CFO Services
A Chief Financial Officer (CFO) shows you how day-to-day operations impact the financial performance of your company and where to improve. They accomplish this by tracking operational metrics that link to your financials, clarifying your financial statements, making forecast and budgets, analyses of new opportunities, setting appropriate compensation for your people, and weigh options for debt and equity financing.
Larger companies in your industry already have experienced CFOs that help them improve. We believe that every business, no matter its size, deserves the same benefits that a strategic CFO can bring.
Our Approach
All our CFO engagements begin with a business assessment first. The assessment creates visibility in multiple areas of your business without any obligation for additional work.
Our assessment:
- Creates a high-level review of different accounting duties and how things operate inside your business.
- Streamlines your monthly accounting calendar, producing financial statements that are accurate and timely.
- Reviews your current financial reporting and gives suggestions on the significant costs you should be checking each month and revenue opportunities.
- Studies your current banking relationship to determine if you have optimal terms. If needed, we explore other financing outlets and tell you ahead of time if you are at risk of breaching a financial agreement (loan covenants).
- Benchmarks key business metrics against your industry, including revenue growth, gross profit growth, gross margin, EBITDA margin, and net profit margin.
- Finds sources of risk, such as vendor and customer dependency.
Following our assessment, our CFOs provide help that scales up or down based on the needs of your business.
Our Impact
Budgeting
Cash Flow Management
Tax Planning
Annual CPA Reviews and Audits
Bank Relationships and Financing
Scenario Analysis
Key Performance Indicators
Budgeting
ClearPath works collaboratively with you and your team to create an annual budget. This allows you to anticipate financial challenges, plan ahead for necessary expenses, and have confidence that the business has a realistic plan to meet its goals. Budgeting puts you into a proactive instead of reactive position as a business leader.
Cash Flow Management
Cash flow and “accounting profit” shown on your financial statements are not the same. Our CFO Services help you anticipate short-term cash shortfalls and put together the necessary bridge financing. A strong understanding of your firms cash needs lets you plan ahead for purchasing materials, hiring staff and adjusting compensation, and distributing profits to owners.
Tax Planning
Proactive tax management can help a business legally maximize its tax deductions in one year and thus defer some tax liability into the future.
Annual CPA Reviews and Audits
The secret to a smooth annual review or audit from your CPAs is to prepare in advance. ClearPaths CFOs reach out ahead of time to meet with your CPA, review their request list, and begin preparing the necessary information before the year is even over. Whether it’s your first audit or your fiftieth, we can help streamline the process.
Bank Relationships and Financing
The secret to a strong banking relationship is good communication. Bankers hate being surprised by bad news or last-minute requests for emergency funding. At ClearPath, we’ve enjoyed strong working relationships with bankers at almost every bank in the area – small and large. That is because we make sure our clients comply with their obligations to the bank while being firm in protecting their interests.
When a business is struggling, ClearPath is frequently referred to them by their bank to help the business improve its financial condition.
Scenario Analysis
Our CFOs help business leaders answer important questions:
“Should we relocate our facility, or sign a new long-term lease?”
“If we raise prices, will we scare away our customers and hurt the bottom line?”
“We’re short-staffed. Can we afford to hire more people?”
Key Performance Indicators
ClearPath CFOs look at much more than just the financial statements. We know that the true drivers of financial performance are actually metrics from sales and operations. We work with you to identify the leading key performance indicators that tell you about next months financial performance ahead of time. Common ones include sales orders outstanding, sales backlog, percentage of orders processed on time, number of jobs worked per field crew, and utilization rates.
Our Chief Financial Officers protect you from risk and help you take advantage of opportunities in the market. They give you outside perspective and unbiased strategic advice that is focused on what is best for you and the business. Outside of being your advisor, they hold key relationships with investors, lenders, your Board of Directors, important vendors, and large customers.
A Flexible Approach
A recurring meeting with necessary team members weekly, bimonthly, monthly, or quarterly.
High-level “CFO coaching” if you already have a growing accounting/finance leader who just needs mentorship.
Additional ClearPath resources for short-term, targeted projects including ERP implementation, important investment decisions, downsizing decisions, merger or acquisition opportunities, and more.
Our Track Record
Testimonial/Stat/Evidence