You’ve got a crew lead who’s ready to run their own jobs. You’re looking at a truck and a mini excavator that would open up new work. There’s a project on the bid list that’s twice the size of anything you’ve done before. And the question is the same every time: can we afford it?
Most contractors answer that question by checking the bank balance and going with their gut. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. And either way, there’s no model, no forecast, and no financial plan backing up the decision.
That’s the gap CFO advisory fills.
What This Looks Like in Practice
This isn’t a monthly report that sits in your inbox unread. It’s an ongoing working relationship where we help you use your financial data to make better decisions about your business.
Cash flow forecasting. Construction cash flow is unpredictable by nature. Draws come late. Retainage ties up money for months. Material costs hit before you’ve billed for the work. We build cash flow models that account for the timing of your receivables, your payables, and your overhead so you can see shortfalls coming before they arrive.
Job profitability analysis. Which types of work make you the most money? Is commercial electrical more profitable than residential service? Are T&M jobs better than fixed-price contracts for your crew size? We run the numbers and give you answers you can use when deciding what work to chase.
Equipment purchase decisions. Buy vs. lease. New vs. used. Finance vs. cash. These decisions have tax implications, cash flow implications, and operational implications. We model the financial impact so you’re making the call with real data.
Overhead allocation and break-even analysis. You know what your crew costs in the field. But do you know your fully loaded cost per hour when you factor in insurance, trucks, tools, office staff, and everything else that doesn’t get billed to a job? We calculate your real overhead rate so your bids reflect your true cost of doing business.
Growth planning. Going from $1M to $3M in revenue requires a different financial structure than running at $1M. More crews mean more working capital. Bigger projects mean longer cash cycles. We help you plan for what’s ahead so growth doesn’t outrun your cash.
Bank and surety preparation. When you need a line of credit or a bond line increase, we help you prepare for the conversation. That means clean financials, a realistic forecast, and a story that makes sense to the person across the table.
Who This Is For
CFO advisory is typically the right fit for contractors in the $2M and up range who are actively growing and facing financial decisions that feel bigger than what a bookkeeper can help with.
You might be a plumbing contractor who just landed a GC relationship that’s going to double your revenue next year. You might be an electrical sub deciding whether to add a service division. You might be an HVAC company with three trucks trying to figure out when you can justify six.
These are questions where the cost of guessing wrong is real money. Having someone run the numbers first is how you stop guessing.
How It Works
CFO advisory runs alongside your monthly accounting engagement. Your books are clean and current, which gives us the data we need. From there, the engagement flexes based on what you’re dealing with.
Some months we’re building a cash flow model for a new project. Other months we’re reviewing job profitability across your last quarter of completed work. When a major decision comes up, an equipment purchase, a new hire, a project bid that would stretch your capacity, we model the financial impact and walk through it with you.
Think of it as having a CFO on call without the six-figure salary.
Let’s Talk About Where You’re Headed
If you’re making decisions about growth, equipment, hiring, or capacity and you want someone to run the numbers first, start here. We’ll look at your current financials and talk about what you’re planning.