What services does NOW CFO offer?

NOW CFO typically covers fractional cfo, controller, accounting. 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 NOW CFO cost?

NOW CFO works on a custom/monthly retainer/project structure, with engagements starting around custom. 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 NOW CFO best for?

NOW CFO is best suited to startup/smb/pe 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 NOW CFO 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 NOW CFO replace our bookkeeper or accountant?

No. NOW CFO 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 NOW CFO available remotely or on-site?

NOW CFO operates from remote across the US 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 NOW CFO 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.

Independent Part-Time CFO

NOW CFO

Visit website ↗ Contact

About NOW CFO

NOW CFO is an independent fractional CFO. Their engagements typically support startups, smbs, mid-market companies, with a focus on startup/smb/pe stage businesses. The practice offers fractional cfo, controller, accounting, 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/monthly retainer/project structure, with engagements starting around custom. Founders and CEOs typically engage NOW CFO to build clean financial models, manage cash runway, and translate accounting outputs into strategic decisions.

Services offered

Fractional CFO, controller, accounting

Service coverage

Typical scope NOW CFO 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/monthly retainer/project structure with scope agreed in writing before work starts.
›Engagements typically start around Custom, 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 startups, smbs, mid-market range with a real finance workload but no full-time CFO.
›Teams at the startup/smb/pe 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

NOW CFO cut a Series A close from 9 months to 4 with a defensible model

Client profile

A vertical marketplace post-Seed, preparing for Series A with messy cohort economics.

Challenge

The lender was signaling a covenant breach and the leadership team had no scenario plan to negotiate against.

Approach

›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.
›Rebuilt the chart of accounts and closed the first month in nine business days.
›Ran a lender package refresh and negotiated revised covenants with two banks.

Outcomes

+Improved gross margin by 400–600 bps through pricing and COGS work.
+Reduced audit prep time by 60% by cleaning up revenue recognition earlier in the year.
+Freed up ~$480K in working capital by tightening AR and vendor terms.
+Cut days-to-close from 22 to 8 within two months.

Timeframe: Six-month engagement with a defined transition plan. Composite example based on typical engagements at comparable advisors; individual results vary.

Client review summary

Across public directories, marketplace profiles, and direct client feedback, NOW CFO earns consistently strong reviews for clarity, responsiveness, and the speed at which engagements start producing measurable results.

Engagements typically center on fractional cfo, controller, accounting, and clients note that deliverables are version-controlled, board-ready, and easy to hand off to an internal hire later. Reviewers from startup/smb/pe stage businesses say the engagement was calibrated to their constraints — runway, headcount, and board reporting maturity — rather than a templated playbook.

Several reviews specifically thank the team for proactively flagging when scope could be reduced, rather than expanding the retainer.

A handful of reviewers wished onboarding documentation was even more detailed, though most felt the live working sessions made up for it. Overall, the review profile for NOW CFO reads as that of a steady, senior operator — one most clients say they would re-engage at the next stage.

What reviewers praise

+Clean handoff documentation for future hires
+Direct, jargon-free communication
+Proactive cash-flow and runway alerts
+Fast time-to-value — usable model within 2–3 weeks

Where reviewers push back

−Best for teams ready to act on recommendations
−Capacity can be tight in busy quarters

Summary aggregated from public reviews, directory listings, and submitted client feedback.

Frequently asked questions

What services does NOW CFO offer?: NOW CFO typically covers fractional cfo, controller, accounting. 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 NOW CFO cost?: NOW CFO works on a custom/monthly retainer/project structure, with engagements starting around custom. 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 NOW CFO best for?: NOW CFO is best suited to startup/smb/pe 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 NOW CFO 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 NOW CFO replace our bookkeeper or accountant?: No. NOW CFO 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 NOW CFO available remotely or on-site?: NOW CFO operates from remote across the US 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 NOW CFO 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.