When the CFO seat goes empty, we fill it this week
Full CFO coverage for 3 to 9 months when the seat is suddenly empty. Usually a departure, an acquisition integration, or an audit gone sideways. Brian holds the seat directly and we recruit your permanent hire on the way out.
The Challenge
The CFO resigned. Or was let go. Or walked into the CEO's office on a Friday and gave two weeks. The board call is in three weeks, the audit is mid-fieldwork, the lender covenant package is due at the end of the month, and the controller has never run a board meeting. Everyone is telling you to start the executive search. But a CFO search is a 4 to 6 month process on a good day, and you do not have 4 to 6 months. You have a board meeting, an audit, and a payroll run. You need the seat filled this week, by an operator who can walk into Monday's finance stand-up and actually run it.
Our Approach
We step in at a 10 to 20 hour per week cadence for 3 to 9 months, depending on the situation. Week one is a forensic pass: where the prior CFO left the forecast, what the close calendar actually looks like versus what leadership thinks it looks like, which external parties (auditor, lender, investor, tax) need a new point of contact by Friday. Week two installs the interim operating spine: close calendar, 13-week cash, board reporting pack, and a single source of truth on the model. From there we run the seat, hold the external relationships, and prepare the company for the permanent hire.
We do not drop in, stabilize the month, and disappear. We hold the seat end to end, then recruit your permanent CFO, run the transition, and stay embedded for a defined period so the institutional knowledge does not walk out the door a second time.
What You Get
- Forensic diagnostic in week one: forecast, close, covenants, external relationships
- Interim operating spine installed by day 14: close calendar, 13-week cash, reporting pack
- Direct coverage of board, audit, lender, and investor communications
- Monthly close by day 3, flash report by day 3, board deck by day 30
- Permanent CFO recruiting support including job spec, interview slate, and finalist references
- Structured handoff to permanent hire with defined transition period
- Written transition memo documenting open items, risks, and institutional knowledge
Engagement Model
10 to 20 hours per week for 3 to 9 months. Start date is usually within one week of signed engagement. Brian holds the seat directly. No junior handoff on an interim engagement, ever. The exit is built into the engagement from day one: permanent CFO search runs in parallel, not after.
Who It's For
Built for $2M to $50M companies where the CFO seat just went empty or will shortly, and where the board, audit, lender, or investor cadence cannot wait for a 4 to 6 month executive search. Typical triggers are a CFO departure, an acquisition integration, an audit in progress, or a covenant package due inside 60 days. We are not the right fit for companies that want a fractional CFO on an ongoing basis. That is a different service.
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Full COO coverage for 3 to 9 months when operations is on fire. Stabilize the leadership cadence and hand off cleanly to the permanent hire.
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A CFO-grade second set of eyes on the books. Monthly close review, reconciliation audit, and documented accounting policy.
Learn more →Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Get Started with Interim CFO?
Schedule a complimentary consultation and we will map out a practical financial plan tailored to your goals.