Strategic Financial Oversight Without the Cost of a Full-Time CFO
Susan C. Lloyd, CPA, offers fractional CFO services in Redding, CA to help business owners take control of their finances with strategic oversight, future planning and expert guidance during every stage of growth.
With over 30 years of experience, Susan transforms scattered financial data into clear, actionable strategies, allowing you to lead your business with confidence, backed by numbers you can trust.
Connect with Susan today to discuss her fractional CFO services.
- CA License 96754
- Fractional engagement, no full-time cost
- In practice since 1992
Before Susan
Data-driven decisions mean no surprises
The Books Are Balanced, Yet Your Business Feels Reactive
Clean books tell you what happened in the past. That’s a good start, but it isn’t enough. A CFO tells you what is coming up and what to do about it. Many small businesses focus only on the first but never the second.
- A bookkeeper who records without giving any advice.
- Numbers are correctly recorded, but no one is noticing that your largest service line is not profitable ,or that your receivables are getting to 60 days past due.
- An accountant you see once a year at tax time.
- They submit the return, you pay the bill, and they do not bother you again until next April. Strategies should not be made in April.
- Making decisions based on intuition, not on statistics.
- Hiring, pricing, expansion, a large purchase. If you don't have a forward-looking financial model, you're doing little more than estimates. Sometimes that's fine. But in some instances, it can cost you the business.
A fractional CFO works between the level of bookkeeper and full-time financial executive, at a fraction of the cost, and only when your business needs it.
Years in accounting
In practice since
of clients work directly with Susan
- Hiring too fast or too slow with no cash model to reference
- Pricing that appears to be profitable but does not consider variables like overhead or owner time
- Bank lines reduced due to the lack of financials being ready for a lender
- Tax surprises in Q4 that would have been addressed in Q2 if there had been better forecasting
- Undervalued sale or exit of business due to improper book positioning
CFO-Level Thinking Applied to Your Business
This isn’t a monthly report delivered automatically and without context. It’s a true financial connection. Susan monitors the key numbers, understands your business intimately, and tells you what she sees before you even ask.
- Forecast cash flow on a rolling 90-day basis, allowing you to be in control of what is coming before it arrives. You can now make hiring, spending, and timing decisions based on real data.
- Monthly financial review beyond the P&L. Margin by service or product line, trend analysis, and simple summary of what changed and why.
- Budgeting and variance analysis to know when the plan is on track and when it is not, and what to do when there is variance between where you are and where you want to be..
- Pricing and profitability analysis to ensure that the profit picture is correct, taking into account the labor, overhead, and owner's compensation.
- Strategic advisory on key decisions such as hiring, equipment, expansion, debt, ownership structure and exit planning.
- Lender and investor preparation. Packaging financial statements, creating projections, and presenting the business to banks or outside parties.
- Tax coordination that is integrated all year long, not just at tax time. Estimated payments, when income and deductions will be received, and entity structure decisions are made in real time.
- Successful businesses that have outgrown the owner's ability to keep track of finances mentally
- Businesses looking for financing from a bank, line of credit, or outside investors
- Business owners who are considering a sale or exit within the next two to five years
- Multi-owner enterprises that require an independent financial voice
- Owners who feel they are flying blind despite having clean books
Bookkeeping or tax preparation. Those are two different services. Many clients hire Susan for all three, so the books, the strategy, and the taxes are all done by one person who can see the big picture.
THREE WAYS TO ENGAGE. ONE CLEAR MONTHLY FEE.
- Quarterly financial review
- Cash flow forecast update
- 60-minute strategy call
- Written priorities memo
- Monthly financial review & memo
- Rolling cash flow forecast
- Monthly advisory call
- On-call for major decisions
- Lender or investor packages
- Business valuation support
- Pricing & margin models
- Exit or succession planning
Financial Strategy is Only Useful When the Numbers Are Right
A business consultant gives you frameworks. A licensed CPA is able to offer you strategy based on accurate financials, tax knowledge, and 30+ years of experience understanding what the numbers mean to growing businesses, both in Redding and throughout the rest of California.
When the CFO advisory and tax prep are in the hands of one person, there is no separate strategy and compliance. Deduction planning, timing, and changes in entity structure are not limited to a specific time of year and do not need to be rushed before April 15.
Banks don’t just want financial statements. They are interested in knowing the story behind the figures. Susan can package financials for loan applications and present a business clearly and credibly.
The monthly report does not represent the full value of a fractional CFO. It’s having someone tell you outright, "This hire is premature," “This pricing model doesn’t work," or "This debt is manageable.” Susan reports what she sees based on the facts..
Susan is a small firm owner and works one-on-one with all of her clients. When you need a financial opinion on a major decision, she’s the person on the call with full context, not just a briefing memo.
Fixed price depending on complexity and level of engagement. Agreed before you sign. Does not change with additional questions or additional calls.
One-time deliverables like lender packages, models, exit prep. Scoped and priced upfront as a single fixed fee.
There is no additional cost for advisory calls, quick questions or decision support.
From First Call to Financial Clarity
You describe the business, including revenue, structure, what’s working, and what’s keeping you up at night. Susan listens, asks direct questions, and tells you honestly whether a fractional CFO engagement makes sense for where you are right now.
Susan reviews your P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow for the past 12-24 months. She sees the critical issues, the missing parts of the reporting, and where the business is and where it appears to be going. You get a plain-English summary before any engagement begins.
Based on the assessment, Susan proposes a specific engagement. What she will do, how often she will do it, and what the monthly fee will be. One number. You are aware of exactly what you’re getting before you commit to anything.
Monthly reviews, a rolling cash forecast, a standing call, and direct access if there is no time to wait for the next scheduled check-in. The aim is to put an end to financial decisions you make by gut instinct and begin making financial decisions with an accurate snapshot of the business.
Common Questions About Fractional CFO Services
A bookkeeper documents the events that took place. A CFO relies on those records to tell you what's coming and what decisions to make. Bookkeeping is always focused on the past. CFO advisory is forward-looking; predicting, planning, modelling, and advising on decisions before they are made. Both matter but they're not the same.
While there is no specific revenue level, fractional CFO advisory is most useful when the owner is making decisions that will have a significant financial impact, and if they don't have the data they need, they can’t make that decision with confidence. The quickest way to determine if it's a fit is by having a 30-minute call.
No, but if the books are behind or unreliable, that usually needs to be addressed first. Susan can handle bookkeeping cleanup as a precursor to advisory or work alongside it. Forecasting and strategy can’t be built on a foundation of unreconciled accounts, so the sequence matters.
If Susan does your taxes as well, yes. There are advantages to one person having the whole picture at all times, so many of her clients hire her to handle their bookkeeping, tax preparation and CFO advisory services. That integration means that there are no handoffs or miscommunication when multiple advisors are working in parallel without communicating.
Advisory engagements have a flat monthly fee depending on the scope, size, and complexity of the business. The fee is negotiated prior to any work being done. No call time fees or additional fees for extra analyses. Project-based engagements are priced as one-off fees and are scoped.
No. Susan works with clients face-to-face throughout Shasta County, including Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, Cottonwood and with business owners throughout California. Most of the advisory work is conducted remotely: shared financial access, monthly video or phone call and real-time communication when decisions are made. For local clients, face-to-face meetings are also a possibility.
Growth Without the Guesswork
Schedule a free 30-minute call. No pitch, just an honest discussion about where you’re at in the business and whether or not a fractional CFO is right for where you’re going.