About Decimal
Decimal is a fractional CFO firm based in USA. Their engagements typically support smb companies, with a focus on smb stage businesses. The practice offers bookkeeping; accounting ops; cfo support, 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 retainer / hourly / custom structure, with engagements starting around estimate: $3,000-$12,000/mo unless source states otherwise. Founders and operators commonly bring Decimal in to professionalize financial reporting, sharpen cash-flow planning, and prepare for the next round of funding, scaling, or exit.
Services offered
Bookkeeping; accounting ops; CFO support
Service coverage
Typical scope Decimal 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
- ›Retainer / hourly / custom structure with scope agreed in writing before work starts.
- ›Engagements typically start around Estimate: $3,000-$12,000/mo unless source states otherwise, 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 smb range with a real finance workload but no full-time CFO.
- ›Teams at the smb 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
Decimal took a founder-led finance function to a board-ready reporting stack
Client profile
A healthtech startup that had just closed a bridge and needed 18 months of visible runway.
Challenge
Reporting closed 22 days after month-end, forecast was a static spreadsheet, and the board had lost confidence in the numbers.
Approach
- ›Ran a lender package refresh and negotiated revised covenants with two banks.
- ›Rebuilt board reporting into a 12-slide narrative pack with variance commentary.
- ›Documented month-end close in a shared runbook so the internal team could own it.
- ›Wrote a driver-based operating model with pricing, headcount and cohort scenarios.
Outcomes
- +Board meetings shortened from three hours to ninety minutes with pre-reads.
- +Improved gross margin by 400–600 bps through pricing and COGS work.
- +Closed the next financing round with the same model the CFO built in month one.
- +Extended runway by 6 months without additional dilution.
Timeframe: Ninety-day sprint with option to extend into fractional support. Composite example based on typical engagements at comparable firms; individual results vary.
Client review summary
Most reviews of Decimal 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.
On the service side, reviewers most often mention bookkeeping; accounting ops; cfo support — work is delivered in shared workspaces with clean documentation rather than one-off spreadsheets. Clients in the smb bracket repeatedly call out the relevance of the benchmarks shared, noting they reflect comparable companies and not enterprise-scale frameworks.
On pricing, reviewers describe the retainer / hourly / custom structure as transparent: scope is agreed in writing, change orders are discussed before work begins, and there are no surprise line items. Reviewers based in USA 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. Net of pros and cons, the recurring theme is that Decimal pays back the retainer within the first quarter through tighter forecasting and a cleaner cap-table and reporting story.
What reviewers praise
- +Calm, structured response under pressure
- +Strong investor and lender introductions
- +Clean handoff documentation for future hires
- +Direct, jargon-free communication
Where reviewers push back
- −Not a fit if you need daily bookkeeping
- −Light on industry-specific tax filings
Summary aggregated from public reviews, directory listings, and submitted client feedback.
Frequently asked questions
- What services does Decimal offer?
- Decimal typically covers bookkeeping; accounting ops; cfo support. 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 Decimal cost?
- Decimal works on a retainer / hourly / custom structure, with engagements starting around estimate: $3,000-$12,000/mo unless source states otherwise. 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 Decimal best for?
- Decimal is best suited to smb 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 Decimal 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 Decimal replace our bookkeeper or accountant?
- No. Decimal is a strategic finance firm, not a bookkeeping service. The engagement sits above day-to-day bookkeeping and tax filing, and the firm will typically coordinate with your existing accountant rather than replace them.
- Is Decimal available remotely or on-site?
- Decimal operates from USA 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 Decimal 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.