Sector of demonstrated depth

Founder-Led Lower Middle Market

You built the company on instinct and discipline. Now scale demands a finance function that can defend a number, run a forecast, and tell you straight when a decision is about to break. Catalyst is the senior CFO/COO seat without a full-time hire.

Schedule a discovery call Browse services

Where it usually hurts

You’re probably here because…

You're making seven-figure capital allocation decisions on a P&L that hasn't been variance-explained in months.

Your controller and bookkeeper handle the books, but no one is steering capital — and the bank is starting to ask harder questions.

You're not sure if the next big hire should be a CFO, a COO, or a strategy partner — and you can't afford a wrong $300K experiment.

How we engage inside this sector

The Catalyst playbook for Founder-Led Lower Middle Market

Operator-grade reporting and forecasting

Monthly close compressed, variance commentary added, and a rolling 13-month forecast tied to operating drivers — not just the GL.

Capital + lender + investor relationship management

Bank package, covenant tracking, lender conversations, and (when the time comes) M&A or recap prep. Brian has run these conversations from both sides of the table.

Fractional / interim coverage with clear scope

Engagement scoped to 2-4 days per month or full-time interim coverage during a transition — billed monthly, no long-term lock-in.

Outcomes you can expect

Real KPIs running the operating cadence, not after-the-fact reports
Lender / bank covenant tracking before they ask
Decision-grade visibility that compresses the gap between gut and the number

Anti-commoditization

How to vet anyone you talk to in this sector

Metric	Industry Red Flag	Catalyst CFO Advisors
Years in Finance Leadership	5 - 10 years; often an ex junior or non-exec finance FTE	25+ years across Wall Street, asset management, and CFO/COO seats since 1999
AI & Automation Depth	"We use ChatGPT" — no track record building or running AI in production	~10 years embedding AI in finance ops; venture work spans AI compliance, healthcare/telehealth, AI scheduling, and the AI/automation practice inside Catalyst
Founder-Operator Experience	Zero — first-time fractional, never sat in the exec seat	12+ years running Catalyst plus CFO/finance leadership at venture-backed, PE-sponsored, and privately funded companies across multiple industries
Capital Raised & Deployed	Has only modeled or advised — never closed a round	>$25M secured for SMB clients; institutional Series A and strategic capital across multiple ventures
Wall Street Pedigree	No institutional or capital markets experience	Partner at a boutique institutional equity asset manager; helped grow firm AUM from $3B to $15B; sell-side equity research at global bank franchises
CFO + COO Scope	Lacks senior finance experience, little or no operational experience	Both functions; packaged as Fractional CFO, Fractional COO, Interim CFO, and Interim COO
Crisis Leadership	Has not led through a market collapse, bank failure, or cyber attack	Macro (since 1999): recessions, the GFC, COVID-era disruption, inflation/rate cycles, banking-system stress. Company-specific: cyber attacks, liquidity strain, and national payments-infrastructure outages
Time-to-Value	Weeks of "discovery" before producing anything useful	Two-week onramp; first operating model in days; close cycle reduced from 15 to <3 days at clients
One-Sided Commitment	Tries to lock into 6–12 month engagements	All CCA contracts are month-to-month — if we don't produce ROI, we don't get paid.

Other sectors of demonstrated depth

VC-Backed Startups

Seed-to-Series-C teams that need investor-grade reporting without a $400K full-time CFO.

Explore the sector

PE Portfolio Companies

Sponsor-backed platforms and add-ons needing operating CFO depth between portfolio CFOs.

Explore the sector

Professional Services Firms

Agencies, consultancies, MSOs, and design firms where utilization and realization decide profit.

Explore the sector

Ready to put a real CFO at the table for your founder-led lower middle market engagement?

Schedule a 30-minute discovery call. We'll walk through your situation and tell you straight whether fractional, interim, or something else is the right next move.

Schedule a Discovery Call

Sector of demonstrated depth

Founder-Led Lower Middle Market

Schedule a discovery call Browse services

Where it usually hurts

You’re probably here because…

You're making seven-figure capital allocation decisions on a P&L that hasn't been variance-explained in months.

Your controller and bookkeeper handle the books, but no one is steering capital — and the bank is starting to ask harder questions.

You're not sure if the next big hire should be a CFO, a COO, or a strategy partner — and you can't afford a wrong $300K experiment.

How we engage inside this sector

The Catalyst playbook for Founder-Led Lower Middle Market

Operator-grade reporting and forecasting

Monthly close compressed, variance commentary added, and a rolling 13-month forecast tied to operating drivers — not just the GL.

Capital + lender + investor relationship management

Bank package, covenant tracking, lender conversations, and (when the time comes) M&A or recap prep. Brian has run these conversations from both sides of the table.

Fractional / interim coverage with clear scope

Engagement scoped to 2-4 days per month or full-time interim coverage during a transition — billed monthly, no long-term lock-in.

Outcomes you can expect

Real KPIs running the operating cadence, not after-the-fact reports
Lender / bank covenant tracking before they ask
Decision-grade visibility that compresses the gap between gut and the number

Anti-commoditization

How to vet anyone you talk to in this sector

Metric	Industry Red Flag	Catalyst CFO Advisors
Years in Finance Leadership	5 - 10 years; often an ex junior or non-exec finance FTE	25+ years across Wall Street, asset management, and CFO/COO seats since 1999
AI & Automation Depth	"We use ChatGPT" — no track record building or running AI in production	~10 years embedding AI in finance ops; venture work spans AI compliance, healthcare/telehealth, AI scheduling, and the AI/automation practice inside Catalyst
Founder-Operator Experience	Zero — first-time fractional, never sat in the exec seat	12+ years running Catalyst plus CFO/finance leadership at venture-backed, PE-sponsored, and privately funded companies across multiple industries
Capital Raised & Deployed	Has only modeled or advised — never closed a round	>$25M secured for SMB clients; institutional Series A and strategic capital across multiple ventures
Wall Street Pedigree	No institutional or capital markets experience	Partner at a boutique institutional equity asset manager; helped grow firm AUM from $3B to $15B; sell-side equity research at global bank franchises
CFO + COO Scope	Lacks senior finance experience, little or no operational experience	Both functions; packaged as Fractional CFO, Fractional COO, Interim CFO, and Interim COO
Crisis Leadership	Has not led through a market collapse, bank failure, or cyber attack	Macro (since 1999): recessions, the GFC, COVID-era disruption, inflation/rate cycles, banking-system stress. Company-specific: cyber attacks, liquidity strain, and national payments-infrastructure outages
Time-to-Value	Weeks of "discovery" before producing anything useful	Two-week onramp; first operating model in days; close cycle reduced from 15 to <3 days at clients
One-Sided Commitment	Tries to lock into 6–12 month engagements	All CCA contracts are month-to-month — if we don't produce ROI, we don't get paid.

Ready to put a real CFO at the table for your founder-led lower middle market engagement?

Schedule a 30-minute discovery call. We'll walk through your situation and tell you straight whether fractional, interim, or something else is the right next move.

Schedule a Discovery Call