CFO Advisory & Fractional CFO
CFO-level judgment, reporting and lender management, scaled to the size of your business.
There is a stage in a growing business where the bookkeeper is no longer enough and a full-time CFO is not yet justified. Decisions about pricing, hiring, financing and expansion are being made without the analysis they deserve, the bank is asking for reporting that nobody has time to prepare, and the owner is carrying the finance function personally.
Sapere Advisory's fractional CFO service fills that stage. An experienced finance leader works with your business on a defined monthly cadence, owning the reporting, the forecast, the lender relationship and the financial side of every major decision. You get the judgment of a CFO who has arranged financings and closed transactions, without the overhead of a full-time executive.
What the engagement includes
Monthly financial reporting and analysis
Timely management accounts with commentary, KPI tracking and variance analysis against budget, delivered in a format owners and lenders can act on.
Budgeting and rolling forecasts
An annual budget and a rolling forecast maintained through the year, so decisions are made against current expectations rather than last year's plan.
Cash management
Weekly cash visibility, working capital discipline and operating line management.
Lender and covenant reporting
Preparing and presenting the reporting your facilities require, maintaining the banking relationship and anticipating renewal discussions.
Financing strategy
Ongoing advice on capital structure, timing of new facilities and readiness for the next financing, backed by our Capital Advisory practice.
Board, investor and owner reporting
Clear, consistent reporting packages and participation in board or shareholder meetings.
Pricing, margin and profitability analysis
Product, customer, location and contract profitability to inform where the business grows and where it stops.
Finance function design
Selecting systems, structuring the bookkeeping and accounting team, and setting the controls and close process that a scaling business needs.
Transaction and growth support
Financial leadership through acquisitions, new locations, major contracts and, eventually, a sale or succession.
How it works
Onboarding
A review of the current finance function, reporting, systems and lender obligations, and an agreed monthly deliverables calendar.
Monthly rhythm
Close review, management reporting, forecast update, cash review and a leadership meeting, with availability between.
Quarterly
Deeper performance review, budget reforecast, lender check-in and strategic priorities.
Annually
Budget, year-end coordination with Sapere Accounting or your existing accountants, and a review of financing structure.
Why a fractional CFO from Sapere
Capital markets experience
Our CFOs come from advisory and transaction backgrounds, so financing, lender management and deal readiness are core strengths rather than add-ons.
Backed by a full firm
Accounting, tax, analytics and AI capability sit behind every engagement. When you need a compilation, a dashboard or a tax question answered, it is one call.
Flexible commitment
Engagements scale from a few days a month to several, and can flex up around a financing or acquisition.
Continuity
You work with the same senior person month after month, who builds a real understanding of your business.
Common questions.
Quick answers about cfo advisory, based on current Canadian tax and accounting rules.
What is the difference between a fractional CFO and an outsourced bookkeeper or controller?
How many days a month is typical?
Can you work with our existing accountant?
Bring senior finance leadership into your business
Book a call to discuss what your finance function needs now and what a fractional CFO engagement with Sapere would look like.
Related advisory services
Capital Advisory
Term loans, operating lines, equipment and real estate financing, CSBFL and BDC programs, acquisition and growth capital. We prepare the credit package, run a competitive lender process and negotiate the terms, acting only for the borrower.
Strategy, Value Creation & Analytics
Growth strategy, profitability improvement, pricing and performance measurement, supported by the dashboards and data capability of Sapere Analytics.
Working Capital & Liquidity
13-week cash flow forecasting, receivables, inventory and payables discipline, and the operating changes that release cash already sitting in your business.