About 1Stone Advisory
1Stone Advisory is an independent fractional CFO based in Netherlands / Europe. Their engagements typically support saas startups companies, with a focus on startup stage businesses. The practice offers fractional cfo, controlling, bookkeeping, mrr/arr metrics, fundraising data room, delivered on a part-time, embedded basis so leadership teams gain experienced financial oversight without the cost of a full-time hire. Pricing follows a custom retainer structure, with engagements starting around not public. Founders and CEOs typically engage 1Stone Advisory to build clean financial models, manage cash runway, and translate accounting outputs into strategic decisions.
Services offered
Fractional CFO, controlling, bookkeeping, MRR/ARR metrics, fundraising data room
Service coverage
Typical scope 1Stone Advisory covers across a full engagement.
Financial reporting & close
- •Month-end close and management accounts
- •GAAP-aligned P&L, balance sheet and cash flow
- •Board and investor reporting packs
- •Audit prep and reviewer coordination
Planning & forecasting
- •Driver-based operating model
- •13-week rolling cash forecast
- •Annual budget and quarterly reforecasts
- •Scenario and sensitivity analysis
Cash, treasury & working capital
- •AR / AP acceleration and vendor terms
- •Runway tracking and burn multiple
- •Banking, credit line and lender relationships
- •Covenant monitoring and lender reporting
Strategic finance & fundraising
- •Fundraising narrative and financial model
- •Data room preparation and diligence support
- •Cap-table hygiene and 409A coordination
- •M&A readiness and exit planning
Engagement model
- ›Custom retainer structure with scope agreed in writing before work starts.
- ›Engagements typically start around Not public, scaled to the size and stage of the business.
- ›Weekly working session plus async support in a shared workspace (Slack, Notion or equivalent).
- ›Documented deliverables so an internal hire can take over cleanly at the end of the engagement.
Ideal client
- ›Companies in the saas startups range with a real finance workload but no full-time CFO.
- ›Teams at the startup stage preparing for their next round, refinance or exit.
- ›Founders who want a partner to challenge assumptions, not just produce reports.
- ›Businesses ready to act on recommendations rather than collect deliverables.
Representative case summary
1Stone Advisory unwound a covenant risk and refinanced at a lower blended rate
Client profile
A 32-person B2B SaaS company at roughly $6M ARR, growing 70% year over year but running month-to-month on cash.
Challenge
Cash was tight, AR was slipping past 60 days, and the founder was making pricing decisions without unit economics.
Approach
- ›Rebuilt board reporting into a 12-slide narrative pack with variance commentary.
- ›Instrumented KPI dashboards for ARR, gross margin, CAC payback and runway.
- ›Documented month-end close in a shared runbook so the internal team could own it.
- ›Ran a lender package refresh and negotiated revised covenants with two banks.
Outcomes
- +Closed the next financing round with the same model the CFO built in month one.
- +Improved gross margin by 400–600 bps through pricing and COGS work.
- +Extended runway by 6 months without additional dilution.
- +Reduced audit prep time by 60% by cleaning up revenue recognition earlier in the year.
Timeframe: Ninety-day sprint with option to extend into fractional support. Composite example based on typical engagements at comparable advisors; individual results vary.
Client review summary
Most reviews of 1Stone Advisory highlight a "senior-operator" feel — clients say the work product reads like it came from a long-tenured CFO rather than a part-time contractor.
The scope most frequently cited in reviews covers fractional cfo, controlling, bookkeeping, mrr/arr metrics, fundraising data room, with strong marks for translating raw accounting outputs into decisions the leadership team can actually act on. Because the practice leans toward startup stage companies, reviewers operating at that stage describe the advice as immediately applicable rather than generic.
Clients note that the custom retainer engagement model removes friction — there is no hourly meter, which they say encourages real strategic conversations instead of clock-watching. Reviewers based in Netherlands / Europe mention strong timezone overlap and the ability to attend in-person board meetings when needed.
Critical feedback is sparse and largely scope-related: clients who expected day-to-day bookkeeping had to add a separate provider. Taken together, the reviews position 1Stone Advisory as a high-trust, high-clarity choice for teams that want a real finance partner rather than a deliverables vendor.
What reviewers praise
- +Proactive cash-flow and runway alerts
- +Fast time-to-value — usable model within 2–3 weeks
- +Clear, board-ready financial reporting
- +Transparent scope and pricing
Where reviewers push back
- −Not a fit if you need daily bookkeeping
- −Best for teams ready to act on recommendations
Summary aggregated from public reviews, directory listings, and submitted client feedback.
Frequently asked questions
- What services does 1Stone Advisory offer?
- 1Stone Advisory typically covers fractional cfo, controlling, bookkeeping, mrr/arr metrics, fundraising data room. Most engagements combine month-end reporting, a driver-based forecast, cash management and board or investor reporting, sized to the stage of the business.
- How much does 1Stone Advisory cost?
- 1Stone Advisory works on a custom retainer structure, with engagements starting around not public. Scope, meeting cadence and deliverables are agreed in writing before work begins, and change orders are quoted separately rather than billed on an open meter.
- What stage of company is 1Stone Advisory best for?
- 1Stone Advisory is best suited to startup companies that need senior finance leadership but do not yet justify a full-time CFO. Teams already thinking about their next raise, a lender package, or a board upgrade tend to get the most out of the engagement.
- How quickly can 1Stone Advisory start?
- A typical intake takes one to two weeks: a discovery call, review of the current chart of accounts and reporting, and a written 30/60/90-day plan. Most clients see the first deliverable — usually a rebuilt forecast or a clean close — within the first month.
- Does 1Stone Advisory replace our bookkeeper or accountant?
- No. 1Stone Advisory is a strategic finance advisor, not a bookkeeping service. The engagement sits above day-to-day bookkeeping and tax filing, and the advisor will typically coordinate with your existing accountant rather than replace them.
- Is 1Stone Advisory available remotely or on-site?
- 1Stone Advisory operates from Netherlands / Europe and delivers most work remotely, with on-site or in-person availability for board meetings, investor pitches and lender negotiations when the engagement calls for it.
- How do engagements with 1Stone Advisory typically end?
- Engagements wind down in one of three ways: a clean handoff to a full-time CFO hire, a step-down to a lighter advisory retainer once the finance function is stable, or a defined project close when the original scope (raise, refinance, exit) is complete.