Fractional CFO versus bookkeeper versus controller.
They are not the same job, and hiring the wrong one is expensive. You either overpay for strategy you are not ready for, or you starve a growing business of the leadership it needs.
Three roles, three jobs.
| Role | What they do | Hire when |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeper | Record transactions, reconcile, file. Backward-looking accuracy. | You need the books kept and returns filed. Everyone needs this. |
| Controller | Own the close, tighten controls, produce timely, trustworthy reporting. | Volume and complexity are rising and reporting has to be faster and cleaner. |
| Fractional CFO | Forecast cash, drive margin and pricing, handle financing and bonding, set strategy. | You are growing and the numbers now drive real decisions. |
The gap is almost always strategy.
Most contractors I meet already have a bookkeeper, or need a better one, and do not yet need a full-time controller. The gap is strategy: nobody is forecasting cash around holdbacks, pricing jobs on real margin, or building the WIP schedule the bank wants. That gap is what a fractional CFO fills, and I can run or oversee the bookkeeping underneath so it all ties together.
I also fix the software feeding all three.
If the field data is wrong, no amount of bookkeeping or controllership saves the numbers. That is why I fix the ServiceTitan, Procore or Jobber pipe first. See the systems work and what it costs.
Not sure which you need?
Book a call and I will tell you straight, even if it is just a better bookkeeper for now.