Operations
Someone who owns the numbers, end to end.
A fractional controller runs your accounting function: the close calendar, internal controls, cash management, budget-versus-actual reporting and the people and systems that produce it. You get a finance function without building a department.
At a glance
Sample pricing
Starting from
$2,900 / month
Cadence
Weekly cadence, monthly reporting pack
Best for
Companies from roughly $3M to $30M in revenue whose bookkeeping is solid but who lack an owner for policies, reporting and control.
Deliverables
Monthly management reporting pack
Budget-versus-actual with commentary
Close calendar and controls documentation
Cash management and AP approval process
The problem
Good bookkeeping is not the same as a finance function.
At a certain size the questions change. Not "are the books right?" but "why is gross margin down three points?", "who approved that spend?", "can we pay this supplier early?" and "what will the auditor ask?". Those questions need an owner who is senior enough to answer them and close enough to the numbers to be right.
A full-time controller is a significant hire. Most companies at this stage need a fraction of one — with the same standards.
The outcome
What a controller changes
01
A close you can set your calendar by
A written close calendar, owners for every task, and a reporting pack on a fixed day each month.
02
Controls that scale with the team
Approval limits, vendor onboarding checks and segregation of duties that stop small problems becoming large ones.
03
Reporting people actually read
Budget versus actual by department, with a page of commentary that explains the variances in plain language.
What is included
Everything in the engagement.
Scope is agreed in writing before work starts. Add or remove items as your business changes.
Ownership of the month-end close and its calendar
Monthly management reporting pack with variance commentary
Budget preparation and quarterly reforecasts with department heads
Cash management: weekly cash position, payment runs and approval workflow
Accounting policies, internal controls and documentation
Chart-of-accounts and systems design as you add entities, products or locations
Audit, review and lender-examination management
Supervision and review of bookkeeping work, in-house or ours
Ideal client
Who this is for — and who it is not.
A good fit
Companies with a bookkeeper (in-house or outsourced) but no senior accounting owner
Businesses preparing for a first audit, lender covenant reporting or a board
Multi-location or multi-entity operations
Probably not yet
Companies that still need the basics fixed first (start with bookkeeping or a clean-up)
How it works
From first call to a working rhythm.
01
Finance function review
We map how numbers are produced today: people, systems, timing and controls. You receive a short findings memo.
02
Close and controls design
A close calendar, reporting pack template and control points are agreed and documented.
03
Monthly operation
We run the close, publish the pack and hold a monthly review with you and your leads.
04
Quarterly planning
Reforecast, review controls, and plan for what is next — a new entity, an audit, a system change.
Client story
GW
Grace Whitfield
Chief Operating Officer,
Ferncliff Clinics
Related case study
From a 25-day close to an 8-day close before the Series A
A venture-backed software company with a slow close, an unreliable forecast and a raise nine months away. We rebuilt the close, the model and the board pack in one quarter.
FAQ
Questions about controller services.
The controller makes sure the numbers are right, on time and under control. The CFO uses them to plan ahead. Many clients have both; some start with one.
Scope is defined by deliverables, not hours. A typical engagement is the equivalent of one to two days a week, spread across the month.
Yes. Reviewing and developing an in-house bookkeeper is often the most valuable part of the engagement.
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