I ran an exteriors company doing roofing and siding. I made payroll every two weeks while customers paid on net 30. I watched good jobs lose money on change orders nobody billed.
The fix is not more work. It is better numbers.
The same analysis a CFO runs for a large company, built around how a trades business actually works.
Break-even and overhead
Job profitability
13-week cash forecast
How much work do I need just to stay afloat?
Which jobs actually make money?
Why am I busy but broke?
Trucks, shop, insurance, office and your own pay all have to be covered before a job makes you money. I find your true break-even and what every crew hour needs to recover.
Bid margin versus what you really made, job by job, and why it slipped: unbilled change orders, labour overruns or scope creep.
A rolling, week-by-week view of your bank balance for the next quarter, so you see a cash squeeze weeks before it hits payroll.
Pricing
Big decisions
Am I charging enough?
Should I buy the truck, hire, or add a crew?
Markup is not margin. A 25% markup is only a 20% margin. I build your true cost per crew hour so every quote covers overhead and profit.
Buy or lease, hire or subcontract, add a crew, incorporate, or how to pay yourself. You see the cash impact and payback of each option before you commit.
Financial health check
Will the bank say yes?
Four ratios lenders look at, tracked over time: current ratio, days to get paid, gross margin and debt to equity. The trend tells the story.
What is a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO (also called a part-time or outsourced CFO) gives you the same financial leadership a large company gets from a full-time CFO, for a few hours a month. For a trades business that means knowing your true break-even, pricing jobs to cover overhead and profit, seeing a cash squeeze weeks before it hits payroll, and having the numbers in hand before you buy a truck, hire or add a crew. You get CFO-level analysis from a CFA charterholder without a CFO's salary.
1. Gather
2. Analyze
3. Decide
Your books, job list, bank statements and quotes. If we already do your books, this part is done.
Cash first, assumptions written down, every option laid out with its trade-offs.
We sit down with a one-page dashboard. You make the call, knowing exactly what each option costs.
Clear, one-page tools you will actually use. No 40-page reports.
01
One-page financial dashboard
Your key numbers and trends on a single page.
02
13-week cash forecast
Updated weekly, so you see a squeeze coming.
03
Job-by-job margin report
Which jobs made money and which ones leaked.
04
Break-even and pricing sheet
What you need to bill, and what to charge.
05
Summary of your options
Plain-language choices with the cost of each.
CFA charterholder: trained in financial analysis, valuation and risk.
FRM: Financial Risk Manager certification.
Former trades business owner: I have made payroll on a job that had not paid yet.
A framing company billing $1.2 million a year felt busy and profitable. The analysis showed three things.
Break-even was $720,000 of revenue, about $60,000 a month.
Two jobs lost a big share of their margin on change orders that were never billed.
A cash shortfall was coming in week 7, before two big draws landed.
The fixes: bill change orders as they are signed, invoice a progress draw early and move one material order.
Example only: a hypothetical contractor.
Example only: a hypothetical contractor.
My books are a mess. Can you still help?
Yes. We clean them up first, then the analysis starts.
What do you need from me?
Bank access, your job list, your quotes and about an hour a month.
How often do we meet?
Monthly or quarterly, your call. The cash forecast is updated every week.
Does this only work for incorporated businesses?
No. Sole proprietors face the same cash flow and pricing problems.
Will this help me get a loan or equipment financing?
It gets you ready. Lenders want to see a cash forecast and healthy ratios, and you will have both.
How much does a fractional CFO cost?
CFO advisory is part of our Advisory plan at $1,400/month + GST, which also covers bookkeeping, GST, payroll, your T2 and year-end statements. One-off projects, like a buy-or-lease analysis or a cash flow forecast, are quoted up front.
Is a fractional CFO worth it for a small contractor?
It depends on your size and where you are stuck. It tends to pay off when you are busy but cash is always tight, bidding without knowing your true cost per hour, or facing a big decision like hiring or buying equipment. On the free call we look at your numbers, and if it would not pay for itself, we will tell you.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper, an accountant and a fractional CFO?
A bookkeeper records what happened. An accountant files your taxes and year-end. A fractional CFO uses those numbers to help you decide what to do next.
Do you work with businesses outside Kelowna?
Yes. We work with trades and construction businesses across the Okanagan, from Vernon to Penticton, and most of the work happens online.