Marketing & Advertising CFO Services

Good accounting is imperative for any business – and in ways beyond just properly managing the books. It supports decision making, can forecast future performance, attracts potential investors, and ensures that any firm stays compliant with taxes and other regulations. For marketing and advertising agencies, having strong accounting practices is key to staying competitive in a rapidly changing market.

The Evolving Financial Landscape of Marketing and Advertising Agencies

Accounting isn’t as cut and dry of a practice as it may seem – and it can become significantly more complicated for companies with variable revenue streams, like marketing firms or ad agencies. Marketing firms often handle one-off projects, work on commission and may even have certain clients on retainer, which can create complexities for financial professionals.

One effective solution is to outsource the accounting work to a qualified agency CFO. When you do this, you can free up resources within the company to support your firm’s clients – all while ensuring that an expert professional properly manages the books.

Key Financial Challenges Faced by Marketing and Advertising Agencies

Due to their unique business structure, agencies often face more challenges than the average business. Working with a qualified external CFO can help a marketing or advertising agency overcome many of these challenges. One significant challenge is revenue recognition. A key principle in accounting, revenue recognition involves recognizing revenue when the company has fulfilled its obligations to the customer, not necessarily when payment is received.

Proper revenue recognition on financial statements is imperative to accurate financial reporting. Other key challenges include managing cash flow and navigating long payment cycles, tracking project profitability, and scaling the business while efficiently allocating resources. Cash flow management helps an agency maintain working capital and liquidity, and also plan for growth. Understanding project profitability helps decide which projects to take on and what fees to charge. Additionally, agencies must manage a diverse workforce that includes full-time, part-time, and freelance talent, especially in response to seasonal demand.

Bookkeeping and end-of-month accounting

Negotiating debt arrangements

Forecasting business cash, revenue, and profit margins

Planning for business expenses

Maintaining relationships with financial institutions

Creating and managing budgets

Annual budgeting and management

Due diligence and business acquisition strategies

The Role of a CFO in Marketing and Advertising Agencies

One of the key benefits of working with an outsourced CFO is that your agency can fully tap into the experience and expertise of this external partner. Some ways this partner can help your firm achieve financial success include:

  • Strategic guidance: Good financial planning can help define strategy and aid in decision-making. An outsourced CFO can help agencies make better-educated decisions about where to invest, how to allocate resources and how to set strategy.
  • Financial planning and analysis: Financial planning can help your agency prioritize its goals and then come up with a plan to reach them, while also staying solvent and – ideally – growing and earning more revenue along the way. An outsourced CFO can put the plan in place to help you prosper. This can also help manage risk.
  • Monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs): Every business should have goals that they strive to hit. An outsourced CFO can work with you to understand your goals and identify KPIs to help you reach them.
  • Profitability optimization: An outsourced CFO can also ensure that the right strategy is in place so your agency can continue to operate profitably.

Benefits of Outsourced CFO Services for Agencies

Outsourcing accounting services has benefits, especially for a business with a unique business model like a marketing or advertising agency. One of the biggest advantages of outsourcing is cost savings. Managing overhead is important in any business, and it’s almost always more affordable to work with an external, outsourced partner than it is to hire a full-time professional in-house. When you outsource, you won’t have to worry about hiring, training, paying out benefits or investing in any accounting software. Additionally, when you outsource, you’re only paying for the services you need when you need them.

Outsourcing accounting services can help ensure that you’re working with an experienced professional who knows the ins and outs of the business. This type of experience and expertise can prove valuable for providing insight and guidance on all financial matters.

As your agency grows, so can the level of accounting services it receives. You can easily scale these services without the expense of hiring new staff. Outsourcing offers more flexibility than managing an in-house team, in addition to time-saving benefits. Time is money. Outsourcing certain tasks frees up time for your in-house professionals to focus on improving your marketing strategy and growing the business.

Key Financial Metrics for Marketing and Advertising Agencies

Various KPIs that are important to marketing and advertising agencies include:

  • Utilization rate: This measures billing efficiency, specifically if billing will cover costs plus overhead.
  • Average revenue per client: As the name implies, this measures revenue by the number of accounts handled during a certain period.
  • Client retention rate: This measures the number of clients retained over a designated periodof time, excluding any new clients that were acquired during that time.
  • Gross margin per service line: This is the difference between income received and the direct costs of providing the service.
  • Operating profit margin: The measure of the percentage of revenue left after covering operating expenses, including production costs.
  • Days sales outstanding: This measures the average number of days it takes for a company to collect cash from credit purchases.

These – and other – KPIs provide clear information on factors that include efficiency, quality and performance. They also chart a course for an agency to progress and grow over time.

Technology and Tools for Agency Financial Management

Technology helps empower companies with real-time, valuable insights that help with strategic planning. From basic tools like QuickBooks to more advanced tools that integrate systems and provide one dashboard for project management, time tracking and accounting, the right financial management software is essential to helping agencies make smart, data-based decisions.

How Propeller Industries Supports Marketing and Advertising Agencies

When it comes to selecting an external partner for your accounting and CFO services, you don’t just want to work with anyone. It’s imperative for the health of your advertising or marketing agency to work with a professional who’s not just well-versed in accounting best practices, but who also knows the ins and outs of the type of business you run. With experience serving marketing and ad agencies, Propeller Industries can help.

Scalable Financial Services

Financial Oversight
Financial Oversight
Growth Optimization
Growth Optimization
Expansion Plans
Expansion Plans
Reforecasting
Re-forecasting
Insights
Anticipatory Insights
Benchmark Reporting
Benchmark Reporting
Board Meeting Preparation
Board Meeting Preparation
Fundraising
Fundraising and capital solution analysis
Investor Relations
Investor relations
Network Connections
Network connections
Leadership Support
Leadership support
Industry Trends
Industry trends

Why Propeller Industries?

Gain the flexibility to invest in specific services tailored to your company’s needs. Our fractional CFOs across the United States, including CFOs in Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Boston and Seattle, are your solid investment for growth.

Key Responsibilities of a Fractional CFO

Fractional CFO companies like ours operate based on the specific needs of our clients. We tackle the needs you have, work to create a clear path forward and empower growth and development by managing financial operations flexibly. Take a look at some key responsibilities a fractional CFO may bring to the table for your company:

Benefits of hiring a Fractional CFO

Create a clear path forward
and empower growth

Overcome specific challenges

One of the most important ways our team can work with small businesses is to overcome the very specific financial challenges they are having, such as managing cash flow obstacles, low gross margins, finding ways to cut costs, improving existing systems that are no longer the right fit, reducing high expenses, overcoming an audit, and finding solutions for financing.

Improve your forward-facing goals

Companies can only grow and develop when they have a plan for getting there. With fractional CFO services, we can help you carve out a plan to make that possible. This includes creating short- and mid-term financial forecasts, building long-term financial goals and objectives, creating budgets for the company based on those forecasts, and analyzing future goals, including future products, services, and opportunities in new markets.

Develop financial security to work towards these goals and objectives

Fractional CFOs also empower companies by providing hands-on support. If your company is struggling financially right now, our team can help you create a path for growth. This may include improving tools and processes to better efficiency, working to improve vendor relationships, creating new customer segments and target audiences, building company reputation with vendors and investors, and developing employees with the best skill sets for the future.

Provide insight to manage funds:

At the heart of what CFOs do is manage funds, and that is no different from a fractional CFO. You can count on us to handle responsibilities such as cash flow management, strategic planning, capital budgeting, and financial decision-making support.

Not ready to hire a full-time CFO, but you know having this professional expertise and insight could change the trajectory of your business?

Utilizing a Fractional CFO Solves This Problem.

It's never too early to
hire a Fractional CFO

Consider our services if any of the following scenarios apply:

Bookkeeping and accounts are falling behind

Forecasting for your company is too complex

Exploring new markets and ventures

Cash is tied up limiting growth

Refinancing or reworking debt is necessary

Rapid growth is expected

Financial challenges impact your company

How Propeller Industries Facilitates the Right Fractional CFO Match

We listen, learn, and guide you when you work with Propeller Industries. To help your company embrace success in the future, we want to find the best CFO for your company. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Our first and primary goal is to provide very specific services and support for your needs. We engage with you to do that, gathering insight into your needs to ensure there is a solid fit for compatibility and quality of CFOs with the companies they are supporting.

We aim to find the right fit based on the following:

Frequently Asked
Questions

How does a fractional CFO interact with other members of my company's management team?

A fractional CFO collaborates directly with all stakeholders within the company to achieve financial goals. This means working with all management team members as the company owner or leadership determines is best.

How quickly can a fractional CFO get up to speed with my business?

Working with a fractional CFO means hands-on support, and they can often begin providing value and highlighting opportunities right away. You can create a timeline that works for your business’s needs and goals.

How can a fractional CFO help my company during a merger or acquisition?

If your company is working through a merger or acquisition, having the key insights and strategic planning opportunities that a fractional CFO offers on your side can make a big difference in the long term. This includes managing areas of due diligence, integration of teams and services, and cost-saving opportunities.

Can a fractional CFO help my business secure funding or investment?

One of the core ways your business may benefit from working with a fractional CFO is just that – they can help to prepare financial projections, presentations, and data to help support your efforts in obtaining funding. Then, they can work to help you find the potential investors your company needs.

How flexible are fractional CFO services and how can they adapt to my business's changing needs?

The flexibility of a fractional CFO can make a big difference in your company’s goals. You can scale up or down as your company’s needs change.

What sort of industries or sectors can a fractional CFO specialize in?

Fractional CFOs can specialize in a wide range of industries, whether that is customer-centric companies, industrial organizations, or others. Having access to a professional with specialized knowledge of your industry could be a boon to your business.

What is the difference between a fractional CFO and an interim CFO?

An interim CFO is a person filling in a gap, often until a professional can be hired to do the job full-time. A fractional CFO can provide ongoing financial services tailored to your needs without requiring you to hire someone full-time.

How can a fractional CFO help with strategic financial planning for future growth?

One of the biggest advantages of working with a fractional CFO is gaining their expertise in strategic financial planning. They can develop financial strategies that align with your business’s specific long-term growth objectives.

How does a fractional CFO ensure regulatory compliance and audit support for my business?

Fractional CFOs like the ones we provide at Propeller Industries leverage their industry knowledge to help companies ensure they meet regulatory compliance requirements in their sector. They also provide specialized support for audits, risk management planning, and related needs.

What are some common financial pitfalls a fractional CFO can help my business avoid?

Some key areas where a fractional CFO can help minimize risk and avoid pitfalls include improving cash flow management, right-sizing staff, performing due diligence before major investments, and relying on data instead of gut feelings when making big financial decisions. Their specialized expertise helps you avoid costly mistakes.

Ready to transform your financial strategy?
Contact Propeller today.

What is a Fractional CFO?

A fractional CFO is a part-time CFO solution designed to meet the specific needs and requirements of smaller companies. Typically, utilizing these services gives you customized, tailored access to financial leverage and insights to help your business grow without having to commit to a full-time CFO, which is often out of reach for many smaller companies.

A fractional CFO can provide you with a wide range of services to meet your needs. Their ultimate goal is to work hand-in-hand with you to build a professional financial strategy that meets your objectives and creates a growth plan. Some services offered by a fractional CFO include:

  1. Bookkeeping and end-of-month accounting requirements
  2. Negotiating debt arrangements with current creditors
  3. Forecasting business cash, revenue, and profit margins
  4. Forecasting and planning for business expenses, including looking for cost-cutting measures
  5. Maintaining relationships with financial institutions, including banks and investors who may support efforts with the company
  6. Creating a monthly budget and analyzing it ongoing to ensure accuracy and pinpoint opportunities
  7. Annual budgeting creation and management
  8. Working with management to tackle specific in-house financial concerns
  9. Managing due diligence for the company
  10. Supporting valuation calculations and business acquisition strategies

 

These are just some services a fractional CFO can offer your company. You do not have to invest in a professional to handle all of these. That is the benefit Propeller Industries brings to the table. You gain the flexibility to invest in the specific services you absolutely need to help support your company’s growth.

Is your company not yet ready to hire a full-time Chief Financial Officer (CFO), but you know having this professional’s expertise and insight could change the trajectory of your business? Utilizing a fractional CFO solves this problem by providing you with access to competitively priced, exceptionally skilled professionals who can help your company make better decisions.

At Propeller Industries, our prowess in providing fractional CFO services helps our clients reach their goals and thrive. With fractional CFO services across the United States including CFOs in Austin, CFOs in Los Angeles, CFOs in San Francisco, and CFOs in Seattle, we tailor financial solutions to address your specific needs. Our team is the solid investment you need to keep growing.

The insights and solutions we offer at Propeller Industries are tailored to your business’s objectives. Utilize as many or as few of our fractional CFO services as you need to help your business thrive. Ready to learn how?

The Benefits of Hiring a Fractional CFO

Making the decision to hire a fractional Chief Financial Officer can seem like a big one, especially if the company is already struggling with financial considerations. Yet, there are benefits that come from hiring these professionals to provide ongoing service and support. Aside from providing financial and accounting expertise, here are some of the biggest benefits our clients at Propeller Industries see on a routine basis from working with our team:

  • Improve stakeholder relationships: Fractional CFOs can help to improve investor and other stakeholder relationships by providing higher quality reports, better transparency, and key financial management. This can lead to new investment opportunities.
  • Raising funds with confidence: Fractional CFOs help companies position themselves to raise key funding, whether they are a startup or in a growth phase.
  • Improve company financial health: Higher-quality data coupled with financial expertise puts companies on the path towards making better decisions and projections, ensuring a better profit margin becomes clear.
  • Create long-term goals: These professionals help companies look to the future, create a goal for the company’s long-term objectives, and then create a strategic path for reaching those goals and expectations.
  • Manage financial tasks: For small companies, the financial details and analysis are very important, but often the last thing to get done as they try to manage other tasks. CFOs will focus heavily on ensuring financial tasks are always a priority.

 

From solving problems to creating new ideas for growth potential, fractional CFOs can help companies start up, grow, overcome financial risk, and scale at a rate they may not have been able to do before.

Key Responsibilities of a Fractional CFO

Fractional CFO companies like ours operate based on the specific needs of our clients. We tackle the needs you have, work to create a clear path forward and empower growth and development by managing financial operations flexibly. Take a look at some key responsibilities a fractional CFO may bring to the table for your company:

  • Overcome specific challenges: One of the most important ways our team can work with small businesses is to overcome the very specific financial challenges they are having, such as managing cash flow obstacles, low gross margins, finding ways to cut costs, improving existing systems that are no longer the right fit, reducing high expenses, overcoming an audit, and finding solutions for financing.
  • Improve your forward-facing goals: Companies can only grow and develop when they have a plan for getting there. With fractional CFO services, we can help you carve out a plan to make that possible. This includes creating short- and mid-term financial forecasts, building long-term financial goals and objectives, creating budgets for the company based on those forecasts, and analyzing future goals, including future products, services, and opportunities in new markets.
  • Develop financial security to work towards these goals and objectives: Fractional CFOs also empower companies by providing hands-on support. If your company is struggling financially right now, our team can help you create a path for growth. This may include improving tools and processes to better efficiency, working to improve vendor relationships, creating new customer segments and target audiences, building company reputation with vendors and investors, and developing employees with the best skill sets for the future.
  • Provide insight to manage funds: At the heart of what CFOs do is manage funds, and that is no different from a fractional CFO. You can count on us to handle responsibilities such as cash flow management, strategic planning, capital budgeting, and financial decision-making support.

When is the Right Time to Hire a Fractional CFO?

It's never too early to hire a fractional CFO, but there are some instances in which you should not put off hiring a professional. If your company is experiencing excessive financial and administrative burdens, a fractional CFO can help when:

  • Bookkeeping and accounts are getting behind. You simply do not have time to manage these tasks on your own, or you may not have a lot of insight into how to manage your financials properly.
  • Forecasting for your company is too complex. The economy in itself is changing so rapidly that it may be hard for you to know where to get started in forecasting the future, but not doing so is a costly mistake.
  • It's time to consider new markets and ventures. Before pushing forward to a new venture, you need to be ready to do so with sound financial health and a plan for creating success and managing integration.
  • Your growth is limited because your cash is tied up. This is a common problem for many companies – they have the tools and resources but have too much cash tied up in inventory or receivables to make any headway.
  • It's time to refinance or rework debt. Debt can be a financial blow to any company, but there may be opportunities to refinance old debt or get new debt to help streamline costs.
  • You expect rapid growth: If your company is experiencing a period of rapid growth, take charge of it by using these services to help you build a stronger way forward.
  • There are financial challenges impacting your company that you are unsure how to manage. You are an expert in the services and products you offer, and you may need an expert to help you manage the financial component of the process moving forward.

 

Hiring Propeller Industries means you get insight, support, and guidance tailored to your business. Let our team offer the strategic financial expertise you need to thrive.

The Cost of Fractional CFO Services

How much do fractional CFO services cost? The cost of fractional CFO services nearly always depends on your company’s specific goals and needs. It is impossible for any well-qualified company to provide a specific rate that fits all situations. Rather, consider it a type of service that is geared towards your objectives and goals and fits within your budget.

Numerous factors play a role in what you can expect to pay, including:

  • Whether you need hourly services or a project-based fee
  • The scope of the work to be completed, including how much needs to be done one time vs. what are ongoing needs
  • The level of expertise you need from a professional is often based on the complexity of the matters
  • Duration of working arrangements

 

Keep in mind that Propeller Industries is a leader in solving problems and facilitating growth, so we always keep your budget and costs in mind to deliver competitive pricing. We are also committed to transparency, which means we will always communicate costs with you upfront.

How Propeller Industries Facilitates the Right Fractional CFO Match

We listen, learn, and guide you when you work with Propeller Industries. To help your company embrace success in the future, we want to find the best CFO for your company. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Our first and primary goal is to provide very specific services and support for your needs. We engage with you to do that, gathering insight into your needs to ensure there is a solid fit for compatibility and quality of CFOs with the companies they are supporting.

We aim to find the right fit based on the following:

  • The industry
  • Business needs
  • Growth stage of the company
  • Financial goals of the organization
  • Expectations

Overcoming Business Challenges with a Fractional CFO

A fractional CFO helps navigate common financial and operational challenges. As you work with us, consider what a fractional CFO can do for your company in areas such as:

  • Cash flow management
  • Budgeting
  • Strategic planning
  • Financial system implementation
  • Identifying growth opportunities
  • Identifying company risks
  • Strategizing to meet stakeholder expectations
  • Regulatory compliance

Fractional CFO Services FAQs

How does a fractional CFO interact with other members of my company's management team?

A fractional CFO collaborates directly with all stakeholders within the company to achieve financial goals. This means working with all management team members as the company owner or leadership determines is best.

How quickly can a fractional CFO get up to speed with my business?

Working with a fractional CFO means hands-on support, and they can often begin providing value and highlighting opportunities right away. You can create a timeline that works for your business's needs and goals.

How can a fractional CFO help my company during a merger or acquisition?

If your company is working through a merger or acquisition, having the key insights and strategic planning opportunities that a fractional CFO offers on your side can make a big difference in the long term. This includes managing areas of due diligence, integration of teams and services, and cost-saving opportunities.

Can a fractional CFO help my business secure funding or investment?

One of the core ways your business may benefit from working with a fractional CFO is just that – they can help to prepare financial projections, presentations, and data to help support your efforts in obtaining funding. Then, they can work to help you find the potential investors your company needs.

How flexible are fractional CFO services and how can they adapt to my business's changing needs?

The flexibility of a fractional CFO can make a big difference in your company's goals. You can scale up or down as your company's needs change.

What sort of industries or sectors can a fractional CFO specialize in?

Fractional CFOs can specialize in a wide range of industries, whether that is customer-centric companies, industrial organizations, or others. Having access to a professional with specialized knowledge of your industry could be a boon to your business.

What is the difference between a fractional CFO and an interim CFO?

An interim CFO is a person filling in a gap, often until a professional can be hired to do the job full-time. A fractional CFO can provide ongoing financial services tailored to your needs without requiring you to hire someone full-time.

How can a fractional CFO help with strategic financial planning for future growth?

One of the biggest advantages of working with a fractional CFO is gaining their expertise in strategic financial planning. They can develop financial strategies that align with your business's specific long-term growth objectives.

How does a fractional CFO ensure regulatory compliance and audit support for my business?

Fractional CFOs like the ones we provide at Propeller Industries leverage their industry knowledge to help companies ensure they meet regulatory compliance requirements in their sector. They also provide specialized support for audits, risk management planning, and related needs.

What are some common financial pitfalls a fractional CFO can help my business avoid?

Some key areas where a fractional CFO can help minimize risk and avoid pitfalls include improving cash flow management, right-sizing staff, performing due diligence before major investments, and relying on data instead of gut feelings when making big financial decisions. Their specialized expertise helps you avoid costly mistakes.

What Kind of Technology Do Fractional CFOs Use?

Fractional CFOs bring access to a wide range of financial technology designed to meet a company's unique needs. It can be challenging to have the latest tech on a limited budget. But fractional CFOs can provide that, including:

  • Accounting and financial management software like QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks for tasks like bookkeeping, invoicing, payroll, and taxes.
  • Budgeting and forecasting tools such as Adaptive Insights, Oracle NetSuite, and Prophix to create accurate budgets, forecasts, and cash flow projections.
  • Analytics and reporting software like Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, and Zoho Analytics to turn complex financial data into digestible, insightful reports.
  • Project management tools including Asana, Trello, and Slack to organize tasks and manage workflow efficiently.
  • CRM and sales management platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot to track sales activity and improve revenue forecasting.
  • Compliance and risk management software such as LogicGate and Onspring to aid with regulatory tracking, risk mitigation, and audit preparation.

 

When you partner with a company like Propeller Industries, we work closely with you to determine the best technology solutions for your needs, based on expert recommendations.

The Future of Technology in Fractional CFO Services

Exciting new technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain have the potential to greatly benefit fractional CFO services in the future. These innovations can provide even more robust analytics, streamline processes, and enhance security. While adopting new technology does come with some risks for small businesses, partnering with an experienced fractional CFO service provider positions you to take advantage of cutting-edge solutions to push your company forward.

In today's complex and ever-changing business landscape, fractional CFOs play a critical role supporting the financial success and growth of small companies like mine. The on-demand expertise and insights fractional CFO firms provide allow businesses to scale intelligently and avoid pitfalls. If you're looking for a trusted partner to take your company to the next level, Propeller Industries stands ready with the fractional CFO services and solutions your business needs to thrive.

The Impact of Propeller Industries Fractional CFO Services

Propeller Industries' fractional CFO services provide an invaluable boost to growth-focused small businesses. From startups looking to get off the ground successfully to established companies seeking to scale intelligently, our fractional CFOs have driven transformative outcomes for clients across industries. Check out some case studies of companies we've partnered with here to see the tangible impact our fractional CFO services deliver.

Engaging Propeller Industries Fractional CFO Services

Ready to amplify your small business success with expert fractional CFO support? Reach out to the team at Propeller Industries to get started. We make the process extremely easy - it starts with a consultation where we learn about your needs, and then we match you with the perfect fractional CFO for your objectives. Contact us today through our website consultation form, by email, or at 888-552-5710 to learn more about how our fractional CFO services can help your business thrive.