How Much Does a Finance Expert Cost?

Fractional CFO

A Fractional CFO is a senior financial executive who works part-time across multiple companies, providing CFO-level strategy and leadership at a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.

Burn Rate

Burn rate is the pace at which a company spends its cash — typically measured monthly — before it becomes cash-flow positive. It is one of the most critical metrics for any startup.

Financial Modeling

Financial modeling is the process of building a structured, quantitative representation of a company's finances — typically in a spreadsheet — to forecast future performance and support major decisions.

EBITDA

EBITDA stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. It is a widely used measure of a company's core operating profitability, stripping out the effects of financing decisions, tax environments, and non-cash accounting charges.

Working Capital

Working capital is the difference between a company's current assets (cash, receivables, inventory) and its current liabilities (payables, short-term debt). It measures whether a business has enough short-term assets to cover its short-term obligations and fund day-to-day operations.

Operating Leverage

Operating leverage measures the proportion of fixed costs in a company's cost structure. High operating leverage means a large share of costs are fixed — so revenue increases translate into disproportionately large profit increases, but revenue declines are equally amplified.

Equity Compensation

Equity compensation is a non-cash payment to employees or contractors that grants ownership in the company — typically in the form of stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), or direct stock grants. It aligns employee incentives with company value creation.

409A Valuation

A 409A valuation is an independent appraisal of the fair market value (FMV) of a private company's common stock. It is required by the IRS before a company can issue stock options, establishing the exercise price to avoid significant tax penalties.