Fractional CFO
Fractional CFO services in Atlanta, Georgia
Walden is based in Canton, in Cherokee County, and works with owner-led businesses across metro Atlanta. You get a part-time CFO with the close and bookkeeping underneath, at a published flat fee, so the profit work runs on books we keep ourselves.
What is a fractional CFO?
A fractional CFO is an experienced chief financial officer who works with your business part-time, a few days a month instead of full-time. You get senior financial leadership, profit and margin analysis, and decision support at a fraction of the cost of a full-time CFO hire.
How an Atlanta distributor tripled its gross margin.
A metro Atlanta railroad equipment distributor doing about $8 million a year came to us losing money, with the owner funding the losses personally. The books were on QuickBooks Desktop. The CRM, the field service software, and the books didn’t talk to each other, so data moved by copy and paste and reports were built by hand in spreadsheets. The owner had a sense of where the problem was and no way to prove it.
We cleaned up 24 months of books in about 90 days, moved the company to QuickBooks Online, and connected HubSpot, Simpro, and QuickBooks so nothing gets retyped. Errors in years already filed went to a new CPA, who amended those returns. Then we built gross margin by product. Shipping was the leak: once each shipping invoice was matched to its order, customers turned out to be paying about 1% to 2% of the order for shipping that cost 5% to 7.5%. Prices hadn’t moved since 2022.
Shipping fees and prices went up, and the quote-to-sale close rate and revenue per customer held. We also cut $1.1 million a year of spending that didn’t drive revenue, including a marketing agency in a business that sells mostly to repeat buyers. The work ran remote. What moved the owner was seeing the actual numbers.
- 12% → 38%: gross margin, within about six months.
- $1.1M: a year in spending cut, with revenue holding.
- $232K → $115K: in monthly fixed costs.
- $1.9M → $303K: in monthly sales needed to break even: $232K ÷ 12%, then $115K ÷ 38%.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a fractional CFO cost in Atlanta?
A fractional CFO in Atlanta typically costs far less than a full-time hire because you pay only for the work you need. A full-time CFO in Georgia usually runs well over $200,000 a year once salary, bonus, and benefits are counted. Walden’s Advisory engagements are $7,000–$10,000/month, with the close and bookkeeping included, and you can cancel with 30 days’ notice.
Where is Walden based?
Canton, Georgia, in Cherokee County, north of Atlanta. We work remote-first: your books, dashboards, and reports live in shared systems, and the monthly working session runs on video. We meet in person in metro Atlanta when it helps, and questions get a reply the same day.
Have you worked with Atlanta businesses?
Yes. One example, with the name left off: a metro Atlanta railroad equipment distributor doing about $8 million a year and losing money. We cleaned up 24 months of books in about 90 days, connected its CRM, field service software, and QuickBooks, and built margin by product. After shipping fees and prices were corrected, gross margin went from 12% to 38% in about six months, and we cut $1.1 million a year of spending that didn’t drive revenue.
How is Walden different from other fractional CFO firms in Atlanta?
Three things you can check before a call. Our prices are published: $7,000–$10,000/month for a fractional CFO, with the close and bookkeeping included. The CFO work runs on books we keep ourselves, so nobody waits on another firm’s numbers. And there’s no long-term contract: 30 days notice to cancel, with a money-back guarantee through your first monthly close. One Atlanta client, who had used a large firm before, said working with us felt like having a finance employee instead of a big firm.
Can you work with my Atlanta CPA or bookkeeper?
Yes. Most clients keep their CPA, who handles tax returns and any audit work, and we hand them reconciled books at year end. If your bookkeeper is doing good work, we can review and manage their work instead of replacing them.
What is the difference between a fractional CFO and a full-time CFO?
A fractional CFO does the same strategic work as a full-time CFO (margin and profit analysis, pricing, growth planning, capital strategy) but works part-time across several businesses instead of one. You get senior financial leadership a few days a month without a six-figure salary, benefits, equity, or a long hiring process. It is the right fit until a full-time CFO is clearly justified.
Fractional CFO vs bookkeeper vs accountant: what is the difference?
A bookkeeper records what already happened: transactions, reconciliations, monthly statements. An accountant or CPA classifies that history and files your taxes. A fractional CFO reads the numbers and turns them into decisions: which work pays, what to price, what to cut, and what the next stage of growth needs. You usually need all three, but only the CFO answers “what should we do about it?”
Do you work remotely with Atlanta and Atlanta metro businesses?
Yes. Walden is a remote-first, US-based firm that serves Atlanta, Canton, Woodstock, Alpharetta, and the wider Atlanta metro as a service-area business. We connect to your QuickBooks or Xero and the systems that feed it, and run the engagement over scheduled video calls and shared dashboards. Remote delivery means you get senior financial leadership without paying for an in-office hire.
What size company needs a fractional CFO?
Fractional CFO services usually fit owner-operated businesses generating roughly $1M to $20M in revenue. Below that, a strong bookkeeper is often enough. Above it, a full-time CFO starts to make sense. The clearer signal than revenue is complexity: unclear margins, growth that isn’t turning into profit, a business stuck at the same size, or decisions you can no longer make from the bank balance.
How fast will I see results from a fractional CFO?
For most Atlanta clients, the first big result is seeing where the profit actually comes from, by job, customer, or product. Margin fixes, pricing changes, and cleaner collections typically land over the first 90 days. Walden’s goal is to deliver measurable value well above our fee inside that first quarter.
What does a fractional CFO work on each month?
Profit first: margin by job, customer, and product, pricing and cost structure, and a one-page dashboard of the five to eight numbers that move profit, reviewed with you every month. Then the plan for the next stage of growth, with a 13-week cash forecast so growth doesn’t outrun cash.
Is Walden a licensed CPA or accounting firm?
No. Walden provides fractional CFO and advisory services, not licensed CPA work. We do not file taxes, perform audits, or issue attestations, and Stephen Wray is not a licensed CPA. We work alongside your existing CPA or tax preparer. They handle compliance, and we own the profit work, the planning, and the numbers behind your decisions.