Client Overview

A rapidly growing marketing agency came to us with a set of financial and operational challenges. The business was scaling quickly, adding clients and expanding its team, but lacked the financial structure and leadership needed to support sustainable growth.

The Challenge

The agency had never prioritized its accounting function and was relying on an
outsourced provider that couldn’t keep up with the complexity of the growing business.

Without forward-looking projections, budgets, or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the owner was essentially “flying blind.”

This left critical questions unanswered:

• When should we hire?
• Where can we streamline operations?
• What investments can we make and when?

The lack of financial visibility was creating risk and slowing decision-making at a pivotal stage of growth.

The Solution

The agency hired Clara CFO Group to step in and provide financial leadership and oversight. Acting as their Fractional CFO, we:

• Guided the transition from an outsourced accounting team to a skilled internal accounting hire.
• Shifted accounting from cash to accrual basis to provide more accurate reporting.
• Implemented Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) reporting for public contracts.
• Established strong controls for the monthly close process.
• Introduced utilization tracking based on CFO recommendations.
• Led collaboration across external partners, including CPA, Legal, HR, and specialty consultants.
• Brought in consistent, proactive financial oversight for the first time.

The Results

With Clara CFO Group at the helm of their financial operations, the agency gained:

• Clear visibility into profitability and organizational costs.
• Strategic guidance on the affordability of new hires.
• A stronger focus on profitable growth, even while expanding benefits and
  growing headcount.
• Confidence to pursue new opportunities and expand market share in the Puget Sound area.

The Benefits

By adding true financial leadership, the agency achieved:

• More control over organizational costs through structured reporting and
  oversight.
• Clarity in decision-making with forward-looking projections and key financial metrics.
• Sustainable growth by balancing profitability with team expansion and new investments.
• Proactive financial management by having the financial team knowledgeable and up to date on regular business operations.

Client Testimonial

“Working with Clara CFO Group gave us the financial clarity we needed to grow with confidence. For the first time, we know what’s ahead — and how to get there profitably.”

Ready to stop flying blind in your business? Book a discovery call today, and let’s talk about how Clara CFO can help you grow with confidence.

Client Overview

A home services business with steady year-over-year growth for more than a decade. The owner wanted the company to thrive independently of her, ensuring strong profitability to both support the management team and secure her long-term personal goals.

The Challenge

While the business was successful, it wasn’t yet structured to operate without the owner’s daily involvement. The financials weren’t providing the level of clarity or planning needed to:

• Confidently support a professional management team.
• Ensure consistent profitability and positive cash flow.
• Build the owner’s retirement savings.

The business also faced ongoing challenges with client and employee turnover, which required stronger financial planning and proactive management.

The Solution

In 2022, the owner partnered with Clara CFO Group to provide Fractional CFO
leadership. Together, we:

• Implemented forward-looking financial forecasting and identified critical KPIs.
• Reorganized financial reporting for greater accuracy and reliability.
• Created a KPI dashboard to help guide the owner in tracking essential financial metrics to ensure long-term viability.
• Helped navigate fluctuations in clients and employees while staying financially stable.
• Improved profit margins to support the owner’s retirement savings goals.
• Recommended and supported implementation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS™) to create structure and reduce reliance on the owner’s day-to-day involvement.
• Joined the Leadership Team, actively participating in EOS™ meetings (L10s, Quarterly, and Annual Planning) to ensure finance and operations remain aligned and avoid decision silos.

The Results

With Clara CFO Group’s leadership, the business achieved:

• Improved profit margins to meet both business and personal goals.
• Accurate financial reporting to support smarter decision-making.
• A leadership structure that reduced the owner’s involvement in daily operations.
• Seamless integration of finance and operations through active participation in EOS™ leadership processes.

The Benefits

Owner freedom: The business can now run independently, supported by both financial and operational structure. The owner has been able to travel without limit in the past year to realize her dreams of being location independent.

Financial clarity: Forecasts, KPIs, and margin improvements create sustainable profitability. The team is accountable to their metrics.

Long-term security: The owner is on track to fund her retirement through the company’s improved performance.

Client Testimonial

“Working with Clara CFO Group has been an absolute game-changer for our business. Last year, we decided to implement EOS. We initially invited our CFO, Laura, to our quarterly planning meetings but quickly realized the value she could bring to our weekly L10 meetings. Giving her insight into the day-to-day operations provided her with a deeper understanding of our business, and her support in strategic planning has been invaluable. Laura has been a fantastic sounding board for the changes we’ve made, always keeping the best interests of the company at the forefront. She now runs our L10 meetings, manages her own company and individual rocks, and owns the scorecard –
her contributions have truly elevated our success.”

Want a business that thrives without you? Partner with Clara CFO Group to build financial clarity and freedom.

Client Overview

A professional services firm that had grown quickly but was struggling to maintain profitability and cash flow after a major shift in the market. The owner wanted financial clarity, a sustainable path forward, and strategic support to guide decisions.

The Challenge

After staffing and scaling for continued double-digit growth, the company faced a market slowdown. This created several challenges:

• Took on high-interest debt after a rough start to the year.
• Profit margins were squeezed due to underpriced services, high benefit costs, and an expensive international hire.
• Unsure if the team was being fully utilized.
• In-house accountant focused only on bookkeeping tasks, offering no strategic guidance.
• Old-school, manual accounting processes drove inefficiencies in invoicing and billing — resulting in unnecessary costs for accounting support.

Without clear financial leadership, the owner lacked the data and confidence to make proactive decisions.

The Solution

The business engaged Clara CFO Group to provide Fractional CFO services and create a path back to profitability. Our work included:

• Pricing: Implemented billable rates that better reflected the company’s niche and quality of service.
• Cash flow management: Adjusted invoice terms and decoupled payments from client-dependent deliverables.
• Utilization: Introduced time tracking to identify inefficiencies and set realistic revenue targets based on a right-sized team.
• Owner compensation: Adjusted salary to comply with reasonable comp guidelines and aligned draws to what the business could afford.
• Debt management: Built a repayment plan and explored refinancing options.
• Leadership support: Shared financial results monthly and led action-oriented leadership discussions, relieving the owner of carrying financial stress alone.
• Accounting modernization: Streamlined processes, brought in the right tools and people, and provided oversight to a new bookkeeper for efficient operations.

 The Results

With Clara CFO Group’s leadership, the business achieved:

• A data-driven budget plan to return to healthy, profitable growth.
• Improved cash flow stability through smarter invoicing and compensation strategies.
• Greater team accountability with transparent financial results tied to operational actions.
• A modernized accounting function, reducing inefficiencies and costs.

 The Benefits

• Proactive decision-making: The owner now makes forward-looking choices instead of reacting to unplanned cash balances.
• Expert partnership: A trusted financial professional who deeply understands the business and can respond quickly to challenges.
• Sustainable growth: Pricing, utilization, and cost structures aligned for long-term profitability.

Struggling to balance growth and profitability? Work with Clara CFO Group to build clarity, stability, and sustainable success.