Fractional CFO Advisory in Wilmette, IL

What does a fractional CFO do?

Looks forward. A controller tells you what last month was. A CFO builds the rolling cash flow forecast so the next quarter is planned rather than survived, the budget and the model behind decisions that are expensive to reverse, and the margin analysis that shows which customers and services actually make money. The reporting is written for an owner or a board, and it comes with a strategy call every week or every other week where the numbers meet the decisions.

The word fractional means part-time by design. A business in the low millions of revenue needs that judgment for a few hours a week, not a full-time executive salary. Do you need a CFO yet sets out the signs that a business is ready and the signs that it is not.

How much does CFO advisory cost?

The size and complexity of the business set the fee: the number of revenue lines and entities, the model you need, how often you want the strategy call, and whether there is a specific project in front of you such as a financing round, an acquisition, or a new location. The CFO package includes everything in Growth and Starter, so the controller close and the bookkeeping are inside the same fee.

We quote a fixed monthly figure in writing after a free 30-minute call and a look at the business. There is no rate card and no hourly billing. What a fractional CFO costs explains what should drive the number and how it compares with a full-time hire.

Why does the CFO package include the controller work?

Because advice built on unreliable statements is guesswork with better vocabulary. A forecast starts from a balance sheet that reconciles and a profit and loss that is right. If that foundation is not in place, it is built first, and the advisory begins once the statements can carry it. The levels stack for this reason, and it is why we would rather tell a business it needs controller services first than sell it a forecast it cannot trust.

Who is CFO advisory for?

Established businesses, in the range of about two million to one hundred million in revenue, with decisions waiting on numbers nobody in the building can produce. Whether the next hire is affordable. How long the cash lasts if a large customer pays late. What a second location does to margin. Owners with a lender or an investor asking for projections and a plan.

It is also for owners who want someone in the room whose job is to disagree with them when the numbers do. That is the part of the role a spreadsheet does not replace.

How do you choose a fractional CFO in Wilmette?

Ask who you will meet with and how often. Ask what the forecast and the reports will look like for a business like yours, and ask to see them. Ask whether the controller work is included or assumed. Ask for the scope and the fee in writing. And listen for promised outcomes, because nobody honest promises what your margin or your valuation will do.

At NorthPeak the founder, Chaudhry Ahmad, is the person on every strategy call. The practice is in Wilmette and meets North Shore clients in person when that helps; the forecasting, modelling, and calls run remotely for clients anywhere. Our guide to choosing a fractional CFO has the full list of questions.