A company’s first stage of growth is an exciting time for business owners. As sales climb and your team expands, you begin to see real momentum behind what started as an idea. While this progress is deeply gratifying, it also brings added complexity to your business, especially with regard to financial management. If you started out handling the books and records yourself or relied on a small internal team, you may now find yourself increasingly in the weeds as your financial operations grow more demanding alongside your revenue. This is where an outsourced chief financial officer (CFO) can provide critical support.
Outsourced CFOs are experienced financial professionals that companies hire on an as-needed basis. They provide the expertise needed to handle a growing company’s financial management needs. Unlike a traditional CFO, however, they don’t require the salary and benefits of a full-time company employee. Instead, they’re available when you need them to do the heavy lifting that’s beyond your team’s skillset or bandwidth.
There are other types of outsourced back-office professionals who can assist with day-to-day financial tasks, such as bookkeepers, accountants, and controllers. A bookkeeper tracks income and cash flow, reconciles accounts, and manages financial records. An accountant can manage the bookkeepers and provide basic level of accounting support while preparing budgets and reports for an organization. A controller, meanwhile, oversees financial reporting, ensures accuracy in budgets and reports, and manages compliance. An outsourced CFO, on the other hand, focuses on the big picture, developing strategy, modeling, planning, and forecasting long-term results.
At this stage, your attention can be pulled in a thousand directions. You need to accelerate hiring, pursue emerging opportunities, and perhaps even take on the demanding task of preparing to attract new investors. As the first stage of growth places unprecedented demands on your business, adapting by working smarter becomes essential. Hiring skilled professionals with experience in larger companies can help your business reach the next level more efficiently and with less friction.
An outsourced CFO brings strategic insight and financial leadership to help your business navigate the complexities of varying degrees of growth. From managing a more sophisticated revenue model to securing capital and making timely, high impact decisions, an outsourced CFO can accelerate your momentum while laying the groundwork for long-term success. Whether supporting your internal team or filling a gap during a critical stage, an outsourced CFO helps ensure your business stays focused, informed, and on track.
Here are some of the ways an outsourced CFO can add value to your business:
With expert guidance in these key areas, your business will be poised to thrive as it grows. Outsourcing the CFO position also helps conserve valuable resources at this stage of development. Flexible engagement models allow you to pay only for the services you need, when you need them, without the significant cost of a full-time executive.
Growing companies often face situations where an outsourced CFO can make a meaningful difference:
The first stage of growth can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. An outsourced CFO can help you navigate this new terrain, empowering your business to move forward stronger, smarter, and ready to tackle the next level.
Stable Rock partners with early-stage companies to help them navigate this pivotal stage by offering practical guidance and bringing order to evolving financial needs. If you want to add financial horsepower to your next stage without the cost or commitment of hiring an in-house CFO, explore our services and learn about how we partner with clients. We’ll help you make sense of the numbers, so you can focus on what you do best: building your vision.