FAQ
Questions founders actually ask.
Clear answers — no fluff. If you don't see your question here, just ask.
About the Service
A fractional CFO is an experienced finance executive who works with your company part-time rather than full-time. You get the same strategic financial expertise and executive-level thinking — just shared across a smaller number of engagements, which makes it accessible and cost-effective for growing businesses that aren't yet ready for a full-time hire.
Bookkeepers record what happened. Accountants make sure you're compliant. A fractional CFO focuses on what's coming — and what to do about it. I'm not here to reconcile your books or file your taxes. I'm here to help you understand your business's financial health, improve your margins, and make better decisions. I can work alongside your existing bookkeeper or accountant seamlessly.
No — and intentionally so. Bookkeeping and tax are important, but they're not what I do. My focus is FP&A: financial planning, analysis, forecasting, and strategy. If you need bookkeeping or tax support, I'm happy to recommend vetted service providers who specialize in ecommerce businesses.
I specialize in founder-led consumer brands — specifically those selling through Shopify, Amazon (FBA or FBM), wholesale, or retail channels. If you're managing inventory, multiple SKUs, and more than one sales channel, you're probably my ideal client. I'm most effective with businesses doing $3M–$30M in annual revenue.
Working Together
Typically within 1–2 weeks of our discovery call, assuming we're a good fit. The first week involves onboarding — getting access to your systems, running an initial financial diagnostic, and aligning on priorities. After that, we're in a regular cadence.
For monthly retainer clients, you can expect: a defined set of monthly deliverables (reporting package, financial summary, whatever we've scoped), a regular monthly review call, and ad-hoc availability for time-sensitive decisions. It's designed to feel like having a part-time CFO on your team — not like waiting for a monthly report to show up.
Minimal, by design. I build the reporting, analyze the numbers, and come to you with insights and recommendations. A monthly engagement typically requires 1–2 hours of your time per month — mostly in our review call. The rest is on me.
I work with most common ecommerce and finance tools, including Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, QuickBooks, Xero, Google Sheets, and others. I'll adapt to your current stack, and I can also help you evaluate whether your tools are serving your needs.
Yes — I work remotely and have experience with brands across the US, Canada, and internationally. Time zone differences are manageable and we'll find a cadence that works for both of us.
Pricing
Pricing depends on the scope of what we're working on together. Every engagement is custom-scoped to your actual needs — not a one-size-fits-all package. The discovery call is the right place to discuss what a specific engagement would look like and what the investment would be.
For monthly retainers, I typically ask for a 3-month initial commitment. This gives us enough time to build a real baseline, implement improvements, and see the value of the engagement. After that, we go month-to-month.
Yes. If you need a specific deliverable — a budget build, a financial model, a dashboard setup, or pre-fundraise preparation — we can structure a project-based engagement with a defined scope and flat fee. These typically take 2–6 weeks.
Getting Started
Not much. Many clients come to me specifically because their financial systems are messy or incomplete — that's often part of what we fix together. The main thing I need is access to your key data sources: your ecommerce platforms, accounting software, and whatever reports you currently have. We'll take it from there.
It's a 30-minute conversation — no prep required. We'll talk through your business model, your revenue and channels, your current financial setup, and what's not working. By the end, we'll both have a sense of whether Margins & Me is the right fit, and what an engagement could look like.
Book the call anyway. The discovery call is specifically designed to figure that out. If you're not ready, I'll be honest with you — and I might be able to point you toward what would help you get there. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Still have questions?
The fastest way to get answers is a real conversation. Book a discovery call and ask me anything.