Finance, decoded.
Fractional CFO services for growing companies
Decipher gives companies without a finance leader a senior, hands-on CFO on a monthly retainer: cash and runway, budgets, board reporting and fundraising, without the cost of a full-time hire. New to the role? Start with what a fractional CFO is.
What Decipher's fractional CFO service includes
The full finance leadership seat, strategic and hands-on. Every engagement includes the planning and reporting in Decipher's FP&A services, plus the work below.
Cash and runway management
A 13-week cash flow forecast, rolled forward every week, and runway under a base case and a downside case, with the trigger that would change the plan.
Budgets and budget vs actual
An annual budget leadership manages to, and a monthly budget vs actual analysis with commentary on what moved and why.
Board and investor reporting
A monthly reporting package, board decks and investor updates built around the metrics investors check first, from ARR and net retention to burn multiple.
Fundraising and capital strategy
When to raise, how much and from whom, with an investor model that holds up to scrutiny. Venture debt and other options weighed against equity.
Diligence readiness
Numbers, metric definitions and a data room that hold up in diligence, whether the company is raising, selling or buying.
A seat in the decision room
Hires, pricing changes and major spend modeled before they are approved, and a finance view in leadership meetings.
Fractional, outsourced, part-time or virtual CFO: one role, four names
Fractional, outsourced, part-time and virtual CFO all describe the same service: a senior finance leader from outside the company who owns the plan for what comes next, without a full-time hire. Decipher works this way, on a monthly retainer, inside the tools a company already uses.
For the longer explanation, read what a fractional CFO is and when it makes sense.
Who Decipher's fractional CFO services are for
Companies that have outgrown founder-led finance
Most have a bookkeeper closing the books and a CPA handling taxes, but nobody looking ahead.
- Software and SaaS companies, seed through Series B, that need a finance leader before a full-time CFO makes sense. See fractional CFO services for SaaS startups and the guide to fractional CFO for startups.
- Owner-led businesses with recurring revenue, such as MSPs and multi-location practices, that need CFO services for a small business: sized to the company, not to an enterprise.
- Creative, marketing and digital agencies whose margins depend on client and project profitability. See fractional CFO for agencies.
- Owners and buyers going through the sale or purchase of a business.
The moments that usually trigger the call
Preparing to raise
New investors and a board bring expectations for projections and reporting that hold up to scrutiny.
Weighing a finance hire
The company needs a finance lead, but a full-time CFO is hard to justify yet.
Running without a roadmap
The books are in good shape, but no one owns the plan for what comes next.
Buying or selling a business
Numbers that hold up in diligence, then a combined forecast after close.
Outgrowing spreadsheets
Key metrics are not tracked, and what is tracked is pulled together by hand every month.
How a fractional CFO compares with the alternatives
A full-time CFO hire
A full-time CFO makes sense once the finance work fills a full week and the company can carry an executive salary, equity and a search. Before that point, a fractional CFO delivers the same planning, reporting and investor work for the share of the week the company needs, and can help hire the full-time role when it is time.
A bookkeeper or controller
A bookkeeper records transactions and a controller owns an accurate, timely close. Both report on what already happened. A fractional CFO uses those numbers to look forward: cash, runway, budgets, scenarios and the decisions they inform. Decipher works alongside them, not instead of them.
A CPA firm
A CPA firm handles tax returns, tax planning and, where needed, reviews or audits. That work is about compliance for a past period. Decipher stays out of tax and coordinates with the CPA when a decision has tax consequences.
The founder doing it
Many founders run finance themselves until a raise, a board or a large hire forces the issue. A fractional CFO takes that load off and puts a repeatable monthly cadence in place.
Comparing firms? How to choose a fractional CFO firm covers the questions to ask, the red flags and how to compare proposals.
How an engagement works
From first call to a working finance function in about 90 days. The exact deliverables are set out in the proposal.
- 01
Intro call
30 minutesWhere things stand, what decisions are coming, and a straight answer on whether Decipher is the right fit.
- 02
Written proposal
Within 48 hoursScope, deliverables, timeline, cadence and price, built around the company's priorities.
- 03
Diagnosis
Month 1A review of the books, existing models and data, and a monthly finance calendar agreed with leadership.
- 04
Build
Month 2The operating model, KPI reporting, a cash flow forecast and the first monthly reporting package.
- 05
Running
Month 3 onwardA monthly forecast, actuals reviewed against plan, and board and investor reporting on a set cadence.
- Pricing
- Retainers are sized to the business and its stage, and the price is in the proposal before work starts. How firms price this work: fractional CFO cost.
- Commitment
- A three-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice.
- One-time needs
- A raise, a sale or a model build can be scoped as a fixed-fee project instead of a retainer.
Why Decipher
Decipher was founded by Joe Ferretti, who spent nearly a decade running FP&A inside private equity backed enterprise software companies. He has been on both sides of acquisitions, from diligence through integration, and has built the models investors and buyers use to judge a company.
That shapes how Decipher sets up a company's finance: the way an investor or acquirer will read it. Clear metric definitions, a model that ties to the books, and reporting that answers the questions a board asks first.
Clients work with Joe directly, from the first call through every deliverable.
What Decipher does not do
Decipher is the strategic side of finance, not a bookkeeping shop. Bookkeeping, tax, audit and controllership are not included.
Decipher works alongside the bookkeeper, controller and CPA a company already has, and builds on the numbers they produce.
Fractional CFO services: common questions
What is the difference between a fractional CFO and an outsourced CFO?
In practice, very little. Both describe a senior finance leader from outside the company who does CFO work without being a full-time employee. "Fractional" stresses that the company gets a set share of that person's time on a retainer. "Outsourced" stresses that the work sits with an outside firm. Decipher's fractional CFO services are both.
How much do fractional CFO services cost?
It depends on scope and stage. Retainers are sized to the business, and one-time projects are fixed fee. After a 30-minute intro call, Decipher sends a written proposal with scope, deliverables and price within 48 hours.
What does a fractional CFO do in the first 90 days?
The first month is diagnosis: a review of the books, existing models and data, and a monthly finance calendar agreed with leadership. The second month is the build: the operating model, KPI reporting, a cash flow forecast and the first monthly reporting package. By the third month the function is running, with a monthly forecast and actuals reviewed against plan.
Is a part-time CFO enough for a startup that is raising money?
Often, yes. A raise needs an investor model, clean metrics and a data room, and a board needs reporting on a set cadence. That is CFO work, but at seed through Series B it is rarely a full week of it. A fractional CFO covers it and can help scope and hire a full-time CFO when the company is ready for one.
Do we still need a bookkeeper and a CPA?
Yes. Decipher does not do bookkeeping, tax, audit or controllership. A bookkeeper or controller keeps the books accurate, and a CPA handles tax. Decipher works alongside both and builds on the numbers they produce.
Can a virtual CFO work with our systems and team remotely?
Yes. Decipher works inside the tools a company already uses, including QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite for accounting and Excel or Google Sheets for models and reporting, with regular video meetings with leadership.
Is there a long-term commitment?
Retainers start with a three-month minimum, then continue month to month with 30 days' notice. A defined piece of work, such as preparing for a raise, can be scoped as a fixed-fee project instead.
Further reading
Decipher's FP&A services
Already have a CFO or controller? The FP&A Lead engagement adds planning and reporting capacity underneath them.
See where a fractional CFO fits
A 30-minute call covers where finance stands today, what decisions are coming, and whether Decipher is the right fit. A written proposal follows within 48 hours.
Or email contact@decipherhq.com