So, you’ve made the decision to bring in a fractional CFO. Great but if you’re anything like most founders, there’s a little question nagging away in the back of your mind: what are the next steps? Remember, you’re not hiring an executive who’ll be at every meeting, and nor are you simply giving your financials to an accountant.

It lies somewhere in-between, and the initial period can be a little uncertain if you don’t know what to ask. And the good news is that a healthy process has a rhythm if you have a well-run engagement, it is fairly easy to predict.

A strong Fractional CFO Service isn’t going to show up, ask you to hand over your logins, then slip into a spreadsheet for 30 days. In the first 90 days you’re working to get the lay of the land, control any pressing issues, and creating the value with strategic nature as to make the entire process worthwhile.

Days 1–30: Listening, learning, and finding the gaps

The initial month Mainly revolves around comprehending. An experienced fractional CFO, in fact, would refrain from rushing to fix things before they truly understand the intricacies of your business operations. Indulging in a thorough discussion wouldn’t be surprising in these initial weeks for your aims, your concerns, your customers, your revenue generation method, and where the cash is going.

Besides conversations, they will be closely examining the figures. They will be looking through your management accounts, going deep into your cash flow, analyzing your profit margins, and also evaluating your reporting system. Most of the time, this is the stage where the first unpleasant realities come to light: a product that looks profitable on paper but is actually losing money, a forecast that is highly optimistic, or such a chaotic reporting system that no one has been able to make irreversible decisions for months.

At the conclusion of month one, what you should be holding onto is something pretty handy: an unambiguous, sincere evaluation of your financial status and a list of priorities for attention. No technical terms, no pointer fingers just pure understanding. If your CFO uses specialized language to describe your business condition, then it’s a warning sign that should be mentioned immediately.

Days 31–60: Putting the foundations in place

After the picture is understood, the attention goes from figuring out the problem to doing something about it. This is the part when you begin to notice changes.

Usually, a fractional CFO prioritizes fundamental things first: setting up reliable reporting to enable almost real-time visibility, improving cash flow management, and creating a good forecast. In case there were no fast wins identified in month one for example, an overdue price increase, a contract with a supplier that is worth renegotiating, a subscription that nobody uses they’ll start going after those as well.

You may even find them joining hands with your current team. Often a fractional CFO is a level higher than a bookkeeper or finance manager, so during this time, they are finding ways for everyone to collaborate. The right ones do not blow others away but rather support them they give guidance to less experienced staff and, at the same time, make the whole finance department better.

During this time, the cooperation also begins to fall into its usual pattern frequent updates, reports that make sense to you, and a definite idea of who is doing what.

Days 61–90: Moving from clean-up to strategy

By the last month, the emergency responding should be less and the talk would shift to the upcoming. It is at this point that a fractional CFO proves their value.

Thanks to steady data that at last accurately reflects reality, they will be able to support you in making a real choice: what to spend on, which product lines or customer segments to focus on, whether the timing is right for another employee, how to finance the expansion, or what it will take to get the company ready for a fund-raising or a sale. Financial statements stop being a reflection of the past and start serving as a tool for planning.

Also, at the end of the initial 90 days, you should have a detailed financial plan in hand not some nebulous assurance, but concrete objectives, a budget, and overall understanding of the way forward. The goal is that you will be more at ease with running your business, not the opposite.

What you should feel by day 90

Put the deliverables aside for a moment. The real measure is your emotions. By the end of three months, you should be surer about the accuracy of your numbers, have less anxiety about cash, and a financial department that is backing up your decisions rather than making them more complicated or hard to understand.

In addition, you must have a true sounding board – someone who questions your reasoning and speaks the truth to you, even if it’s the last thing you want to hear. That relationship, more than any spreadsheet, is the aim.

If you are experiencing that at day 90, you have discovered the correct individual. If you are not, it is Actually worthwhile to have a sincere discussion about why. A competent fractional CFO will embrace this.