Senior financial leadership that sits at your table, for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire.
There is a stage in most companies' growth where the owner is making six- and seven-figure decisions on instinct. Should we hire? Can we afford that equipment? Why is revenue up but cash down? The books may be accurate, but nobody is turning them into a plan. That gap is what a CFO fills, and most small and mid-sized businesses do not yet need, or cannot yet justify, a full-time one.
Skyward works alongside in-house teams, acting as a fractional CFO to elevate strategy, structure and performance. We show up to leadership meetings, collaborate with operations, sales and HR, and bring the financial view into the conversations where decisions are actually made. For companies and nonprofits across San Diego County and North County, that means senior finance leadership on a schedule that fits the business, for one fixed monthly fee.
Because our team also delivers outsourced accounting and bookkeeping, the strategy rests on books we know are right. Connor, our founder, brings more than ten years in business finance and a Finance degree from the University of San Diego. The work is practical: a cash forecast you check every week, a budget your managers own, KPIs that measure what drives the business, and reporting that gives your board, investors and lenders confidence.
Who it's for
What's included
01
Profit and cash are not the same thing, and the difference is where most growing companies get caught. We build and maintain a rolling 13-week cash forecast that shows what is coming in, what is going out and where the pinch points are. You see a shortfall weeks ahead, while there is still time to act.
02
We build an annual budget with your managers so it reflects how the business really operates, then track performance against it every month. Alongside the budget, we design a short set of KPIs tied to the drivers of your business, such as gross margin by product line, revenue per employee or days sales outstanding. The aim is a few numbers everyone understands and watches.
03
We prepare reporting packages that present your results clearly and consistently: financial statements, budget versus actual, key metrics and a plain-English summary of what changed and why. The same discipline prepares you for financing. Lenders and investors move faster when the numbers are organized and the story behind them holds up.
04
We analyze margins by customer, product or service to show where you actually make money. Scenario models let you test decisions before you commit: a price increase, a new location, a key hire, a large contract. You see the effect on profit and cash under realistic best, base and worst cases.
05
We help design the finance team and systems the company will need as it grows: who does what, which processes to formalize and when it makes sense to hire in-house. If and when you bring on a controller or a full-time CFO, we help define the role and hand over a well-documented function.
Deliverables
A fixed cadence you can plan around, shared through your secure Karbon client portal.
Runs on
What to expect
We review your books, current reporting and the decisions in front of you, then agree on priorities, a meeting rhythm and the first models to build, usually the cash forecast and budget.
We join leadership meetings, update forecasts and KPIs on a fixed cadence, and work cross-functionally with your team so finance is part of every major decision.
A business run from a plan: visible cash, a budget managers own, confident lender and board conversations and room to grow on purpose.
Case study · Wholesale furniture & installation company
When a sudden accident left a wholesale furniture and installation company without its controller, Skyward stabilized the books and built a structured, data-driven financial process.
Read the case studyFAQ
A fractional CFO provides the same kind of strategic financial leadership as a full-time CFO, but on a part-time basis and for a fixed monthly fee instead of a full executive salary and benefits. For most small and mid-sized businesses, the CFO work that matters most, such as forecasting, budgeting, KPIs and financing preparation, does not require forty hours a week. A full-time CFO becomes the right choice when the scale and complexity of the business keep that role busy every day.
A controller is responsible for the accuracy of the books, the month-end close and internal controls; the role looks backward to make sure the numbers are right. A CFO looks forward, using those numbers to plan cash, set budgets, price work and guide strategy. At Skyward, our accounting team covers the controller-level work and our fractional CFO service covers the strategy, so both are handled together.
No. CPA firms typically handle tax preparation and attest work such as audits and reviews, which require a CPA license. Skyward is not a CPA firm and does not prepare taxes or perform audits. We focus on financial management and strategy, deliver clean, tax-ready books and coordinate with your CPA so each side does what it does best.
Common triggers are rapid growth, a cash squeeze despite profitability, preparing for a loan or investment, a board asking for better reporting, or an owner who wants to step back from day-to-day financial decisions. If you are making significant commitments without a forecast showing their effect on cash, it is usually time.
That depends on the scope we agree on, and it is reflected in one fixed monthly fee. Most engagements include a regular leadership finance meeting, weekly cash updates and time for analysis on the decisions in front of you. We show up to the meetings that matter and collaborate with your staff between them.
Not necessarily, but it helps. Strategy is only as good as the data under it, so if your books need work we will tell you. Many clients use Skyward for both, which means the forecasts and reports are built on books we maintain and trust.
Related services
Annual budgets, rolling forecasts, scenario planning and financial projections for launches and fundraising, built in models your team can understand and use.
Monthly statements, budget versus actual by department, AR and AP aging, weekly cash reporting and KPI dashboards in Power BI, Excel or Google Sheets.
A full accounting department without the overhead: classifications, reconciliations, AP and AR support, month-end close and reporting, delivered by one steady team for a fixed monthly fee.
Tell us where your finance and HR operations stand today. We'll map out what fixed-fee support would look like — usually live within about a week.
