Executive Finance Leadership.
Without the Full-Time Hire.
A senior Fractional CFO embedded in your Ontario business on a monthly cadence. We own cash flow, fundraising, KPIs, board reporting and every finance decision that keeps you up at night — without the six-figure hire, the RRSP match, or the 12-month runway commitment of a full-time CFO.
What Is a Fractional CFO?
A Fractional CFO is an experienced Chief Financial Officer who works with your business on a part-time or monthly retainer basis instead of as a full-time employee. You get the same strategic finance leadership — cash flow, fundraising, budgeting, board reporting, M&A support and financial decision-making — without the full-time salary, bonus, equity, benefits, RRSP match and severance risk of a permanent hire.
For most Ontario businesses under $20M in revenue, the math on a full-time CFO simply doesn't work. A Fractional CFO gives you the same seniority at a fraction of the total cost — and without the multi-year commitment. You get exactly the CFO time your business needs today, and can scale it up as you grow, or scale it back if priorities change.
The difference between a Fractional CFO and a bookkeeper or accountant is time direction. Your bookkeeper and accountant look backward — they record and report what already happened. A Fractional CFO looks forward — using those numbers to decide what to do next: how much to raise, when to hire, whether to take that BDC loan, what your runway actually looks like, and which line items to defend when investors ask hard questions.
At Ledgerive, every Fractional CFO engagement in Ontario is led by a senior CPA with hands-on experience across SaaS, e-commerce, real estate, professional services and other core Canadian verticals. No junior handoffs, no offshore delegation, no “we'll get back to you next quarter.”
Nine Signs Your Ontario Business Needs a Fractional CFO.
You don't need every one of these — one or two is usually the wake-up call. If three of them sound familiar, you probably needed a CFO six months ago.
Cash flow surprises
You've been surprised by cash more than twice in the last year — payroll, tax, or a supplier bill you didn't see coming.
Revenue growing, margins shrinking
Top-line is up but you're not sure if you're actually making more money. Nobody owns the answer to why.
Bookkeeper can't answer strategy questions
Your bookkeeper does great work but says “I just record what happens” whenever you ask a forward-looking question.
Preparing to raise capital
You're 3–12 months out from a seed, Series A or bridge round and don't have an investor-grade model yet.
Applying for BDC, CSBFP or Futurpreneur
You need lender-ready projections and a business plan built for what Canadian program reviewers actually check.
Hiring plans outpace your budget
Your team is expanding faster than your cash — and nobody has run the math on when that becomes a problem.
Investor asked for a board package
An investor, board member, or lender asked for a monthly report and you don't have a template — let alone the numbers.
Considering an acquisition or exit
You're evaluating buying a competitor, or getting acquisition interest yourself, and need someone to run the numbers.
You've outgrown “founder finance”
You've been the de-facto CFO since day one and it's now stealing 15+ hours a week from the work only you can do.
What Every Ledgerive Fractional CFO Engagement Includes.
Every monthly engagement covers these ten responsibilities as standard. Scope, cadence and add-on work (fundraise, M&A, systems implementation) are confirmed on the discovery call — pricing depends on business size, complexity and scope, and we quote a fixed monthly fee in writing before you commit.
13-Week Rolling Cash Flow Forecast
Updated weekly. Cash risks surface 30–60 days before they hit — not the day the account overdrafts. Payroll, HST and supplier bills all forecasted, prioritized and reconciled.
Annual Budget & Monthly Variance Analysis
An annual operating budget built with your leadership team, then tracked monthly with variance analysis and re-forecasting. Actual vs plan becomes a decision engine, not a rear-view mirror.
KPI Dashboard & Weekly Review
The 5–10 numbers that actually drive your business, tracked in a live dashboard in Fathom, LiveFlow or Google Sheets. Reviewed weekly with the leadership team.
Monthly Board & Investor Package
A monthly board package built to the standard investors expect — highlights, KPIs, cash position, variance to plan, and the two or three decisions the board needs to weigh in on.
Fundraise & Lender Support
Financial model, pitch deck financials, data room, investor Q&A prep — and if BDC, CSBFP or Futurpreneur is the path, a lender-ready package built for Canadian program reviewers.
Strategic Finance & Decision Support
The judgment call layer: pricing changes, hiring plans, capex, product economics, M&A opportunities, contract terms. A senior thought partner who owns the numbers, not just reports them.
Monthly P&L Review & Commentary
Monthly financials reviewed with written commentary on what changed, why, and what to do about it. Delivered by the 15th of the following month like clockwork.
Banker, BDC & Advisor Relationships
Your Fractional CFO owns the relationship with your bank, BDC account manager, tax accountant and other advisors — so you're not the switchboard translating between them.
Weekly Leadership Call + Always-On Slack
A standing weekly call with the leadership team, plus direct Slack / email access in between. Urgent questions answered same-day. No helpdesk queue.
Quarterly Strategic Review
A formal quarterly review where we look back at what worked, what didn't, and adjust scope up or down. Your CFO scales with the business, not against it.
Prefer to Start with Just One Piece?
You don't have to take the full Fractional CFO scope. Any of these sub-services can be delivered as a standalone project or slotted into an existing bookkeeping engagement.
Cash Flow Management
A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast, weekly variance analysis, and a discipline that surfaces cash risks 30–60 days before they hit — not the day the account overdrafts.
- 13-week rolling forecast, updated weekly
- 12-month directional cash forecast
- Weekly cash position & runway update
- AR/AP prioritization & collection strategy
Fundraise & Investor Support
End-to-end fundraise support from a CFO who's sat on both sides of the table — model, deck, data room, term sheet economics and investor Q&A rehearsal.
- Investor-grade financial model
- Pitch deck financial slides
- Data room build & management
- Term sheet review & negotiation support
Board & Investor Reporting
Monthly board packages that investors actually read — because they answer the questions investors actually ask, in a format they already know from other portfolio companies.
- Monthly board / investor package
- KPI dashboard with commentary
- Cash, runway & scenario updates
- Board deck prep for quarterly meetings
KPI & Financial Dashboards
Live, always-on dashboards showing the 5–10 numbers that actually drive your business — connected directly to QuickBooks or Xero and refreshed automatically.
- Fathom, LiveFlow or Google Sheets build
- Executive one-page KPI view
- Departmental drill-down views
- Weekly review cadence with leadership
Fractional CFO vs the Alternatives.
The four ways Ontario businesses handle finance leadership. Each is a real trade-off — no strawmen.
| Full-Time CFO (Employee) | Controller Only | Founder Wearing CFO Hat | Ledgerive Fractional CFO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment horizon | Multi-year (severance risk) | Annual employment | — | Monthly retainer |
| Strategic finance leadership | Yes | Partial | Part-time | Yes — full ownership |
| Cash flow & runway forecasting | Yes | Basic only | Depends on skill | 13-week rolling |
| Board / investor reporting | Yes | Not their role | Rarely done well | Monthly package |
| Fundraise / lender support | Yes | Out of scope | Founder-led | Model + deck + data room |
| BDC / CSBFP / SR&ED fluency | If Canadian-hired | Compliance only | Rarely | Yes — primary specialty |
| Ramp-up time | 3–6 mo (hire + onboard) | 2–3 months | — | 3–5 business days |
| Scale up or down | Hard (layoff = costly) | Hard | Trivial | Written scope change |
| Backfill risk if lead leaves | 3–6 mo hiring gap | Similar hiring gap | — | Team-based delivery |
Your First 4 Weeks with a Ledgerive Fractional CFO.
What actually happens between signing the engagement letter and your first monthly close. No mystery.
Discovery & system access
Kickoff call, NDA, engagement letter countersigned. Access to QuickBooks/Xero, bank feeds, prior financials, and key stakeholders. First cash snapshot delivered by Friday.
Diagnostic & baseline
Books reviewed, cash position mapped, KPI baseline established. First rough 13-week cash flow forecast drafted. Meetings with the leadership team to align on priorities.
Systems & cadence
KPI dashboard live in Fathom or LiveFlow. Board / investor reporting template built. Weekly finance cadence agreed with the leadership team. Any immediate fires (missed HST, payroll gaps) addressed.
First monthly close
First formal monthly close delivered. First board / investor package sent. First forward-looking review meeting held. From here you're on a monthly cadence — with weekly cash and always-on Slack in between.
What Ontario Founders Actually Get from a Fractional CFO.
Anonymized numbers from real Ledgerive Fractional CFO engagements. Every one signed inside the last 24 months.
Toronto-based B2B SaaS founder came to us three months out from a raise with no model and a cluttered data room. We rebuilt the model, coached the pitch, and ran investor Q&A prep. Round closed 40% above the initial target.
SaaS · TorontoMississauga restaurant group had been rejected twice by BDC. We rewrote the business plan, rebuilt the financial model to Canadian lender standards, and coached the meeting. Approved on the next submission for their full ask.
Restaurants · MississaugaOttawa e-commerce brand thought they had 8 months of runway. Our first 13-week model showed 4. Six weeks later, after pricing and hiring-plan changes we ran together, they had a defensible 18-month runway with no layoffs.
E-commerce · OttawaOntario Industries & Cities We Know Cold.
Fractional CFO work is only as good as the industry and market knowledge behind it. Here's where ours runs deep.
Industries served
CFO experience across 25+ Ontario verticals. Pick yours for a dedicated industry page.
Ontario cities served
Active Fractional CFO coverage across the 12 largest cities in Ontario.
What Founders Say After 90 Days.
Our CFO sends me a one-page dashboard every Monday and a board deck every month. I finally understand my own business. Should have hired them 18 months ago.
Ledgerive rebuilt our model in three weeks and helped us close our Series A 40% above target. I do not know what a full-time CFO would have added — but I know what they would have cost.
Their first 13-week cash flow showed me I had four months, not eight. Six weeks later we had eighteen. No layoffs. That single insight paid for the whole engagement.
Their SR&ED work covered two full years of Fractional CFO fees inside the first claim. That was before we even talked about the fundraise they helped us close six months later.
Fractional CFO Questions Ontario Founders Ask.
Straight answers to the questions that come up on nearly every discovery call.
What is a Fractional CFO?
When does my business need a Fractional CFO?
What's the difference between a Fractional CFO and a Controller?
How is a Fractional CFO different from my accountant?
How quickly can a Fractional CFO get started?
Do Fractional CFOs work remotely or on-site?
Can a Fractional CFO help me raise capital?
Do you work with pre-revenue startups?
What software and systems do you work in?
How do you handle pricing?
Do you sign an NDA before the discovery call?
Ready to stop running finance yourself?
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a real conversation about your cash, your team, your next 12 months — and whether a Fractional CFO is actually the right next hire.