The First 90 Days Post-Close
The first 90 days post-close set the finance rhythm for the entire hold period. Chart of accounts alignment, close cadence, sponsor reporting — what has to be true by day 90.
The Finance Cadence You Set in the First 90 Days Is the Finance Cadence You Have for the Rest of the Hold Period.
Every sponsor knows the first hundred days matter for strategy. Fewer treat them the same way for the finance function — and it costs them for years. The chart of accounts that gets carried into the platform, the close calendar that gets accepted as the standard, the reporting package that gets defaulted into the board rhythm — all of it hardens quickly. Rebuilding any one of them in month twelve is three times the work of doing it right in month two.
The first 90 days is where the operating finance function either becomes a decision surface for the sponsor and the CEO, or becomes a compliance function that generates monthly statements no one uses. The difference is not about talent. It's about the sequence of work in the first quarter.
We deploy into portfolio companies at close — sometimes at signing — and run the finance function through the ninety-day setup. By day 90, the sponsor's package is live, the close is on cadence, and the CEO has a forecast they can operate against.
The 90-Day Setup
Six Deliverables That Have to Be True by Day 90.
Chart of Accounts Alignment
The portco's CoA rarely matches the sponsor's reporting requirements out of the box. Aligning it early — mapping natural accounts to sponsor categories, segmenting for the reporting cuts the sponsor actually wants, adding dimensions for customer, product, department, and location — sets the foundation for every report that follows.
Close Cadence and Calendar
Business day close target (7 days, 10 days, whatever the portco can sustain and the sponsor requires). Written close calendar. Documented close checklist. Accountability matrix by role. Weekly cash rhythm supporting the monthly close.
Sponsor Reporting Package
Monthly package in sponsor format. Financial statements, KPI dashboard, variance analysis, MD&A. Delivered on the sponsor's day of the month. Reliable enough that the operating partner reads the numbers before the review call, not during it.
Rolling Forecast Model
Twelve-to-eighteen-month rolling forecast that reforecasts monthly with actuals. Ties to the sponsor's LBO model at the annual level. Sensitivity to the two or three drivers the business actually rotates on.
Cash and Debt Discipline
Weekly cash forecast. Debt schedule with covenant tracking. Interest and amortization forecasted. Any excess cash sweep mechanics understood and modeled. The sponsor should never be surprised by cash or debt movement in the portco.
Systems Assessment
Honest read on the accounting platform, ops systems, and reporting layer. What can be lived with for the hold period, what has to change in year one, and what the ERP roadmap looks like. Sets up the systems work that usually follows in months 6–18. See our ERP piece.
The Common Mistakes We See in the First Quarter.
Leaving the CoA alone. The founder's chart of accounts made sense for the founder's business. It rarely makes sense for a portfolio company reporting to a sponsor. Deferring the CoA rework to “when we have time” means every report for the hold period gets built on the wrong foundation.
Adopting the portco's reporting format. The prior owner's monthly package doesn't answer the sponsor's questions. Adapting it is faster than rebuilding it — and it never actually becomes the sponsor's format. Better to build the sponsor's package from scratch in month one.
Waiting for the ERP to fix the reporting. The ERP replacement takes 9–18 months. The sponsor needs the reporting now. Building the reporting layer in the existing system, then migrating it later, is almost always the faster path.
Retaining the wrong controller. The controller who kept the founder's books may not be the controller the sponsor's portfolio company needs. Making that call in month one is uncomfortable but cheaper than making it in month twelve after a year of degraded reporting.
Pre-Close or Post-Close
The Earlier We're In, the Faster the Function Is Ready.
We deploy on the sponsor's timeline — sometimes at LOI, often at signing, always by close. By day 90 the sponsor package is live and the CEO has a forecast they can operate against.
Tell Us the Situation
The Deal, the Portco, and the Timing.
Which sponsor, which portco, and when close is. Same-day response, sponsor-friendly discretion.
Schedule a Discovery Call
We’ll reach out within one business day.