Learning CenterStage 3 · StrategyGuide 20 of 22
Building your financial team
Finance Team At a Glance
Who reports the score, and who helps change it.
A bookkeeper, an accountant, AI tools and a fractional CFO each answer a different question about your business. This guide shows who covers what, and why the CFO is the one who looks ahead.
Four players, four questions
Bookkeeper
“What happened?”
Accountant
“Is it right & filed?”
AI tools
“Can it be faster?”
Fractional CFO
“What do we do next?”
Who covers what the business needs
Tap a role to see its coverage| What the business needs | Bookkeeper | Accountant | AI Tools | Plans aheadFractional CFO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Records transactions & reconciles accountsThe clean books everything else depends on. | ||||
| Files taxes & keeps you compliantReturns, 1099s, sales tax, year-end adjustments. | ||||
| Produces monthly financial statementsP&L and balance sheet on a set close date. | ||||
| Explains what the numbers meanTurns a report into what to do next month. | ||||
| Job costing, pricing & markupsBids that hit your gross margin goal. | ||||
| Cash flow forecast & off-season planSees the cash crunch before it arrives. | ||||
| Budget, KPI scorecard & benchmarksSets targets and measures against peers. | ||||
| Bank, lender & equipment financingBuilds the package and sits at the table. | ||||
| Valuation, exit & buyer-readinessBuilds the value a buyer will pay for. | ||||
| Holds you accountable to the planA monthly seat at the table with the owner. | ||||
| Mostly looks at | The past | The past | The present | The future |
- Core role
- Some help / oversees
- Not their role
What a fractional CFO adds
Price for profit
Markups, labor rates and job costing that clear your margin goal.
Cash before crisis
A 12-month forecast for payroll, equipment and the winter slowdown.
Build value
Buyer-ready books and a plan to grow EBITDA, the number buyers pay a multiple on.
Better together
Keep your bookkeeper and your CPA. AI tools speed up their work. The fractional CFO directs the whole team and turns their numbers into decisions.
Thinking about when to add finance leadership? See the Finance Leadership role sheet in Guide 19.
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