Some of the biggest problems are not in your mission, your company values, or your product. They arise in the daily financial management of the business. We have identified five key areas where high-growth businesses struggle. Fortunately, working with an outside firm can solve many of these problems quickly, effectively, and on budget.
Staffing Limitations
Visit any company and you will quickly discover that success is not created by the product or the work environment, but by the people working there. When your business experiences rapid growth, one of the most important decisions to get right is finding the right people, placing them in positions to succeed, and retaining them.
However, limitations on resources (and often physical space) can keep you from hiring the necessary personnel to fill new roles. This is especially true when it comes to financial management and operations.
Many CEOs and company directors prefer to have people working on-site. However, for a high-growth business, the right solution is often to outsource work to a firm that will connect you with experienced professionals. This saves you on hiring costs and overhead while providing access to talented experts in their field. You can take the guesswork and time out of the process by relying on a firm to fill specific positions based on your needs.
Cash Flow and Financial Reporting
Perhaps the greatest challenge of scaling a startup is managing cash flow. This takes careful budgeting and forecasting so you always know what you can afford to do – and when it is the right time to take calculated risks.
Unfortunately, proper budgeting and planning can take substantial time away from working on your core business. When you are worried about where the next round of funding will come from and how to properly invest that into the business, you lose precious time developing your vision and keeping the business moving in the right direction.
A professional accounting and finance professional can help tremendously in this situation. Imagine the ease of handing off your financials to a team of experts and receiving a clear, thorough outlook for the next 18 months. Instead of worrying about where the money is going, you have a road map to continue building the company.
Effective Scaling
Growth is an important goal for any business but scaling too quickly can overstretch your resources and leave you in a difficult situation. This is where a financial consultant can help you take your company to the next level – effectively.
A financial consultant will work with you to manage your high-growth business, responding to your needs on a daily basis. When you find yourself with increased sales and skyrocketing revenue, you will also discover more invoices, greater tax burdens, and a more complex system to manage. Handing these tasks off to a team with Big Four experience will allow you to grow in a way that works for you.
Flexibility
One of the strengths of any startup is its ability to remain nimble and flexible. With few resources and little overhead, it allows you to be agile in shifting marketplace, making adjustments quickly and effectively.
As you grow, flexibility is often a casualty. With more people onboard, more complex decisions to be made, and more customers to service, the danger is becoming too static.
By outsourcing the more labor-intensive accounting practices to an outside firm, you give yourself the freedom and flexibility to focus on what really matters. Even better, you can work in the areas of your business where you can make the most impact, trusting that the professionals managing your accounting and taxes will always have your best interests in mind.
It is important to create automation in a growing business so that you and your team do not become bogged down in day-to-day task management. An outside firm will automate your processes and free up both time and resources for you, allowing you to remain flexible even as you grow.
Expertise and Focus
When you start a new business, you understand it better than anyone. Your vision, your mission, and your values are embedded in everything that you do. That is an important factor in your success. With success come new responsibilities and new roles, often roles that are better understood by an expert.
When it comes to tax preparation and accounting, you should not have to do it alone. By entrusting your finances to a dedicated team of skilled professionals, you free yourself to focus on your core business. You can continue working in your strongest areas while leveraging the talents of others to help your company grow.
Successful Growth
Growing a company is an exciting new venture for any startup. Although it comes with many challenges, these can be mitigated successfully by turning to experts for help and guidance.
At Scrubbed, we provide full-service financial assistance to high-growth companies throughout the United States. Our outsourced accounting team of professionals have Big Four experience, meaning our clients have confidence in knowing that they are getting the best, every time.
With deep SaaS accounting expertise, we support software startups and tech-driven businesses in navigating complex financial needs as they scale. To learn more about how our team can help you scale your business with expert financial, tax, and accounting services, contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Related Content
Blogs
How to Scale a Fractional CFO Practice: Infrastructure, AI, and Execution
At A GlanceFractional CFOs scale by separating strategy from daily execution. At the CFO Leadership Conference in Boston, panelists outlined the model: a three-part team structure, AI tools for repetitive analysis, and strict scope boundaries. The common thread is that strategic capacity depends on reliable accounting operations underneath it.Fractional CFOs operate in a fundamentally different model, balancing multiple clients and shifting priorities without the benefit of deep organizational embedding. You are hired to provide altitude, clarity, and rapid impact. But when a client lacks a mature finance operation, that executive focus is quickly consumed by operational cleanup.This exact tension took center stage at the CFO Leadership Conference in Boston. During our morning panel discussion, The Multi-Business Executive: How Fractional CFOs Scale Leadership Across Clients, moderated by Scrubbed’s Accounting Director Arian David, Triangle Coffee founder and fractional CFO Ottavio Siani and Scrubbed’s CFO Aira Pineda detailed how fractional CFOs build capacity to avoid this operational trap. They mapped out the real-world infrastructure and AI practices required to support multiple fast-moving client environments.Here are the operational realities shared in the room.The Infrastructure Blueprint for Scaling a Fractional CFO PracticeA primary challenge for scaling organizations is the gap between strategic desires and foundational accuracy. Volume increases faster than structure, and founders frequently bottleneck their own operations by micromanaging the finance function.As Aira shared with the room, stepping into a fractional role often means untangling founder-led accounting and directly telling the CEO, "you're not supposed to do this". Once leaders step back from the daily execution, "suddenly they have time" to actually focus on growing their business.Successful practitioners build a deliberate team architecture to handle the volume. To build a sustainable infrastructure, Ottavio explained that a fractional CFO setup requires three key elements:A fractional CFO to provide strategic direction.A trusted internal employee to manage sensitive operational context.An external accounting firm to run the daily numbers.This structure prevents the CFO from becoming the operational bottleneck.Read: Are Fractional CFOs the Future for Growing Companies?Navigating Risk in Founder-Led EnvironmentsThe most pointed friction in a fractional role often comes from enforcing structure. During the session, an audience member challenged the panel on how to balance strict risk controls with the commercial reality of working for independent founders who operate as the "gods of their own businesses".Aira addressed this tension directly, clarifying that operational controls and commercial growth do not have to collide. "I don't think it's contradictory, to be honest. I think it's complementary," she explained. "I think you make better decisions as a CFO, having kind of just at the back of your mind that risk mindset."Taking calculated risks is necessary to create shareholder value. However, a fractional CFO can only support that aggressive growth when the foundational accounting operations are secure enough to absorb the complexity.Building Fractional CFO Capacity with AI ToolsTechnology accelerates this architecture when carefully managed. Ottavio shared how he uses Claude to generate monthly financial statement analyses based on tested templates, reducing a repetitive task to minutes. Arian detailed using Claude to abstract private equity contracts, while Aira highlighted using NotebookLM to summarize 50-page forensic documents.However, systems create results, but human professionals must validate them. Aira illustrated the danger of false confidence by testing a complex revenue recognition issue across Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT. Although all three models provided the exact same answer, they failed the final human review when "A big CPA firm comes and says, no, that's not the accounting treatment."Designing Aligned Execution and Preventing Scope CreepGrowth adds complexity. Strong execution ensures that complexity remains manageable. When fractional leaders possess a reliable accounting layer, closes become predictable and strategic conversations gain traction.Without this layer, scope creep inevitably takes over. "I think a challenge with being a fractional CFO is having to limit your scope, right?" Ottavio noted. "I typically dedicate like a day a week, and I need to keep myself from spending too much time outside of the original scope that we, we agreed upon, so that I can make sure that I'm kind of meeting all my clients".Key Takeaways:A sustainable fractional CFO practice separates strategy from execution: the CFO, a trusted internal employee, and an external accounting team each hold a distinct role.Founders bottleneck their own operations by staying in the daily accounting. Helping them step back frees time for growth.Risk mindset and commercial growth are complementary. Calculated risks require stable accounting operations underneath them.AI tools like Claude and NotebookLM compress repetitive analysis from weeks to minutes, but experienced professionals must verify every output against source documents.Scope discipline holds only when a reliable accounting layer runs the day-to-day work.About the PanelistsArian David | Accounting Director, Scrubbed Arian serves as the Accounting Director for Retail and Distribution at Scrubbed. She brings over 12 years of specialized execution experience managing complex accounting operations across the distribution, e-commerce, and retail sectors. Aira Pineda | CFO, Scrubbed Aira directs financial strategy and operations as the Chief Financial Officer at Scrubbed. She brings over a decade of hands-on experience operating as a fractional CFO for small to medium-sized enterprises.Ottavio Siani | Fractional CFO & Founder, Triangle Coffee Ottavio is the founder of Triangle Coffee, a multi-location café business operating in Boston and Washington, D.C. As an active fractional CFO, he advises a portfolio of clients, including Hon, CN Naturals, and Port of Mocha, on building and restructuring finance teams.
Blogs
Scaling Your Finance Function: When to Hire a Fractional Finance Team
At A GlanceAs noted at the CFO Leadership Conference, volume often outpaces structure, quietly straining finance execution. To scale capacity, growing companies can integrate partner-led finance teams anchored by an internal liaison. By taking responsibility for this daily execution, these professionals restore predictable reporting and give leaders their focus back.For many middle-market companies, there is a distinct moment when the finance function shifts from supporting the business to struggling to keep up. Transaction volume increases. Deadlines tighten. The close starts taking longer, and reviews feel rushed. Internal teams spend more time fixing issues than moving forward.During our afternoon panel at the CFO Leadership Conference in Boston, How CFOs Use Fractional Talent to Scale the Finance Function, Triangle Coffee founder and Fractional CFO Ottavio Siani, Scrubbed’s CFO Aira Pineda, and Accounting Director Arian David unpacked a critical reality for growing organizations. Building a finance organization that can flex with the business requires deliberate structural choices.Here is a closer look at how to architect that structure by integrating partner-led finance teams.When to Hire: The 160-Hour ThresholdPrompted by Arian to define the trigger point for bringing on fractional help, Scrubbed CFO Aira Pineda highlighted a practical threshold: evaluating whether a role truly demands a full-time, 160-hour-per-month commitment. This evaluation is a cornerstone strategy for companies navigating new growth stages. Fast-moving projects often require immediate, specialized execution. "Sometimes I need a project very quickly done, and I need someone experienced already," Aira explained. "I don't want to go through the headache [of hiring full-time]. A fractional team just makes it faster for me."Partner-led finance teams offer a cost-effective alternative to full-time hiring, providing the exact capacity needed without the overhead of onboarding. They take responsibility for the work behind your numbers, allowing the internal team to focus on strategic growth.Full-Time vs. Fractional Finance Team ComparisonFeatureFull-Time Finance HireFractional Finance TeamCapacity CommitmentOnboarding & Ramp TimeBilling ModelSpecialization160+ hours/month (Fixed)60–90 daysAnnual Salary + Benefits + EquityGeneralist executionFlexible / Scalable capacityImmediate deploymentFlat Monthly RetainerMulti-disciplinary experts Best Used For Continuous daily operations Fast growth, specialized projects, scalingThe Architecture of Integration: The "Bridge" PersonA fractional finance team cannot work effectively in isolation.Fractional CFO Ottavio Siani, who systematically leverages these exact structures across multiple ventures to scale his own executive leadership, identified a critical requirement for successful integration: designating an internal "bridge" person.This full-time employee acts as the primary point of contact between the company and the fractional team. They do not need deep accounting expertise. Their value lies in providing internal context and answering day-to-day questions while the company operates. When communication paths and responsibilities are clearly defined, fractional professionals can operate as an extension of the internal finance function rather than as a disconnected outside vendor.Best Practices for Integrating a Fractional Finance TeamA fractional finance function only succeeds when it is treated as an integrated part of the business.The Standard of Accuracy: Accuracy is a non-negotiable requirement. As Aira noted during the panel discussion, "We work with numbers, and accuracy matters. If we end up, as a CFO, presenting a wrong number to our board... that is grounds for termination."Match the Billing Model to the Engagement: While hourly billing is common for initial testing, Ottavio strongly advocated for flat-fee models to maintain strategic alignment. "The problem with hourly billing is the company ends up being pretty precious with your time, and you'll often be held out of important meetings," Ottavio noted. "Retainer-based [billing] leads to a much healthier relationship."Demand Verified Data Controls (SOC 2): Handing over financial workflows requires absolute trust. Middle market businesses must partner with CPA firms that maintain rigorous, verified controls, such as a SOC 2 audit, to guarantee data security.Scaling with Technology and Distributed TalentA fractional model also allows companies to broaden the talent pool available to the finance function.Distributed teams can provide access to specialized skills, additional coverage, and capacity that adjusts as the business changes. However, location alone does not determine whether the model will work.Quality depends on how the team is managed, how communication is structured, how the work is reviewed, and whether the provider understands the company’s accounting requirements and operating environment.Technology can further expand the team’s capacity.During the panel, Aira described analytics teams using AI-assisted tools to write Python code and process data more efficiently than manual Excel workflows would allow. The value is not simply that the technology moves faster. It reduces repetitive work, so finance professionals can spend more time reviewing outputs, investigating exceptions, and applying judgment.Technology can accelerate the work. Accountability remains human.Building the Right Finance StructureFractional support works best when it solves a defined structural need. The company must still establish internal ownership. Responsibilities must be clear. Workflows must be documented. Review standards must be understood by both teams. When those elements are in place, a fractional finance team can help the business:Add capacity without immediately adding permanent headcount.Access specialized expertise.Support periods of rapid growth or transition.Make the close and reporting process more predictable.Reduce pressure on internal finance leaders.Create a stronger foundation for future hiring.The objective is not to outsource responsibility. It is to build a finance function with the right capacity, expertise, and structure for the company’s current stage of growth.About the PanelistsArian David | Accounting Director, Scrubbed Arian serves as the Accounting Director for Retail and Distribution at Scrubbed. She brings over 12 years of specialized execution experience managing complex accounting operations across the distribution, e-commerce, and retail sectors. Aira Pineda | CFO, Scrubbed Aira directs financial strategy and operations as the Chief Financial Officer at Scrubbed. She brings over a decade of hands-on experience operating as a fractional CFO for small to medium-sized enterprises.Ottavio Siani | Fractional CFO & Founder, Triangle Coffee Ottavio is the founder of Triangle Coffee, a multi-location café business operating in Boston and Washington, D.C. As an active fractional CFO, he advises a portfolio of clients, including Hon, CN Naturals, and Port of Mocha, on building and restructuring finance teams.
Blogs
5 Financial Pillars That Can Help CFOs Drive Success
The accounting and finance functions and the role of the CFO are both changing dramatically, with the CFO now expected to help lead a company’s transformation alongside other C-suite executives. By leveraging these 5 financial pillars, CFOs can play an integral role strategically in driving their businesses to thrive and succeed.Pillar #1: A Sound Finance StrategyMost new businesses are born from an idea for an innovative product or service, so their initial strategic planning efforts tend to focus on developing a product or service strategy. As the company’s core offering takes shape, the strategy discussion shifts to the many functions needed to get the product into the market and to keep clients satisfied, like sales, marketing, and customer service.It’s rare for companies to develop a finance strategy at the onset. But that’s a big miss, because it takes significant financial resources to scale a business effectively. Without a well-developed finance strategy, the company runs the risk of being in reactive mode financially—always scrambling for the funds to invest in staff, equipment, or technology, or to expand into new geographic and vertical markets.It’s critical for the CFO to develop and execute on a sound finance strategy, perhaps now more than ever. While the exercise will likely involve cross-functional participation, it’s up to the CFO to take the lead, ensuring that strategy and funding are in place or readily available to fuel the company’s growth.Pillar #2: The Right ResourcesEven the best products are destined to fail unless they’re supported by the right resources, including people, processes, and technology. At every stage in a company’s life cycle, decisions about how and when to invest in those resources can make a major impact on the trajectory of the business.For example, the right technology platform is critical to gathering and disseminating the financial information that production, marketing, human resource (HR), and other functions need to make the most informed operational decisions. But while some early-stage companies are quick to invest in highly sophisticated financial technology, they don’t always maximize their use of the functionality, which greatly reduces return on investments (ROI). Or when it comes to building the right talent, they might staff up internally on functions that could be handled more cost-effectively in an outsourced mode, especially in the early stages or at times of rapid expansion.By identifying and investing in the optimal resources, aligned to the company’s needs based on its life cycle phase, the CFO can help position the business for profitable growth. Pillar #3: A Cross-Functional Approach For decades, accounting and finance typically operated in a vacuum. Today, the CFO’s reach spans far beyond accounting and financial reporting, directly touching many operational decisions that are integral to the company’s ability to thrive.The most successful CFOs find ways to work effectively across departments and functional groups. When the CTO wants to invest in a new enterprise resource planning system or the head of HR wants to increase salaries to better compete for talent, the CFO is actively engaged—lending unique skills and capabilities to the decision-making process, conducting the necessary analyses, and ensuring the decision is on target strategically and viable financially.By building strong relationships across the organization and establishing processes to ensure finance is integral to operational decision-making, the CFO can play a central role in driving the business’s success. Pillar #4: A Willingness to Embrace AnalyticsIn nearly every function in every organization, the tool that helps operational leaders measure performance today is analytics. While it could be easy to dismiss analytics as a buzzword, the right analytics provide businesses with information that is much more actionable and insightful than the static reports of the past.CFOs that take a lead role in driving their organizations’ success readily adopt analytics and help each functional group determine the most appropriate key performance measures (KPIs) for their needs. For instance, the CFO might collaborate with those responsible for risk management to develop KPIs for revenue and cash flow and use analytics to keep tabs on how those figures are trending. Sometimes those analytics translate directly to dollars; other times, they provide the data needed to guide more qualitative decisions. By embracing analytics, the CFO can manage the day-to-day financial operations more effectively and help leaders across the enterprise use the most relevant metrics to guide operational decision-making and management. Pillar #5: An Innovative Workforce StrategyDramatic changes in how and where we work, fueled recently by the Covid19 pandemic, have forever altered the way businesses approach staffing. Those that adopt an innovative workforce strategy place themselves in the strongest position to succeed, even despite a tight labor market.CFOs that take a modern view of staffing recognize that the current business environment opens the door to more flexible work arrangements that go far beyond providing convenience for employees; they can also prove more cost-effective for the company. Outsourcing certain business functions is a prime example. CFOs should have input into decisions about which functions might be outsourced effectively, as well as the processes and technologies needed to support this arrangement for a successful experience.By championing an innovative workforce strategy, the CFO can help the organization overcome staffing constraints, mitigate the risk of turnover, gain crucial capabilities that aren’t resident in-house, and flex in sync with customer demands and expectations.