Fractional CFO Services in California by Five Fold Group (CFO + COO Support)

Want to grow profit, calm cash flow, and get clean books without hiring a full-time CFO? That is the promise of a fractional CFO. You get senior finance leadership, only for the time you need, paired with an all-in-one finance and ops team.

Five Fold Group is a California-based team that serves small and mid-size businesses. Owners, executives, and independent professionals use the service to install better controls, hit goals, and free up time. The model includes CFO and COO support, bookkeeping, payroll, tax prep, and CPA reviews.

Every engagement is built on five drivers: Vision, Metrics, Team and System Management, Service, and Profitability. Expect simple steps, plain talk, and actions you can take today.

Ready to move? Book a call here

What a Fractional CFO Actually Does

A fractional CFO drives decisions that raise profit and reduce risk. The work begins with a clear forecast, a cash plan, and a budget that ties to strategy. You get monthly financials you can trust, plus weekly cash calls when needed.

This is not only about reports. It is about action. Vendor terms get reset. Pricing and margins get reviewed. Waste gets cut. You see where money comes from, where it goes, and how to keep more of it.

You also get help outside finance. Many issues are process issues. The right fractional CFO will fix both.

The Five Fold Model: CFO + COO + Back Office

Five Fold Group blends senior advice with hands-on support. The team covers finance and operations, so changes actually stick.

• CFO guidance: Strategy, budgets, forecasts, board prep, banking, capital planning.

• COO support: Workflows, handoffs, SOPs, project cadence, accountability.

• Bookkeeping: Clean monthly close, reconciliations, AP, AR, classifications.

• Payroll: On-time runs, tax filings, benefits sync, audits.

• Tax prep: Year-round planning so tax time is calm, not frantic.

• CPA reviews: Independent eyes to validate key controls and close quality.

This one-team model removes finger pointing. You get clarity, then execution, then results.

Why This Matters for Small and Mid-Size Businesses

Cash squeezes growth when books lag. Late invoices, fuzzy costs, and slow decisions add up. A strong finance partner fixes the lag and brings order.

• Owners get clear reports and a plan they trust.

• Managers get targets and the tools to hit them.

• Banks see discipline and support lines of credit.

• Teams feel relief when processes stop breaking.

If you have revenue but thin margins, or if cash is tight while sales rise, a fractional CFO can reset the course.

The Five Drivers That Power Results

Vision

Vision ties numbers to a real goal. No vague targets. The plan defines revenue mix, pricing bands, gross margin, and operating margin. It sets milestones you can measure.

A simple one-page plan guides the quarter. Everyone sees the same north star.

Metrics

You cannot fix what you cannot see. Metrics turn chaos into signals. Core metrics include cash runway, AR days, AP days, gross margin by product, payroll ratio, and operating expense trend.

Dashboards show green, yellow, or red. Meetings focus on what moved, why it moved, and what happens next.

Team and System Management

People fail when systems fail. Tighten roles, handoffs, and SOPs so work flows. Map the order-to-cash and procure-to-pay cycles. Remove bottlenecks and reassign tasks that sit in limbo.

Use weekly cadences. Short agendas, clear owners, and crisp next steps. Progress compounds when meetings drive action.

Service

Service is how money moves. Faster quotes, clean scopes, and fewer reworks mean better cash and happier clients. Track cycle times. Improve standards. Close the feedback loop between sales, ops, and finance.

Great service cuts refunds, write-offs, and churn. That is profit you keep.

Profitability

Profit is a set of choices. Price to value. Cut non-performing SKUs or services. Negotiate costs with volume data in hand. Shift labor from low margin tasks to higher value work.

Set guardrails. If a deal falls below the floor, it needs approval. Math beats guesswork.

When to Bring in Five Fold Group

The right time is when pain is clear and fixable.

• You have growing revenue, but cash still runs tight.

• Books are late or wrong, and you need accurate monthly closes.

• Pricing and costs feel off, and margins swing.

• You want to plan funding, bank debt, or investor updates.

• You need a COO lens to fix process issues that hit cash.

Five Fold Group works well with owners who want clean data, straight talk, and steady action.

Full-Time CFO vs Fractional CFO

Option	Typical Cost	Scope	Best For
Full-time CFO	High salary plus bonus	Strategic finance, team leadership	Larger firms with complex needs
Fractional CFO	Part-time fee	Senior guidance plus execution support	Small to mid-size firms that want results

A fractional setup gives you depth without the full-time cost. You pay for outcomes, not idle time.

What the First 90 Days Look Like

Day 1 to 30, fix the basics. Clean the chart of accounts, reconcile cash, lock AP and AR processes, and set a 13-week cash forecast. Launch a simple dashboard.

Day 31 to 60, tune pricing and costs. Review vendor terms, set deal guardrails, and adjust quoting rules. Start a monthly close schedule with clear owners.

Day 61 to 90, drive the flywheel. Install weekly cadences. Tighten SOPs. Publish budget versus actuals. Make decisions on product mix, hiring, and expenses. Share wins so the team sees the progress.

Tax Readiness and CPA Reviews

Tax should not be a year-end fire drill. With year-round prep, there are no surprises. Clean books feed clean returns. Credits and deductions get tracked during the year.

CPA reviews add trust. Third-party checks spot gaps and validate the close. Banks and investors like that discipline.

Simple Steps You Can Take Today

• Set a cash cadence: Review cash every week. Use a 13-week view.

• Shorten the close: Aim for a 10-day month-end close. Lock the calendar.

• Tighten pricing: Set floor margins and enforce approvals.

• Speed up AR: Invoice on delivery, not at month end. Offer ACH.

• Trim waste: Cut tools you do not use. Renegotiate top vendors.

• Pick three metrics: Track them weekly. Make the team own them.

Small steps stack up. You will feel the difference within one quarter.

Who Five Fold Group Serves

The team supports companies across California and beyond. Common profiles include:

• Professional services firms that want steadier cash and cleaner projects.

• E-commerce brands that need margin control and inventory discipline.

• Contractors and trades with lumpy cash cycles and job costing needs.

• Agencies with scope creep and write-offs that erode profit.

• Independent professionals who want a simple, solid finance base.

If you sell, deliver, and bill, the model can fit your work.

Tools and Workflows That Keep You in Control

You do not need fancy software to get control. Use standard tools well.

• A cloud accounting system with strict roles and monthly closes.

• A shared metrics dashboard with red, yellow, green flags.

• A clean spend process (requests, approvals, and receipts).

• Bank and card feeds that reconcile daily.

• Documented SOPs for order, delivery, bill, and collect.

Tools serve the process. Process serves the plan.

How to Work With Five Fold Group

Start with a short call. Share goals, problems, and timelines. If both sides see a fit, the team will propose a 90-day plan with clear milestones.

You will know what gets done, who does it, and when you will see results. Communication stays simple. Meetings stay short. Reports are plain and useful.

Conclusion

Profit grows when you pair clear vision with tight execution. A fractional CFO gives you senior leadership, only when you need it, backed by a team that gets work done.

Five Fold Group aligns strategy, metrics, systems, service, and profit so your business runs clean and strong.

Ready to steady cash and raise profit without hiring a full-time CFO? Book a call, and let the next 90 days change how your numbers work for you.