FAQ

Straight answers to the questions owners ask

Grouped by service. If yours is not here, ask it on a first call — there is no charge and no obligation.

How is a fractional CFO different from our accountant?: Your accountant looks back: the year-end accounts and the tax return. A fractional CFO looks forward — cash forecast, pricing, bank relationship, the board pack — and sits in the meetings where decisions are made.
How many days a month will we get?: Between two and twelve, fixed in the engagement letter. Most companies between $5M and $30M revenue settle on four to six days a month after the first quarter.
Can we stop if it is not working?: Yes. After the first three months either side can end a retainer with 30 days’ notice. Everything we built stays with you.

Do you only work on a success fee?: No. A preparation fee covers the model and the pack, so our advice is not tied to closing at any price. A success fee of 1.5–3% applies only when money arrives.
Which lenders and investors do you know?: Regional and national banks, asset-based lenders, private credit funds and family offices across the US and Switzerland. We shortlist for your size and sector before approaching anyone.
How long does a raise take?: A bank facility typically closes in 8–12 weeks from a finished pack; an equity round in 4–7 months. We give you a dated timetable in the first fortnight.

How far ahead of a sale should we start?: Eighteen to twenty-four months is ideal: long enough to clean up the accounts, fix customer concentration and show a full year of the improved numbers to a buyer.
Is the online estimator a valuation?: No. It applies published sector multiples to the numbers you type in, to show a plausible range. A real valuation normalises your earnings and tests them — that is the first week of an exit-readiness review.
Do you run the sale process too?: For deals under about $25M we can. Above that, we prepare the company and work alongside the investment bank you appoint, so you arrive with the numbers already defended.

Working with us

What size of company do you work with?: Owner-managed companies with roughly $2M to $80M revenue. Below that, a good bookkeeper and accountant usually cover it; above that, you likely need a full-time finance team.
Do we have to be in New York, Chicago or Zurich?: No. About half of our clients are elsewhere in the US or Europe. We visit for the first half-day and the key meetings, and work remotely in between.
What do you need from us before the first call?: Nothing. After the call, and a signed NDA, we ask for three years of accounts, the latest management accounts and a list of your ten largest customers.
Are you regulated?: We are a financial consulting firm, not an investment adviser or broker-dealer. Where a transaction needs a licensed intermediary, we name them in the engagement letter and work alongside them.

Thirty minutes with a partner. Bring the question you did not find here.

Or call +1 (212) 555-0142 — a partner answers.