Bookkeeper
Keeps the records current, handles transactions and reconciliations, supports the close, and makes sure the books are complete.
Bookkeeper, controller, and CFO
The roles overlap. The ownership should not.
A growing business can have a good bookkeeper and accountant and still lack someone responsible for the forward view, management reporting, and the financial side of major decisions.
A practical division of work
Start with what the business needs owned.
Titles vary by company. The useful question is who is accountable for each outcome, who reviews the work, and where an issue goes when it crosses firms.
Controller
Owns accounting operations, close quality, controls, technical accounting inside the business, and the reliability of financial reporting.
Accountant
Handles tax, year-end reporting, compliance, assurance work where applicable, and external technical advice.
Fractional CFO
Runs the overall finance function, manages the forward view, coordinates the team and outside advisers, and supports the owner on major financial decisions.
When the CFO layer is missing
The symptoms usually show up before the title does.
Historical reporting only
The statements explain last month, but no one maintains a cash or operating forecast.
Disconnected advisers
The bookkeeper, accountant, bank, and lawyer are involved, but no one owns the issue across all of them.
Owner as finance coordinator
The owner is chasing deadlines, reconciling explanations, and translating between people who each hold part of the picture.
What to hire next
Match the role to the bottleneck.
If transactions are behind, add bookkeeping capacity. If the close and controls are weak, add controllership. If the information exists but no one is using it to run the business, add the CFO layer.
- Need cleaner records? Bookkeeper.
- Need a reliable close and stronger controls? Controller.
- Need tax and year-end work? Accountant.
- Need a forecast, finance-team leadership, and decision support? Fractional CFO.
- Need all of the above? Build the team with clear boundaries instead of expecting one person to do every job.
A useful first conversation
If the finance team is busy but the owner still does not have a clear financial view, the missing role is usually identifiable.
Tell me who is on the team now and which financial work still lands with the owner.