Finance, decoded.
CFO services for small business, sized to the company
Decipher provides CFO services for small business owners who have a bookkeeper and a CPA but no one looking ahead: a cash forecast, a budget, monthly reporting and the numbers behind the next big decision, on a monthly retainer instead of a full-time hire.
What small business CFO services from Decipher include
Forward-looking finance sized to an owner-led business, built on the numbers the bookkeeper already produces.
A weekly cash forecast
A 13-week view of cash in, cash out and the bank balance each week, rolled forward every Monday, so the low point shows up before it arrives.
A budget and budget vs actual
An annual budget the owner manages to, and a monthly comparison with commentary on what moved and why.
A monthly reporting package
The few numbers that matter for this business, reported the same way every month, with a short explanation instead of a stack of reports.
Profitability by client, service or location
Revenue and margin broken down where the business actually makes and loses money, so growth goes to the right places.
Decision support
Hires, price changes, large purchases and new locations modeled against cash and the budget before the owner commits.
Sale readiness, when the time comes
Clean, explainable numbers and preparation for quality of earnings work, whether a sale is next year or several years out.
Who it is for
Owner-operators with recurring revenue
Businesses where the books are in good shape, but the owner is still the one carrying the forecast in their head.
- Managed service providers, agencies and other recurring-revenue service businesses. See fractional CFO for agencies.
- Multi-location practices, such as dental groups, that need location-level numbers.
- Owners thinking about selling in the next few years, or buying another business.
- Software or SaaS startup instead? See Decipher's fractional CFO for SaaS startups.
The moments that usually trigger the call
Cash feels tight despite growth
Revenue is up, but the bank balance does not show it, and no one can say why.
A big decision is on the table
A key hire, a new location or a large contract needs numbers before a commitment.
Running without a roadmap
The books are accurate, but there is no budget or plan for what comes next.
Some clients may not be worth it
Margin by client or service line has never been measured.
A sale or a lender is coming
A buyer or bank will ask for numbers that hold up to scrutiny.
When CFO services fit, and when a bookkeeper or CPA is enough
Each role answers a different question. A small business needs the first two before the third is worth paying for.
A bookkeeper
Records transactions, reconciles accounts and closes the books each month. Every forecast depends on that work, so it comes first. A bookkeeper answers what happened.
A CPA
Handles tax returns, tax planning and, where needed, reviews or audits of a past period. Decipher stays out of tax and coordinates with the CPA when a decision has tax consequences.
CFO services
Answer what happens next and what the owner should do about it: where cash is headed, what the business can afford, and which parts of it make money. They fit once those questions start driving real decisions.
A full-time CFO
Makes sense when the finance work fills a full week and the business can carry an executive salary. Most owner-led businesses get there late or never, which is why fractional CFO services exist.
Still deciding? What a fractional CFO is and when it makes sense covers the role in more depth.
Examples of decisions CFO services support
The point of the work is better decisions, made before the money is committed.
Can we afford the next hire?
The fully loaded cost of the role tested against the budget and the weekly cash forecast, including the months before the new person adds revenue.
Should we open another location?
A model of the new site against the existing ones: the cash it needs up front, how long until it covers its costs, and what happens if it ramps slower.
Which clients and services make money?
Margin by client and service line, so pricing, renewals and where to grow are decided on numbers rather than on revenue alone.
Are we ready to sell?
Earnings that hold up to a buyer's review, adjustments that can be explained, and a forecast that ties to the books. More in quality of earnings and EBITDA adjustments.
How an engagement works
From first call to a running monthly finance cadence in about 90 days. The exact deliverables are set out in the proposal.
- 01
Intro call
30 minutesWhere the numbers 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, sized to the business and the owner's priorities.
- 03
Diagnosis
Month 1A review of the books and any existing reports, and agreement with the owner on the numbers that matter.
- 04
Build
Month 2The cash forecast, the budget, the first monthly reporting package and profitability by client, service or location.
- 05
Running
Month 3 onwardA monthly review of results against plan, the cash forecast kept current, and decisions modeled as they come up.
- Pricing
- Retainers are sized to the business, 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.
- Start on your own
- The free 13-week cash flow forecast template is the weekly cash view Decipher uses with clients.
Why Decipher
Decipher was founded by Joe Ferretti, who spent nearly a decade running FP&A inside private equity backed software companies and has been on both sides of acquisitions, from diligence through integration.
That shapes how Decipher sets up an owner-led business: the way a buyer, lender or investor will read it. Numbers that tie to the books, definitions that stay the same, and reporting an owner can act on.
Owners work with Joe directly, from the first call through every deliverable.
What Decipher does not do
Bookkeeping, tax, audit and controllership are not included. In healthcare, Decipher does not work on revenue cycle, payer mix or reimbursement.
Decipher works alongside the bookkeeper and CPA a business already has, and builds on the numbers they produce.
CFO services for small business: common questions
What do CFO services for a small business include?
At Decipher: a weekly cash forecast and runway view, an annual budget with a monthly budget vs actual, a monthly reporting package with commentary, profitability by client, service line or location, and the analysis behind decisions such as a hire, a price change or a new location. Bookkeeping and tax stay with the bookkeeper and CPA.
Does a small business need a CFO if it already has a bookkeeper and a CPA?
Not always. A bookkeeper keeps the books and a CPA handles tax, and for a stable business that can be enough. CFO services start to pay off when the owner faces decisions the books cannot answer on their own: whether cash will cover the next few months, whether a hire is affordable, or which clients actually make money.
How is a fractional CFO different from a controller for a small business?
A controller owns an accurate, timely close and the accounting behind it, which is a look back at what happened. A fractional CFO looks forward: cash, budgets, scenarios and the decisions they inform. Decipher does not do controllership and works alongside whoever closes the books.
How much do CFO services for a small business cost?
It depends on scope. Decipher sizes retainers to the business and prices one-time work, such as getting ready to sell, as a fixed-fee project. After a 30-minute intro call, a written proposal with scope, deliverables and price follows within 48 hours.
Does Decipher work with healthcare practices?
Yes, including multi-location practices such as dental groups, on the same forward-looking work: cash, budgets, location-level reporting and decisions such as opening another site. Decipher does not work on revenue cycle, payer mix or reimbursement.
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 a sale readiness review or a budget build, can be scoped as a fixed-fee project instead.
Further reading
Decipher's fractional CFO services
The full fractional CFO service, including board reporting, fundraising and transaction support for growing companies.
See whether CFO services fit your business
A 30-minute call covers where the numbers stand, what decisions are coming, and whether Decipher is the right fit. A written proposal follows within 48 hours.
Or email contact@decipherhq.com