Most business owners hit a predictable ceiling around $3-5 million in revenue where gut-feel decisions stop working and financial chaos starts costing real money. You’re profitable on paper but can’t explain why cash feels tight, or you’re growing fast but margins keep shrinking, and your accountant just sends statements without telling you what to do about it.
A fractional CFO provides the strategic financial leadership you need without the $200,000+ cost of a full-time executive, but the market has exploded with options that vary wildly in expertise, approach, and fit for different business types. This guide breaks down 15 fractional CFO firms known for tailoring their services to your specific situation, explains how to match the right firm to your growth stage, and shows you what to expect from the engagement.
What Is a Fractional CFO and Why Choose One?
A fractional CFO is a part-time chief financial officer who provides strategic financial leadership without the full-time commitment or cost. These professionals work with several clients at once, offering CFO-level expertise on a retainer, project, or equity basis tailored to each company’s growth stage and specific circumstances.
Unlike bookkeepers who record past transactions or accountants who prepare historical statements, fractional CFOs focus on what’s ahead. They build financial models, forecast cash flow, identify bottlenecks slowing your growth, and guide decisions about where to invest your money. Think of them as your financial navigator—they chart the course from your current position to your target destination while spotting icebergs before you hit them.
Role Versus Controller and CPA
The distinction between a fractional CFO, controller, and CPA trips up many business owners, yet understanding the difference helps you build the right team. A controller manages daily accounting operations—closing the books each month, paying bills, collecting receivables, and keeping your financial records accurate. Your CPA handles tax compliance, prepares your returns, and gives tax advice during filing season.
A fractional CFO operates at the strategic level. They use the data your controller produces to recommend changes to your pricing, advise on hiring decisions, evaluate capital investments, and guide growth initiatives. While CPAs and fractional CFOs both work on tax planning, the CFO focuses on how tax strategy fits into your broader business objectives rather than just cutting this year’s tax bill.
Typical Engagement Models and Costs
Most fractional CFO firms structure their work in three ways depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Retainer arrangements provide ongoing monthly support with a set number of hours, typically ranging from 10 to 40 hours per month based on your company’s size and complexity.
Project-based work fits specific initiatives like preparing for a funding round, handling financial due diligence for an acquisition, or implementing new systems. Equity arrangements occasionally appear in early-stage startups where cash is tight but the company can offer meaningful ownership in exchange for guidance.
Pricing varies widely based on the firm’s reputation, the CFO’s experience, your industry’s complexity, and where you’re located. Boutique firms working with companies under $3 million generally charge less than enterprise-focused firms serving $10 million-plus businesses, though the expertise and service scope differ accordingly.
Top 15 Fractional CFO Firms That Provide Tailored Solutions
The fractional CFO market has grown rapidly over the past decade, creating both opportunity and confusion for business owners looking for the right partner. This list highlights firms known for customizing their approach rather than delivering cookie-cutter solutions, with attention to industry specialization, technology integration, and strategic methodology.
1. Bennett Financials
Bennett Financials takes a business development approach to CFO work, treating financial strategy as a growth engine rather than just a compliance function. The firm combines strategic finance, aggressive tax planning, and real-time business intelligence to help service companies between $1 million and $10 million identify and remove whatever constraint is blocking their next level of growth.
The methodology centers on building a clear financial roadmap. If you’re at $5 million and want to reach $10 million, Bennett Financials maps exactly what that journey requires in terms of cash, people, systems, and market positioning. The firm’s tax planning focuses on leveraging saved dollars for reinvestment rather than simply cutting liability, often achieving 40-60% reductions in cash taxes paid.
Bennett Financials serves law firms, medical practices, cybersecurity companies, SaaS businesses, and marketing agencies primarily in Texas, California, Florida, and Chicago. Every client gets a live financial dashboard that reveals performance drift in real time, enabling data-driven decisions instead of reactive guesses.
2. Pilot
Pilot combines automated bookkeeping with fractional CFO advisory, positioning itself as a technology-first solution for startups and growing companies. The platform handles monthly close, financial statement preparation, and tax filing while providing access to a dedicated CFO for guidance on fundraising, financial planning, and growth.
The firm’s strength lies in delivering clean, accurate financials quickly through automation, giving CFOs reliable data from day one. Pilot works particularly well for venture-backed startups that want investor-ready financials and growth metrics without building an entire finance department.
3. Kruze Consulting
Kruze Consulting specializes exclusively in venture-backed startups, bringing deep expertise in fundraising preparation, investor relations, and the financial challenges of high-growth technology companies. The firm’s CFOs have worked through hundreds of funding rounds and understand what investors scrutinize during due diligence.
Beyond standard CFO services, Kruze offers R&D tax credit assistance, 409A valuations, and financial modeling designed specifically for SaaS and biotech companies. Their industry focus means they can benchmark your metrics against similar companies and identify when your unit economics or burn rate fall outside normal ranges.
4. CFOshare
CFOshare targets mid-market companies between $5 million and $50 million in revenue, providing senior-level CFOs with operational improvement and exit planning expertise. The firm’s professionals typically have Big Four accounting backgrounds or previous full-time CFO experience at companies similar to yours.
Their approach emphasizes building financial infrastructure that can scale—implementing ERP systems, establishing budgeting processes, and creating management reporting that actually drives decisions. CFOshare works well for companies preparing for private equity investment or eventual sale where financial sophistication becomes a value driver.
5. NOW CFO
NOW CFO delivers comprehensive fractional services with particular strength in cash flow management and financial planning for companies navigating growth transitions. The firm’s methodology centers on creating 13-week cash flow forecasts and rolling financial projections that help owners make confident decisions about hiring, expansion, and capital investments.
Their CFOs typically engage at 15-30 hours per month, providing enough involvement to truly understand your business while remaining cost-effective compared to a full-time hire. NOW CFO serves diverse industries but has notable expertise in manufacturing, distribution, and professional services.
6. Preferred CFO
Preferred CFO differentiates itself by providing senior-level finance executives with Fortune 500 backgrounds and industry-specific expertise. The firm maintains a rigorous vetting process for its CFO network, ensuring clients work with professionals who have successfully navigated the specific challenges their industry presents.
Their approach includes not just strategic guidance but hands-on support implementing recommendations—negotiating with lenders, presenting to boards, or restructuring operations. Preferred CFO’s professionals often have previous experience as full-time CFOs at companies larger than yours, bringing perspective on what financial infrastructure you’ll want as you scale.
7. Acuity
Acuity specializes in SaaS and technology companies, offering deep expertise in subscription revenue recognition, SaaS metrics, and the financial complexities of recurring revenue models. Their CFOs understand the nuances of ASC 606 revenue recognition, deferred revenue accounting, and the unit economics that drive SaaS valuations.
The firm’s services extend beyond traditional CFO work to include pricing strategy, customer acquisition cost optimization, and churn analysis. Acuity works particularly well for B2B SaaS companies between $2 million and $20 million in ARR that want to professionalize their financial operations for institutional investment.
8. Burkland
Burkland focuses on venture-backed companies in technology and life sciences, providing fractional CFO services alongside back-office accounting and HR support. Their integrated approach means your CFO works directly with the team handling your books, eliminating the disconnect that often occurs when strategy and execution live in separate organizations.
The firm’s CFOs specialize in fundraising preparation, creating financial models and investor presentations that resonate with venture capitalists and growth equity firms. Burkland’s life sciences expertise includes understanding clinical trial accounting, grant management, and the unique cash flow challenges of biotech companies.
9. FocusCFO
FocusCFO operates as a nationwide network of local CFO professionals who provide both on-site and virtual services tailored to small and medium-sized businesses. The firm’s model emphasizes relationship-building and regular face-to-face interaction, appealing to owners who value personal connection alongside financial expertise.
Their CFOs typically engage at the strategic level while also rolling up their sleeves to help implement systems, train staff, and work through operational challenges. FocusCFO serves diverse industries with particular strength in manufacturing, distribution, and family-owned businesses navigating generational transitions.
10. Paro
Paro operates as an AI-driven marketplace connecting businesses with freelance finance professionals, including fractional CFOs, for projects requiring flexible support. The platform vets professionals based on experience, credentials, and client reviews, then matches them to opportunities based on industry expertise and specific project requirements.
This marketplace model works well for companies with variable demands—perhaps you want intensive CFO support during a fundraising round but minimal involvement during steady-state operations. Paro’s flexibility and transparent pricing appeal to companies that want control over engagement scope and cost.
11. indinero
indinero combines bookkeeping, tax preparation, and fractional CFO services into an integrated offering delivered through a combination of technology and dedicated team members. The platform provides real-time financial dashboards while your assigned CFO interprets the data and guides strategic decisions.
Their all-in-one approach eliminates the coordination challenges that arise when your bookkeeper, tax preparer, and CFO work for different firms with different systems. indinero works particularly well for companies between $1 million and $10 million that want consolidated financial services from a single provider.
12. vcfo
vcfo emphasizes systems implementation and process improvement alongside traditional CFO strategy, helping growing companies build the financial infrastructure required for their next stage. Their professionals often engage during inflection points—after a significant funding round, before an acquisition, or when organic growth has outpaced existing systems.
The firm’s methodology includes assessing current financial processes, identifying gaps and inefficiencies, and implementing solutions that improve both accuracy and speed. vcfo serves diverse industries with particular expertise in healthcare, technology, and professional services.
13. G-Squared Partners
G-Squared Partners specializes in private equity-backed companies and complex financial restructuring situations where deep expertise in debt negotiations, operational turnarounds, and stakeholder management becomes critical. Their CFOs typically have investment banking or corporate restructuring backgrounds and understand how to navigate challenging situations with multiple stakeholders.
This firm works well for companies in distress, navigating complex transactions, or dealing with sophisticated capital structures that require experienced guidance. G-Squared’s professionals often serve as interim CFOs during transitions or crises rather than ongoing fractional relationships.
14. Consero
Consero focuses on mid-market companies between $10 million and $500 million in revenue, providing fractional CFO services alongside outsourced accounting and financial operations support. Their approach emphasizes operational finance—improving close processes, implementing performance management systems, and building reporting that drives accountability.
The firm’s technology platform integrates with your existing systems to provide consolidated reporting across multiple entities, locations, or business units. Consero works particularly well for companies with complex organizational structures or preparing for significant growth through acquisition.
15. Graphite
Graphite operates as a marketplace connecting businesses with vetted fractional CFO professionals, similar to Paro but with a focus on longer-term engagements rather than project work. The platform maintains rigorous vetting standards and provides matching support to ensure good fit between client requirements and professional expertise.
Their model offers flexibility in engagement structure while providing some oversight and quality assurance that independent consultants might not offer. Graphite appeals to companies that want the benefits of a marketplace—choice, transparency, competitive pricing—with some institutional backing behind the relationship.
Snapshot Comparison of Services, Industries, and Pricing Models
Understanding how firms differ across key dimensions helps you narrow your options quickly and focus on the three to five best-fit candidates for your specific situation. While every engagement gets tailored to client circumstances, firms typically specialize in certain services, industries, or company stages where their experience runs deepest.
Most fractional CFO firms provide overlapping core services, though the depth and sophistication vary based on the firm’s expertise and your company’s complexity:
- Financial Planning & Analysis: Building annual budgets, creating rolling forecasts, conducting variance analysis, and developing scenario models for strategic decisions
- Fundraising Support: Preparing investor presentations, building financial models for due diligence, coordinating with legal and accounting teams, and managing the fundraising process
- Systems Implementation: Selecting and implementing ERP systems, building management reporting dashboards, establishing KPI tracking, and creating financial processes that scale
- Strategic Advisory: Supporting M&A transactions, developing exit strategies, optimizing capital structure, and guiding major strategic decisions
The difference between firms often lies not in whether they offer particular services but in how deeply they can execute in your specific context. A firm specializing in SaaS companies brings different perspective to forecasting and metrics than one focused on manufacturing or professional services.
Several firms on this list concentrate on specific industries where financial challenges, metrics, and best practices differ significantly from general business. Kruze Consulting, Burkland, and Acuity focus heavily on technology and SaaS companies, bringing expertise in subscription revenue, ARR growth, and venture capital expectations. Bennett Financials specializes in service-based businesses—law firms, medical practices, agencies, and B2B service companies—where profitability often hides in project-level economics and scaling requires different approaches than product businesses.
Pricing structures vary based on engagement model, company size, service scope, and the seniority level of the CFO assigned to your account. Retainer arrangements typically start around 10 hours per month for smaller companies with straightforward circumstances, scaling up to 40+ hours monthly for larger or more complex situations. When evaluating cost, consider the opportunity cost of poor financial decisions or delayed action due to lack of strategic guidance.
Key Benefits of Hiring a Fractional CFO Over a Full-Time Hire
The decision between fractional and full-time CFO hinges on your company’s stage, complexity, and how much time strategic finance truly requires versus how much executive-level work exists to fill. For most companies between $1 million and $15 million in revenue, fractional makes more sense both economically and practically.
Fractional CFO engagements can start within days or weeks compared to the months-long process of recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding a full-time executive. You can scale the engagement up during critical periods—fundraising, acquisition, rapid growth—then scale back during steadier phases without the awkwardness of underutilizing a full-time employee. This flexibility extends to fit as well—if the relationship isn’t working, you can transition to a different firm far more easily than terminating and replacing a full-time CFO.
A fractional CFO brings experience from working with dozens of companies across various situations, exposing them to more scenarios in five years than a full-time CFO might encounter in twenty. This pattern recognition helps them quickly identify what’s working, what’s not, and what you can do about it. The cost differential is substantial—a full-time CFO at a $5 million company might cost $150,000 to $250,000 in salary plus benefits, equity, and overhead, while a fractional CFO providing 20 hours monthly might cost $60,000 to $120,000 annually.
Fractional CFO firms invest in technology platforms, templates, and processes refined across many clients, giving you immediate access to tools and best practices that would take years to develop internally. Your fractional CFO brings established relationships with bookkeepers, tax advisors, attorneys, and other specialists, helping you build a complete finance team faster.
How to Match the Right Fractional CFO Firm to Your Growth Stage
Your company’s current revenue, complexity, and growth trajectory heavily influence which firms make sense to consider. A firm that excels at helping $20 million companies prepare for private equity investment might not fit a $2 million company that wants foundational financial systems.
At $1–3 million in revenue, you want a fractional CFO who can build financial foundations—establishing reliable bookkeeping, creating your first real budget, implementing basic cash flow forecasting, and helping you understand your unit economics. The focus centers on moving from reactive to proactive financial management. Look for firms that emphasize financial clarity and operational support rather than just high-level strategy.
Companies between $3–10 million typically have basic financial systems in place but want to professionalize their approach to support continued growth. Your fractional CFO at this stage focuses on advanced forecasting, building management reporting that drives accountability, optimizing your organizational structure, and preparing for potential funding or exit scenarios. The CFO acts as a true strategic partner to the CEO, challenging assumptions and providing perspective on major decisions.
Companies preparing for sale or backed by private equity require fractional CFOs with transaction experience and the ability to operate in environments with sophisticated stakeholders. Your CFO understands quality of earnings analysis, working capital adjustments, EBITDA optimization, and how buyers or investors will evaluate your financial performance.
Proven Steps to Onboard and Maximize ROI With Your New CFO Partner
The success of your fractional CFO engagement depends as much on how you work together as on the CFO’s expertise. Start by clearly articulating what success looks like—preparing for a funding round, improving profitability, implementing new systems, or building financial clarity for better decision-making. Your fractional CFO can’t prioritize effectively without understanding what matters most to you and your timeline for achieving it.
Your fractional CFO requires access to accurate, timely financial data to provide valuable guidance. This means ensuring your bookkeeping is current, granting appropriate system access, and implementing any reporting tools or dashboards the CFO recommends. If your books aren’t in good shape, address this immediately—either by having your existing bookkeeper catch up or by transitioning to a new provider your CFO recommends.
The first 90 days includes a comprehensive financial assessment covering your current systems, reporting, forecasting capabilities, and key performance drivers. Your CFO delivers a prioritized roadmap identifying quick wins, medium-term improvements, and longer-term strategic initiatives. This roadmap becomes your guide for the engagement, helping you allocate the CFO’s time effectively and measure progress against clear milestones.
Financial strategy isn’t set-it-and-forget-it—it requires ongoing attention and adjustment as circumstances evolve. Monthly reviews cover financial performance against budget, progress on strategic initiatives, and any emerging issues or opportunities requiring attention. Use sessions to provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not, ensuring the engagement evolves to meet your changing circumstances.
Grow Faster With Strategic Finance Leadership From Bennett Financials
Bennett Financials helps growth-focused service companies between $1 million and $10 million build the financial clarity and strategic roadmap required to scale profitably. Our approach combines fractional CFO services, aggressive tax planning, and real-time business intelligence to identify and remove whatever constraint is holding your business back. We don’t just deliver financial statements—we map the exact path from where you are to where you want to go, measuring progress monthly and adjusting course as obstacles emerge.
If you’re ready to move beyond basic bookkeeping into strategic finance that actually drives growth, schedule a consultation to explore how Bennett Financials can serve as your financial navigator.
