Engagements and pricing
Runway you can defend. Board decks you can stand behind.
Three engagements. Fixed scope. Published prices. Read this page and you should know, before we ever talk, whether the work fits and what it costs. If it doesn't fit, I'll say so on the first call and point you somewhere better.
How the work is structured
I work with seed-stage B2B SaaS companies between roughly $200k and $3M ARR. You've closed a priced seed or a large angel round, you have no finance hire, and a board now expects real numbers four times a year. That's the whole customer profile.
Every engagement is fixed scope, written down before we start. Retainers are billed monthly in advance. After the first 90 days there is no minimum term — 30 days' notice in writing, either direction, no exit fee and no clawback. I don't do hourly billing, because hourly billing punishes you for asking questions.
- Billing
- Monthly, in advance, net 15
- Commitment
- 90 days, then 30 days' notice
- Clients at a time
- Six, maximum
- Response time
- Same business day, US and EU hours
-
One scope document
Two pages. Deliverables, dates, price, and what isn't included. You sign that, not a 14-page master services agreement with a schedule of exhibits.
-
One person
You get me. There is no associate doing the model and no junior rebuilding the deck at 1am. If I'm at capacity, I'll tell you the month I open up.
-
Your tools, your files
The model lives in your Google Sheets or Excel, in your Drive. If we stop working together, nothing leaves with me and nothing breaks.
Engagement one — Runway Reset
A four-week build. You end with an operating model you understand well enough to defend in a board meeting without me in the room.
- Fee
- $14,000 fixed
- Duration
- 4 weeks, start to handover
- Your time
- About 5 hours total
- Payment
- Half at kickoff, half at handover
What you get
-
Operating model
Monthly, 24 months out, driver-based. Bookings to revenue to cash, with the actuals tab wired so it updates from your close instead of from memory.
-
Hiring plan
Role by role, with start dates, fully loaded cost including employer taxes and benefits, and the revenue or milestone that justifies each hire.
-
Scenario set
Base, slow, and stretch. Each one gives a runway date to the week and names the three decisions that move it — usually headcount timing, sales efficiency, and one infrastructure line.
-
Handover session
Ninety minutes, recorded, where you drive the model and I answer. Plus a one-page written summary of assumptions your investors will question first.
We had a model. What we didn't have was an answer when our lead asked why the sales hires were in Q2 and not Q4. Now the answer is in the file.
Seed-stage founder, developer tools, $900k ARR
Engagement two — Monthly CFO
Ongoing finance leadership at a flat monthly rate. This is for companies that have the model and now need someone accountable for the numbers every month, not just before board meetings.
- Rate
- $6,500 per month
- Time
- Roughly 20 hours monthly
- Board meetings
- Included, four per year
- Term
- 90 days, then rolling
What happens each month
-
Close review
I review your bookkeeper's close by business day eight. Revenue recognition, deferred revenue, accruals, prepaid software. I send corrections back to them directly so you're not the middleman.
-
Metrics pack
One page: ARR and net new ARR, gross and net retention, CAC payback, burn multiple, magic number, cash and runway date. Same definitions every month so the trend means something.
-
Cash call
Forty-five minutes with you and whoever else needs to be there. We update the forecast against actuals and I flag any decision that has to happen in the next 60 days.
-
Board reporting
I build the finance section of the deck — numbers, commentary, variance explanations — and send it to you four working days before the meeting. I'll join the call if you want me there.
-
Investor questions
When a board member emails asking why gross margin moved 4 points, I draft the reply. You approve it or edit it. It goes out the same day.
-
Ad hoc decisions
Pricing changes, a big contract, an offer that's over band, a vendor renewal. Send it over. Analysis back within two business days, in writing, with a recommendation.
Engagement three — Raise Prep
Six to eight weeks before you go out for a Series A. The point is to get your numbers to a place where diligence is boring. Boring diligence closes faster.
- Fee
- $22,000 fixed
- Duration
- 6–8 weeks
- Best start
- 8 weeks before first meeting
- Payment
- Thirds: start, midpoint, delivery
What gets built
-
Data room
Structured the way a Series A associate reads it. Financials, contracts, cap table, customer list, metrics definitions, and a reconciliation tying every headline number to a source file.
-
Cohort analysis
Monthly cohorts by signup date: logo retention, net dollar retention, expansion, and payback. If the cohorts are weak, you find out from me in week two, not from a partner in week six.
-
Unit economics
CAC by channel, gross margin built up from real infrastructure and support costs, contribution margin per customer segment. Documented methodology, not just outputs.
-
Q&A rehearsal
Two sessions. I ask the 40 questions I'd ask if I were on the other side, including the three you'd rather not answer. We write down the answers and you practise them.
Raise Prep does not include introductions to investors, and I don't take a success fee or warrants. If someone offers you both CFO work and a placement fee, read that arrangement carefully.
The first 30 days
This is the Runway Reset schedule, and it's also how a Monthly CFO engagement starts. Dates are real. If I miss one, I'll tell you before it slips, not after.
-
Week 1 — Get the facts
Two-hour kickoff. I take read access to your accounting, billing, CRM, bank, and cap table. By Friday you get a written list of every inconsistency I found between systems — usually somewhere between six and twenty.
-
Week 2 — Rebuild the base
Clean historical ARR and cash by month, reconciled to the bank. First draft of the model structure. Thirty-minute call to confirm the drivers are the ones you actually manage against.
-
Week 3 — Plan and scenarios
Hiring plan with start dates and loaded costs. Three scenarios, each producing a runway date. You get the file on Wednesday so you have time to poke at it before we talk Friday.
-
Week 4 — Handover
Final model, assumptions memo, and a board-ready finance section. Ninety-minute recorded walkthrough where you drive. After that the file is yours and it works without me.
If you're on Monthly CFO, week five is the first close review and the monthly rhythm starts from there.
What's out of scope
I'm not a one-stop finance department and pretending otherwise would cost you money. Here's what I don't do and who to hire instead.
-
Bookkeeping
I don't categorise transactions or run your month-end close. Hire an outsourced bookkeeping firm that knows SaaS revenue recognition — expect $800 to $2,500 a month at your size. I'll review their work and give you two or three names.
-
Tax filing
Federal, state, R&D credit, Delaware franchise, and any foreign filings go to a CPA firm. I'll make sure the numbers they need are ready and that nothing gets filed late, but I don't sign returns.
-
Audit
You almost certainly don't need one yet. When a Series A term sheet requires it, you'll hire an audit firm and I'll manage the process from your side. That's a separately scoped project.
-
Payroll administration
Running payroll, onboarding, benefits enrollment, and state registrations belong with your payroll platform and an HR or people ops contractor. I review the cost, not the paperwork.
-
Sales tax compliance
Economic nexus across 45 states is a software problem, not a CFO problem. Use a compliance tool and a specialist. I'll flag when you've crossed a threshold that matters.
-
Fundraising introductions
I don't broker capital, take success fees, or accept warrants. I make your numbers hold up. Your investors and your network make the introductions.
Questions founders ask before signing
Can I start with Runway Reset and decide later?
Yes, and most people do. About two thirds move to Monthly CFO after the four weeks. There's no discount for committing up front and no penalty for stopping.
What if we're pre-revenue or under $200k ARR?
Then Runway Reset probably still helps and Monthly CFO probably doesn't. At that stage a spreadsheet, a bookkeeper, and a quarterly check-in is usually enough. I'll say that on the call rather than sell you a retainer.
Do you replace hiring a full-time finance lead?
For a while. Somewhere past $5M ARR, or once you have a real AR function and multi-entity complexity, you want someone in-house. I'll tell you when we're close and I'll help you write the job description and interview for it.
Will you talk to our board directly?
Yes. Board meetings are included in Monthly CFO and I'll take the finance questions live. Some founders prefer to present it themselves with me on mute as backup. Both work.
What do you need from us to start?
Read access to accounting, billing, CRM, bank, and the cap table. One named person who can answer questions within a day. That's it. If access takes three weeks to arrange, the timeline moves by three weeks.
What if our books are a mess?
They usually are, and that's fine. Week one exists to find out how bad. If the cleanup is bigger than two weeks of bookkeeper time, I'll scope it separately before we build anything on top of it.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, standard mutual NDA, same day. I won't sign non-competes that would stop me working with other SaaS companies.
What does the first call cost?
Nothing. Forty-five minutes. Bring your last bank balance, your ARR number, and your burn. You'll leave with a runway estimate whether or not we work together.
Know which one you need?
Email me with your ARR, your cash balance, and when your next board meeting is. I'll reply with the engagement that fits, the price, and the earliest start date — or with the name of someone better suited.