What is an integrated fractional CFO and COO service?

It's one team that owns both the financial strategy (forecasting, cash planning, margin analysis) and the operational execution that makes those numbers real (AR/AP, monthly close, systems). Instead of a CFO who hands you a plan, the same engagement runs the plan.

Why not just hire a fractional CFO and a separate operations provider?

Two vendors reintroduces the handoff gap. The CFO spots the problem, but nobody owns the fix, so it falls back on you. Under one team the person who finds the issue is connected to the person who owns the workflow, so a finding becomes a changed process.

What does the 'same person, 20 hours each' model mean?

Many owner-operated businesses need roughly 20 hours a week of CFO-grade thinking and 20 hours of operational execution, not two full-time hires. Often it's the same person wearing both hats, because at your scale the two jobs overlap too heavily to split cleanly.

Where does the AI part fit in?

AI and automation handle the low-judgment work: categorizing transactions, matching payments to invoices, flagging unusual bills, routine collections. That's what lets one team cover both roles affordably, freeing human hours for the decisions that need judgment.

Do you replace my accountant or handle my taxes?

No. Walden does not do tax, attest, or audit work. You keep your CPA for compliance and filing. We run the financial strategy and the operations; your accountant handles the rest.

What size business is this right for?

It fits best for owner-operated businesses doing roughly $1M to $10M in revenue that have bookkeeping in place but still can't answer key questions about their cash, and can't justify a full-time CFO or COO salary.

How do I see if the handoff gap is costing me money?

Book a free Profit Review. It's a plain-English, read-only teardown of your books that shows where cash is leaking and whether the fix is a strategy problem, an operations problem, or the gap between them.

Intelligence

The Integrated Back Office: CFO + COO + AI in One

Most engagements give you a forecast and hope you run it yourself. Here's why finance strategy and operational execution belong under one team for owner-operated businesses.

Read on Walden →