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The model your leadership team actually uses on Monday

Driver-based FP&A built to run the business, not to sit in a deck. Operating model, rolling forecast, variance commentary, and monthly reporting pack on a standing cadence. For $2M to $50M companies that need forward-looking finance, not backward-looking reporting.

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The Challenge

The model exists. It lives on someone's laptop. It was built 18 months ago for a fundraise and has not been reopened since. The forecast in the board deck is a separate spreadsheet that someone updates on Thursday night before the Friday meeting. Variance commentary is three bullet points that say "above plan" or "below plan" with no diagnosis of why. Leadership is making hiring, pricing, and investment decisions off a model that stopped reflecting the business two quarters ago.

The core problem is not that you do not have FP&A. It is that FP&A is a reporting function instead of a decision-making function. The model tells you what happened. It does not tell you what to do.

Our Approach

We rebuild the model as a driver-based three-statement operating model with explicit assumptions, three scenarios, and a rolling 18-month forecast tied to actuals every month. The model becomes the single source of truth for the operating plan, the board pack, and the cash forecast. Assumptions are written down and owned by function heads, not buried in cell references only one person understands.

On top of the model, we install the standing FP&A cadence: monthly close tied to the model, variance commentary that diagnoses why a line moved (not just that it moved), rolling forecast update, and a one-page reporting pack built for the leadership team and the board. The model stays live month over month, not rebuilt from scratch every quarter.

What You Get

  • Driver-based three-statement operating model with explicit assumptions
  • Three scenarios: base, upside, downside, with scenario switching built in
  • Rolling 18-month forecast tied to actuals each month
  • Monthly variance commentary with diagnosis, not description
  • One-page monthly reporting pack for leadership and board
  • Assumption ownership log naming the function head accountable for each driver
  • Model documentation so the work survives the next person to open it
  • Quarterly re-forecast cycle tied to the operating plan, not parallel to it

Engagement Model

Standalone FP&A engagement or bundled with Fractional CFO. Monthly cadence, month-to-month with 30-day notice. First model build runs 4 to 6 weeks, then shifts to a standing monthly cadence. Scope changes surfaced in writing before billing.

Who It's For

Built for $2M to $50M companies where leadership is making material decisions (hiring, pricing, investment, capital) and the current model is not reliable enough to support those decisions. Typical triggers are a new leadership team, a growth inflection, a planned capital event, or a board asking for forward-looking numbers the current reporting cannot produce. We are not the right fit for companies under $1M revenue with simple operating models. Those businesses can usually run on a controller-built budget and do not need standalone FP&A.

See Financial Planning & Analysis in Action

Real results from client engagements using this service.

AI-Native & Technology

Confidential growth-stage operating company

3xrevenue
Read case study →

VC-Backed Startups

Confidential venture-backed company preparing for diligence

90 daysto board-ready pack
Read case study →
View all case studies →

Related Services

Budgeting & Forecasting

A driver-based annual budget and a rolling forecast that updates against actuals every month. A plan leadership can actually steer by.

Learn more →

KPI & Reporting Dashboards

One dashboard with three views tied to the operating cadence: weekly operating, monthly leadership, and quarterly board.

Learn more →

Fractional CFO

Embedded CFO leadership 2 to 4 days per month. Board-grade reporting and capital strategy without a $300K salary on the cap table.

Learn more →

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Get Started with Financial Planning & Analysis?

Schedule a complimentary consultation and we will map out a practical financial plan tailored to your goals.

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Executive Leadership

  • Fractional CFO
  • Fractional COO
  • Interim CFO
  • Interim COO
  • How We Work
  • All services

Finance & Operations

  • Financial Planning & Analysis
  • Cash Flow Management
  • Budgeting & Forecasting
  • KPI & Reporting Dashboards
  • Profitability & Margin Analysis
  • Strategic Finance Advisory
  • Fundraising & Investor Readiness
  • Revenue Cycle Optimization
  • Controller & Accounting Oversight
  • Finance Systems & ERP
  • AI-Powered Finance
  • AI-Enabled Bookkeeping

Who We Serve

  • VC-Backed Startups
  • Founder-Led Lower Middle Market
  • PE Portfolio Companies
  • Professional Services Firms
  • Established SMBs & Family Businesses
  • AI-Native & Technology
  • All sectors

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  • About Catalyst
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