What you get
Four things show up in every engagement.
Engagements are scoped to what your business actually needs, not a fixed package. Wherever your company is going, the job is to get you there with the numbers in hand.
Financial strategy
Solid financial plans, forecasting models and controls that deliver results now and stability for the long term.
Growth strategy
Data-informed growth plans and operations that scale. M&A work spans due diligence, modeling and post-merger integration, leaving stronger companies on the other side.
Empathy
People are the heart of every organization. Recognize, develop and reward talent, spot future leaders and help them reach their potential.
Trusted collaboration
Good relationships drive results. I become part of your team, work with the people already in it, and seek out different opinions to find the best answer.
The engagement outline
Three phases. Each one earns the next.
A foundation in the first two months, a seat at your table after that, and the high-impact work when the firm is growing, changing hands or changing shape.
Foundation
Understand where you are and build the infrastructure for clarity.
Financial statement review
Your P&L, balance sheet and cash flow, read for the real story, not just what your bookkeeper handed you.
Systems assessment
Your tech stack, accounting software and reporting tools. What's working, what's redundant, what's missing.
Team integration
Embedded with your leadership team: the players, the dynamics, and where finance adds the most value.
Contract and agreement review
Client contracts, vendor agreements and any financial commitment that affects cash flow or risk.
Ongoing partnership
Strategic finance support on a standing basis. The CFO seat at your table.
Financial reporting and analysis
Monthly close, variance analysis and trend identification. You'll know what happened and why.
Budgeting and forecasting
Forward-looking projections tied to your actual business drivers. Best case, worst case, most likely case.
Revenue growth strategy
The levers behind your revenue, pricing, utilization and client mix, identified and optimized.
Hiring and investment decisions
The financial impact modeled before you commit. Headcount, tools, office space: every decision has a number.
Staff utilization and productivity
Where your team's time goes, and whether it's generating value.
Technical oversight and mentorship
Guidance for your internal finance and accounting team. Their skills, not just their output.
KPI development and goal monitoring
Define the metrics that matter. Track them. Hold the business accountable to them.
Strategic advisory
High-impact engagements for the moments that decide what the firm becomes.
Annual budget development
A bottoms-up budget built with your leadership team. Owned, not inherited.
Exit readiness assessment
Your business through a buyer's eyes. Find the gaps before they cost you at the table.
Client profitability analysis
Not all revenue is good revenue. Know which clients make you money and which ones cost you.
Pricing strategy review
Are you charging enough? Are your margins protected? Let's find out.
M&A transaction support
Due diligence, integration planning and financial modeling for acquisitions or sales.
Compensation and equity planning
Comp plans that attract talent, retain performers and fit your financial reality.
Scenario planning
Playbooks for what happens when "what if" becomes "what now."
Some of the work
Four engagements, and what changed.
The margin mystery
A growing agency couldn't figure out why profits weren't keeping pace with revenue. The top line looked great. The bank account told a different story. Client-level profitability turned up two anchor accounts that were actually underwater: high-touch, low-margin relationships that had grown through scope creep and good intentions. After restructuring pricing and resetting expectations, margins improved by double digits within a year. The founder finally stopped dreading the month-end.
Ready for the room
A communications firm had vague plans to sell "someday" but no idea what a buyer would actually see. Their financials were accurate but not compelling: no clear story, no KPIs, no forward-looking narrative. We rebuilt their reporting around the metrics acquirers care about, recurring revenue, client retention and utilization trends. Eighteen months later they fielded an offer that exceeded their expectations. "Someday" came faster than they thought.
Scaling without the chaos
A fast-growing firm had doubled headcount but hadn't built the financial infrastructure to support it. No real budget, no utilization tracking, hiring decisions made on instinct. We built their first bottoms-up budget, tied hiring to revenue thresholds, and created dashboards that gave leadership real-time visibility. They kept scaling, without the cash crunches and fire drills that usually come with it.
The uncomfortable conversation
Sometimes the value isn't in the spreadsheet. It's in saying what no one else will. A founder had a leadership team that looked great on paper but wasn't performing at the level the business needed. Loyalty had become a liability. We quantified the cost of inaction and helped facilitate the hard conversations that followed. Within six months the right people were in the right seats, and the business started moving again.
Navigating complex financial questions can be daunting for a small business, but Joe made the process seamless.
He provided the clarity and options we needed to resolve our issue and move forward with total confidence. We highly recommend Joe for any organization looking for expert financial guidance.
Let's talk about your numbers.
Thirty minutes on where the business stands, what's keeping you up, and whether I can help.
Fractional CFO for professional service firms.