Bryan McGowanFractional CFOWork directly with me, Bryan McGowan, to get numbers you trust, understand cash and profitability, and make better decisions about growth.
Senior financial guidance and hands-on financial operations, without hiring a full-time CFO.
Free intro call · Foundation from $5,000 · Ongoing from $3,000/month
“This is the first time I’ve truly understood my business.”
I'm Bryan McGowan. Over fifteen years as a CFO, I've helped raise more than $250 million in equity and debt, led finance through fast growth, and founded Open Water Power, an MIT spinout that I sold to a major aerospace and defense company.
You'll work directly with me, from your introductory call through the full engagement. I'll learn how your business operates, lead the work to get your finances into shape, and help you decide what to do next. You know who your CFO is before you commit.
I built the software I use to make the financial work more efficient, so I can spend more time helping you run the business.
The need can build over time: cash feels harder to predict, growth adds complexity, or decisions keep getting made without numbers you trust. A funding round, a lender request, or a change in the business can make that need more immediate.
Sales are growing, but you're unsure what cash will be available, what's tying it up, or what you can safely spend.
You need to know which channels are profitable, whether a hire pays back, and how to fund the next stage.
You need financials, forecasts, and clear answers that can stand up to investor questions and diligence.
Covenant reporting, borrowing-base calculations, or a monthly financial package need to be accurate and ready on the lender's schedule.
New channels, entities, inventory, or revenue models have made it harder to see how the business is actually performing.
A partner change or transaction requires financial information people can use to discuss value, obligations, and what gets paid.
Your bookkeeper, controller, or CFO has left, and you need continuity, a clear picture of the work, and a plan.
You need the history, reporting, and day-to-day financial work to stay intact while the business moves to a new setup.
Bring the question you're trying to answer. We'll work out what financial support would help.
My work connects three things: a reliable financial foundation, a clear view of performance, and CFO guidance on the decisions ahead. We start where your business needs support and build from there.
I reconcile and complete the books, put them on the appropriate accounting basis, and organize them around how your business operates.
You have a sound starting point for planning and financial conversations, with less uncertainty about whether the numbers are right.
I build reporting and a live view around your business, so you can see what is happening with cash, costs, and profitability.
You can understand how the business is performing and ask better questions, without having to translate the reports yourself.
I help you evaluate decisions: which channels earn a real margin, what a hire needs to return, and whether debt or equity fits your plans.
You have an experienced CFO to help weigh the options and make a plan with numbers behind it.
Reliable numbers support clear reporting. Clear reporting supports better decisions. I connect the financial work to the business decisions it is meant to serve.
They called about CFO support for investor meetings two weeks out. QuickBooks was on, with the default chart, booking Shopify deposits straight to revenue and nothing else. They could not produce a P&L.
Rebuilt twelve months on accrual — gross sales, fees, refunds and returns pulled apart properly. Chart of accounts rebuilt for two channels. Bulk reclass across the full year rather than line by line.
Working books in two weeks, plus channel margin, real return on ad spend, and an investor memo for the conversations ahead.
Moving into ongoing work — the inventory planning and capital strategy questions they originally called about.
Signed two days after the first call. These timings describe this engagement; yours is scoped for your business.
Four entities shared overhead, leaving the owner unable to see what each program earned after its share of costs.
Built a reporting layer that allocated shared costs while leaving the underlying books intact.
A failing Salesforce-to-QuickBooks connection left revenue unrecorded and customer receivables unreliable.
Built an integration and established a reconciled cycle between the operating system and the accounting records.
No accounting function or property-level reports, amortization schedules trapped in PDFs, and K-1s due in under two weeks.
Ingested the source documents and rebuilt the ledger using adjustments above the original records.
I don't wait for someone to clean the books before engaging as CFO. I solve the problems, whatever they are.
— Bryan McGowan
We start with a fixed-fee foundation engagement. Ongoing CFO support is scoped around what your business needs. You know the work, the timeline, and the price before it starts.
You can see how the business is performing, plan against a forecast, and have financial information ready for decisions and financing conversations. You leave with a clearer picture and an agreed path forward.
Book an intro callYou spend less time chasing financial information and have an experienced partner helping you plan ahead. As the business changes, you have someone who knows the numbers and can help you weigh the next decision.
Book an intro callThe value continues as the work changes. Once the foundation is in place, my focus shifts from reconstructing the past to helping you manage the present and plan the future. Step-down reviews keep the fee aligned with the ongoing scope. Phase one is a standalone engagement, and ongoing work is month to month.
You provide access and the context only you know. I lead the financial work, explain what matters, and help you act on it. Your involvement becomes lighter after the initial setup, while the CFO support continues.
A fractional CFO provides senior financial guidance without a full-time hire. I help you understand cash, profitability, and what the business can afford, then use that information to plan and evaluate decisions.
My engagement also covers the financial foundation. If the books or reporting need work, I address that within the agreed scope so the advice is built on reliable information.
Yes. Your introductory call is with me, and I lead your CFO engagement. I am involved in understanding the business, the financial work, and the ongoing conversations about what to do next.
When you already have a bookkeeper or finance team, I work with them as part of that relationship.
That is something we identify early. Cleanup and backfill are included in the scope and price we agree before work starts.
You do not need to get the books into shape before calling me. Bring an honest picture of what you have and what you need to be able to answer.
Bookkeeping generally focuses on recording and reconciling transactions. A controller generally oversees accounting, controls, and reporting. A CFO uses the financial picture to help guide planning, funding, and business decisions. Responsibilities can overlap.
I connect those levels: help get the foundation right, make the information understandable, and advise you on what it means for the next hire, a growth plan, or a financing decision.
In most engagements, the existing bookkeeper stays. I help give the work clearer direction and connect it to the reporting and decisions you need.
Part of the initial assessment is understanding whether the people, roles, and support you have fit the business. Any recommendations follow from that assessment.
The foundation engagement starts at $5,000 as a fixed fee. Ongoing CFO partnership starts at $3,000 per month.
Your price depends on the agreed work, including the condition of the books, the complexity of the business, and the support needed. You receive a scope, price, and timeline before work starts.
I need access to your financial systems and answers to questions only you can answer: what a transfer was for, how an arrangement works, or what you are planning next.
Expect a few hours in the first couple of weeks. After the initial setup, your involvement usually becomes lighter: a monthly conversation, context when needed, and the decisions that remain yours to make. I lead the financial work.
You do not have to switch systems simply to work with me. I work with your existing financial setup and assess what needs to change, if anything.
I assess your setup as part of the engagement. Recommendations on systems follow from what your business needs.
I can usually start within a week or two of the first call. The foundation timeline depends on what we find and the work we agree to do.
You will have a written timeline before deciding. The two-week cleanup in the apparel case study describes that engagement; your timeline is scoped for your business.
No. Phase one is a standalone fixed-fee engagement. The current books, reporting package, forecast, and recommendations are yours whether or not we continue together.
Ongoing support is month to month, with reviews to keep the scope and fee aligned with the work your business needs.
The work shifts toward keeping the financial picture current and helping you look ahead. We discuss performance, cash needs, profitability, hiring, and financing decisions as they arise.
You continue to have a CFO who knows the business. A review of scope and fees reflects how the work changes as the foundation becomes established.
The call is free and lasts thirty minutes. Tell me what is happening in the business, what financial questions you need to answer, and whether there is a deadline.
I will give you a straight answer about fit and explain the next steps for defining the work, timeline, and price if an engagement makes sense.
I take responsibility for the financial work. You stay involved in the decisions and provide the context only you can give. We'll talk through whether that partnership fits what you need.
Thirty minutes with me, Bryan McGowan. Tell me what's happening and what you need to understand. You'll get a straight answer about the support that makes sense for your business.
Book a 30-minute call with Bryan