making by using financial data to identify constraints, prioritize action, and enable sustainable growth.
Split: Verify the Data
We begin by verifying that the books are correctly categorized and that data integrity is intact. This ensures all decisions are made using accurate, trustworthy financial information.
Check: Review the Gates
Next, we review the three core financial gates—Gross Margin, G&A Share, and Sales & Marketing Share—and compare them against established target guardrails to identify any constraints.
Decide: Pick the Lane
Based on the first gate that fails, we choose the primary decision lane for the month. This may indicate a margin issue driven by pricing, a G&A issue driven by overhead inefficiency, or a Sales & Marketing issue driven by demand costs.
Fix: Define the Action Plan
We then define a focused action plan centered on “one thing this month.” Each plan includes one specific fix, one accountable owner, one due date, and one clear metric for success.
Grow: Scale Safely
Finally, once all guardrails are met, we confirm that the business has the financial capacity to safely scale demand and pursue growth without introducing unnecessary risk.
Quarterly & Tax Rhythm
Quarterly Refresh: Every quarter, we perform a deep dive: fully reconcile the balance sheet, update the assumptions in the 3-year financial model, and review the tax plan against current performance.
Cash Sweeps: We oversee the automated cash policy, sweeping defined percentages for Tax Reserves and Emergency Funds on a set schedule (e.g., the 10th and 25th of each month).
Tax Preparation: Organizers for tax filing are sent by January 15th. We guarantee on-time filing if necessary items are provided by March 1st (Business) or April 1st (Personal).
The One-Page Business-Intelligence Dashboard
This is the central reporting structure of your strategic finance engagement. It ensures that every key metric is visible and actionable on a single screen.
- Key Financials: P&L Summary (Budget vs. Actual), Cash Position, and 12-Month Rolling Forecast.
- Efficiency Metrics: Gross Margin %, G&A % of Revenue, S&M % of Revenue (with Red-Yellow-Green traffic light status).
- Growth Metrics: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), CAC Payback Period (in months), Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), and LTV:CAC Ratio.
- Capacity & Health: Revenue Per Employee, Cash Runway (in months).
The Guardrails: Financial Targets We Chase
Our methodology is driven by a core set of financial guardrails that define a highly profitable and scalable business.
Financial Gates and Target Guardrails
The following financial gates define the guardrails used to assess business health, efficiency, and readiness to grow. Each gate has a clear target and strategic purpose, ensuring decisions are grounded in profitability and capital discipline.
Gross Margin
The target gross margin is 60% or higher. This gate defines the amount of financial room available to cover overhead, fund demand generation, and generate owner profit. Without sufficient gross margin, growth amplifies risk rather than value.
G&A Share of Revenue
General and administrative expenses should remain at or below 15% of revenue. This gate ensures that operational and administrative overhead costs are efficient and appropriately scaled to the size of the business.
Sales & Marketing Share of Revenue
Sales and marketing spend should remain at or below 15% of revenue. This gate confirms that demand generation costs are aligned with overall profitability goals and that growth is not being purchased at the expense of margin.
Profit Before Tax Margin
The target profit before tax margin ranges from 30%. This measure reflects the overall financial health of the business and defines a sustainable profitability range that supports reinvestment, owner returns, and long-term stability.
Revenue Per Employee
Revenue per employee should be $250,000 or more. This gate validates that pricing, service packaging, and staff capacity are properly balanced and that the organization is operating with productive leverage.
Key Service Boundaries: We Lead Strategy, Specialists Execute Transactions
We preserve our objectivity and strategic focus by maintaining a clear boundary between advisory and transactional services. This is a feature, not a refusal.
- We do not provide Accounts Payable (writing checks, paying bills).
- We do not provide Accounts Receivable (sending invoices, chasing collections).
- We do not provide Payroll Processing (submitting hours, running payroll).
We share our list of preferred vendor partners for these transactional needs, but the client is responsible for all meetings, onboarding, and ongoing operational management of these third-party providers.
Ready to Gain Command of Your Financial Future?
Stop letting yesterday’s numbers dictate tomorrow’s decisions.
Your financial stability and growth are too important to be left to reactive reporting. Our 5-Phase implementation process is the proven path to achieving the clarity, discipline, and strategic command required to scale profitably and exit successfully.
Schedule a consultation today to begin your transformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "120-Day Implementation Journey" and why is it necessary?
The 120-Day Implementation Journey is our intensive onboarding process designed to fix your financial foundation, clean up historical data, implement our strategic Chart of Accounts, and build your custom dashboards and financial models. It is necessary because we must transition your finance function from reactive reporting to proactive, data-driven decision-making before the ongoing service can be fully effective.
What is the core strategic deliverable I get at the end of the 120 days?
The core strategic deliverable is the One-Page Business-Intelligence Dashboard. This single, integrated tool ties together all your financial and operational metrics, allowing you and your leadership team to instantly see where the business is healthy and what the “one thing to fix this month” should be.
Why do you enforce a strict close calendar?
The close calendar ensures that financial data is never stale. By issuing financials by the 12th of the month, we can conduct the Monthly Decision Meeting (the core of the CFO service) while the data is still relevant, allowing you to make course corrections immediately, not weeks later.
How is the Monthly Decision Meeting different from a regular status meeting?
The Monthly Decision Meeting is not a status meeting—it is a decision factory. It is governed by the Bennett Decision System, which uses the Guardrails to quickly identify the primary bottleneck (Margin, G&A, or S&M) and assigns a single, accountable action item to solve it. This forces disciplined, impactful action every 30 days.
Why do you refuse to handle Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll?
We maintain a hard line on these transactional tasks to preserve our objectivity and strategic focus. As your Fractional CFO, our role is to audit, analyze, and advise on your capital structure and strategy—not to execute daily transactions. Outsourcing these tasks to specialists allows us to focus entirely on maximizing your profit and efficiency.
What level of my team needs to be involved in the implementation process?
The implementation requires involvement from the CEO/Owner (for strategic decisions and vision), a dedicated internal contact (for data access and process coordination), and potentially heads of Sales and Marketing (for KPI data integration in Phase 3). Once stable (Day 120+), the time commitment is primarily limited to the monthly decision meeting.
Case Studies
“He’s more than just a CFO—he brings creative ideas, deep experience, and valuable insights from different industries that have transformed our business.”
Daniel Passarelli
Co-Founder, RHFL