How do I know if my business is ready to hire a controller?

You're ready when your close runs late, your margins are unreliable, cash keeps surprising you, and you're the only real oversight on the books. Most owners hit this between $2M and $10M in revenue. If three or more of those are true, a controller will pay for itself faster than you expect.

What should I look for when hiring a controller?

Look for a defined month-end close process with a 5-to-7-day target, real experience with your kind of margin (job costing for contractors), a controls mindset so no one is unchecked, and a clear line that tax and attest work stays with your CPA. Ask who actually does the work.

What questions should I ask before hiring a controller?

Ask who does the work and how many clients they carry, what their close process and timeline look like, how they'll handle your job or product margin, what controls they'll install, what stays with your CPA, and what they'll fix in the first 90 days. Vague answers are the red flag.

Should I hire a full-time or fractional controller?

Choose by hours of work, not title. Most $2M–$10M owners need 10–30 hours a month, which favors a fractional controller at about $3,000–$7,500/month over a $100k+/year full-time hire. Go full-time only when you have a full week of controller-level work every week.

How much does it cost to hire a controller?

A full-time controller costs $100k+/year in salary, roughly $150k–$180k fully loaded once you add benefits, overhead, and recruiting. A fractional controller runs about $3,000–$7,500/month, or $125–$250/hour, at 10–30 hours a month. These are directional 2025–2026 market ranges; get current quotes before budgeting.

Do I need a controller or just a better bookkeeper?

If you mainly need clean, current records, a stronger bookkeeper may do. If you need a month-end close on a deadline, reliable margin by job or product, controls, and reporting you can decide on, that's controller work. A bookkeeper keeps the record; a controller owns the numbers.

Advisory

A Controller Checklist Before You Hire

Most "hire a controller" checklists are just interview questions. The harder question is whether your business is ready — and set up — for the role to succeed. Here's the owner-side version: readiness signs, what the role should own, full-time vs. fractional, and what it costs.

Read on Walden →