Fractional CFO & Controller Services
Financial leadership, proven systems, and a team that gets the work done — expertise earned across hundreds of successful engagements.
Most Businesses Outgrow Their Finance Function Before They Realize It's Happened.
Financial leadership, a proven system, and a team that gets the work done — expertise earned across hundreds of successful engagements.
It rarely announces itself clearly. It usually starts with a close that's a few days late every month. Then reports that are technically accurate but don't actually tell leadership what they need to know. Then a cash surprise — not a crisis, just an unpleasant number that shouldn't have been a surprise. Then decisions being made on incomplete information because that's all that's available.
The people in the finance function aren't failing. The bookkeeper is doing what a bookkeeper does. The part-time accountant is keeping up with the work they were hired for. The problem is structural — the function was built for an earlier version of the business, and the business kept growing while the finance infrastructure did not.
That gap has a real cost. It shows up in the hours the CEO spends trying to make sense of numbers instead of running the business. In the deals that can't get financed because the financial package isn't credible. In the hiring decisions made without a clear picture of whether the business can afford them. In the exit that gets valued lower than it should because the books weren't right.
Vessel Advisors builds the finance function your business actually needs — not a consultant who presents and leaves, but a team that owns the work, meets the deadlines, and gives leadership the numbers and the context to lead confidently.
The Vessel Advisors Model
The CFO Power Team™
You don't get one person. You get a coordinated team — each role doing the work it's built for, under senior oversight, without the overhead of full-time hires at every level. The CFO focuses on strategy and leadership. The Controller owns execution and accuracy. Staff accountants handle the day-to-day. Everyone is doing the right work at the right cost, and the CFO oversees it all.
Fractional CFO
Your CFO is the person at the leadership table. They own the financial strategy, the forecasting, the cash flow, and the relationship with your bank and board. They're thinking about where the business is going — not just what happened last month. When leadership needs to make a significant decision, the CFO is the person who can tell them what the numbers actually say about it.
Fractional Controller
Your Controller owns the close, the accuracy of the books, and everything the CFO depends on to do their job. The work that has to happen every month — done right, done on time, every time. When the CFO is in a strategy conversation with the CEO, they're not also worrying about whether the reconciliations got done. That's the Controller's job.
Staff Accounting
The daily work — accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, payroll support — handled by people who are managed and directed by the Controller. Not a junior bookkeeper working in isolation. Staff accountants working inside a supervised structure, doing the right work at the right cost, with the Controller catching anything that needs attention.
What We Actually Build
A Finance Function That Works the Way Your Business Needs It To.
Every engagement is different because every business is different. The structure is consistent. What gets built depends entirely on what we find when we walk in — and on where the business is going, not just where it is today.
We begin with a Financial Discovery Assessment™ — a structured diagnostic that shows exactly what the finance function looks like today, where the gaps are, and what it would take to close them. The output is a prioritized roadmap with dollarized findings and a phased project plan. From that foundation, we build the right team and get to work.
We work alongside your existing team. If you have accounting staff, they don't get displaced — they get better. We partner with and develop your people while filling the gaps leadership needs filled. The goal is a finance function that works, not a dependency that grows.
Learn About the AssessmentReporting leadership can actually use
Monthly financials delivered on time, in a format built for the people who read them. Not just compliance — actual business intelligence that informs decisions.
Cash flow visibility weeks ahead
A rolling 13-week cash forecast updated regularly — so leadership always knows what's coming and can make operational decisions with full information about what the business can afford.
Budgets built from the business up
An annual budget built from real assumptions, with monthly variance analysis so leadership always knows where they stand versus plan — and why the variance exists.
Banking and board relationships managed
Covenant compliance, board packages, lender communications — all handled proactively. Your bank and board hear from the CFO before they have to ask.
Systems and processes that don't slow you down
If the tools and workflows aren't serving the business, we fix them. Technology should create time, not consume it. Systems implementations, integrations, and process redesign are all part of what we do.
How Most Engagements Begin
We Go Slow So We Can Go Fast.
Most firms show up and start billing. We show up and start listening. The time we take to understand your business before we touch anything is the reason our engagements actually work — and keep working.
Meet & Understand
We start by listening. A real conversation about your business — what's working, what isn't, and what's keeping you up at night. No agenda except understanding your situation.
Deep-dive Assessment
We go deep into your systems, processes, and people. We find what's working, what's broken, and what's costing you money you don't know you're spending. Nothing gets assumed.
Inform & Agree
We present what we found — in plain language with dollarized findings. What we recommend, what the impact will be, and what it will take. You decide what gets done and when.
Get It Done
We execute — fully, partially, or in an advisory role alongside your team. Some engagements are entirely ours to run. Others are your team working under our oversight. The right level of involvement for your situation.
What Clients Say
In Their Own Words.
The impact is real. These are quotes from people who were in the situation you may be in right now.
"Having a Vessel Advisors CFO on our team has truly elevated our organization's performance. In many ways, it feels like we have grown up as an organization and I have complete confidence and security reporting to our board."
Regan Phillips
CEO, CASA of Orange County
"I thought high-level, strategic financial insights were a 'nice to have' — but now after working with a Vessel Advisors CFO and Controller, I couldn't put a price on it. It's been excessively valuable."
Adam Beamish
President, Mark Beamish Waterproofing
"Vessel Advisors turned our financial chaos into clarity. They're the partner every growing business needs."
Chad Gniffke
Owner, BRITECITY
Common Questions
Before You Call
What does a fractional CFO engagement actually cost?
It depends on the scope — the size and complexity of the business, which roles you need, and how many days per week each role requires. We give straight answers on cost during the first conversation. No mystery pricing, no retainers before we've proven anything. We scope it together based on what the business actually needs.
What size company is this right for?
We work with growing businesses, non-profits, and lower middle market companies that have outgrown what their current finance function can handle. In revenue terms, that's typically somewhere between $5M and $150M — but the real trigger is always the situation, not the size. A $20M business with a broken close process and no CFO-level leadership needs this as urgently as a $75M business heading into a deal.
We have a bookkeeper and an outside CPA. Is that enough?
For some businesses at some stages, yes. For most businesses once they've reached real growth, no. A bookkeeper records what happened. A CPA helps you comply with tax requirements. Neither one tells you whether to make an acquisition, how to structure the next hire, what your covenants actually require you to report, or whether the business can fund the expansion you're considering. That's CFO-level work, and it's not getting done if you don't have a CFO.
How do you work with our existing accounting team?
We work alongside them, not over them. We partner with and mentor your existing staff, fill the gaps in capability and capacity, and make sure everyone is doing the right work at the right level. Your people typically get better — not sidelined. The goal is a finance function that works well with us and would continue to work well if the engagement ended tomorrow.
How long does an engagement typically last?
Most fractional engagements run 12 to 24 months, though some clients have worked with us for years. There's no long-term commitment required to start — every engagement begins with a Financial Discovery Assessment, and the ongoing work is earned based on the value we deliver, not locked in by contract.
Start Here
Start With a Conversation About Your Business.
Every engagement begins with a Financial Discovery Assessment™ — a structured diagnostic that reveals where your finance function stands today and what it needs to support where you're taking the business.
The first step is a discovery call. A real conversation about your situation — what's working, what isn't, and whether Vessel Advisors is the right fit. No pitch. No proposal until you've asked for one.
Schedule a Discovery Call
How can we help? No pitch, no pressure — just a real conversation.