The execution team behind your strategic advisory.
You were hired to lead financial strategy, not to clean up the ledger. We integrate experienced accounting, tax, and finance professionals into your fractional practice, handling the day-to-day execution so you can focus on the conversations that matter most.
Introduction
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Introduction
As a fractional CFO, your clients count on you to lead with insight and efficiency. But delivering strategic results often means relying on accurate financials, timely reporting, and consistent back-office execution. That’s where external accounting partners come in—helping you focus on forecasting and financial leadership, not daily operations.
"Each one of the team members that worked with me was a delight to work with. I found them very straightforward and punctual in all their dealings"
Ed O’Sullivan, Fractional CFO
What is external accounting and finance support for fractional CFOs?
Fractional CFOs, by their very nature, work with multiple clients on a part-time basis. This can create challenges in managing the day-to-day or specialist accounting and finance needs of those clients. External support bridges this gap by providing fractional CFOs with a team of accounting and finance professionals on an as-needed basis, allowing you to focus on strategy and scaling your practice.
Is external accounting and finance provided by a person or a team?
Outsourced accounting and finance for fractional CFOs can come either from a dedicated team or a single professional, depending on the specific needs of the fractional CFO. This flexibility allows you to scale your accounting and financial support efficiently, ensuring you have access to top-tier expertise while only paying for what you need at a given time.
The Reality of the Role
Strategic guidance requires reliable execution.
As a fractional CFO, your impact is measured by the clarity of your forecasting and the quality of your guidance. But when a client’s underlying data is messy or their closes are unpredictable, you end up spending your time fixing the foundation instead of building on it. You need a reliable execution layer—experienced professionals who step in to organize the inputs, run the close, and deliver clean financials you can actually trust.
The Partnership Model
Scalable capacity, structured for your clients.
We don’t just hand you a contractor. We provide a structured team that maps to the exact needs of your client engagements. Whether you need a single controller to stabilize reporting, or a full bookkeeping team to handle daily transactions, we scale the capacity to fit the complexity of the account. The resources adapt, but the standard of execution remains consistently high.
Why Partner With Us
We take ownership of the details.
Protected Headspace – Your time should be spent advising leadership, not managing a client’s back-office. We take responsibility for the day-to-day accounting, so you can stay in the strategic seat.
Expanded Capabilities – Bring specialized expertise to your clients without the fixed overhead. From complex tax provisioning to audit preparation, our deep bench allows you to confidently guide clients through complex financial transitions.
Seamless Integration – You shouldn’t have to train your support team. Our professionals adopt your methodologies and operate within your established systems, ensuring your clients experience a unified, senior-led finance function.
The Operating Rhythm
Execution that doesn't require your oversight.
Working with a dedicated execution layer shouldn't mean adding another team to manage. We take responsibility for the work behind the numbers, establishing an operational rhythm that keeps you informed without slowing you down.
Proactive Alignment – We don’t just hand over a balance sheet and wait for you to catch the errors. We highlight trends, flag potential risks, and explain the ‘why’ behind the data before your client meetings.
Seamless Integration – Your clients expect a unified front. We operate within your established technology stack and communication channels, ensuring data security and a frictionless experience for the end client.
Built-in Continuity – As your practice grows and you take on more complex engagements, our structure adapts. You gain scalable capacity without having to build or manage an internal team.
What are the benefits of partnering with a third-party accounting and finance company for a fractional CFO?
Some of the ways that partnering with a third party for accounting and finance services can benefit fractional CFOs include:
- Opportunity to expand your services: The fractional CFOs' time is better spent on strategic initiatives rather than everyday tasks, and they may not have expertise in every area of accounting and finance across industries. Outsourced support can provide the expertise you need to handle day-to-day tasks such as bookkeeping, tax preparation, and financial reporting while also giving you access to niche specialists in, say, international taxation or industry-specific revenue recognition when required. This allows you to offer a wider range of services to your clients without needing to have that expertise yourself.
- Support for scaling the practice: As your fractional CFO practice grows, you will want to take on more clients. External accounting and finance partners can help you scale your practice by providing you with the additional staff and resources you need to support a growing client list.
- Time to focus on strategy: Outsourcing the day-to-day accounting and finance tasks means more time for you to focus on high-value strategic work and helping your clients grow their businesses. And, collaborating with a team of experienced specialists can help you think more creatively
- Cost-effectiveness: Hiring a full-time accounting and finance staff to meet the needs of a wide variety of clients can be expensive. Partnering with an external team for accounting and finance support can be a more cost-effective way to secure high quality talent, premium services and niche expertise.
- Access to up-to-date technology: Proactive accounting firms like Scrubbed know the value technology can unlock. They have access to the latest accounting software and tools and the experience to quickly establish effective workflows. to improve efficiency and help you provide enhanced client service.
"The value to me is that I can go to Scrubbed and say, let's get going. I know everybody there, and I'll pick up the phone at six in the evening my time, and Scrubbed can start on something."
Ed O’Sullivan, Fractional CFO
What does a contracted accounting and finance department look like for a fractional CFO?
A contracted department can be quite flexible depending on the CFO’s and clients’ specific needs. Your outsourced partner can comprise a dedicated team of accounting and finance professionals working together or be just a single highly skilled professional with the exact specialist knowledge that a client needs. The size and structure depend on the workload and complexity of your client base. The key aspect is the on-demand nature of the service meaning you can access expertise as needed, and use your resources more efficiently.
Typical services offered by an outsourced accounting and finance partner include:
- Core Accounting: This includes bookkeeping, accounts payable/receivable management, bank reconciliations, and payroll processing.
- Financial Reporting & Analysis: Preparing financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement) and analyzing financial data to identify trends and inform strategic decisions.
- Tax Support: Assistance with tax preparation and planning can be included, depending on the agreement. You can streamline tax preparation and planning , optimizing your clients’ financial health.
- Industry-Specific Expertise: An outsourced team can provide the strategic and hands-on experience in specific industries that is relevant to your client base.
How do you choose the right accounting and finance partner?
Not every outsourced team is right for every project. To ensure that you find a partner who will enhance your practice, consider these steps:
- Define needs: Clearly outline your current workload, client requirements, and areas where you need additional expertise. This will help identify the ideal partner and service level.
- Decide on your selection criteria: Establish a checklist of desired qualities in your partner. Consider factors like experience working with fractional CFOs and the type of clients you typically serve, industry knowledge, technology stack used, communication style, and security protocols.
- Research Potential Partners: Look for reputable firms with a proven track record of serving fractional CFOs. Industry associations and online directories can be good starting points, as well as referral or technology partners.
How can a fractional CFO onboard new accounting and finance partners?
A roadmap for onboarding outsourced accounting and finance resources that will set a strong foundation for a long-term relationship includes:
- Data Sharing and System Access: Establish secure methods for sharing client financial data with your partner. Grant them access to relevant accounting software and applications.
- Introduce the Team: Establish secure methods for sharing client financial data with your partner. Grant them access to relevant accounting software and applications.
- Establish Workflows and Procedures: Outline clear workflows and procedures to ensure consistent and efficient service delivery.
- Test and Monitor: Run a pilot project with a small sample of tasks to test the waters. Monitor performance, identify any initial hiccups, and make adjustments as needed.
"They're very reliable, detail-oriented, and on time with publishing financials."
Ed O’Sullivan, Fractional CFO
What are best practices for fractional CFOs working with an external accounting and finance team?
To maintain the relationship and ensure a long-lasting and productive collaboration, consider the following:
- Regular Communication: Schedule regular meetings or calls with the partner team to discuss ongoing projects, address any concerns, and ensure alignment with client goals. Regular communication will help you catch and address any issues promptly.
- Focus on collaboration: View your partner as an extension of your team and foster a collaborative relationship through knowledge sharing and joint problem-solving. This will ensure everyone is working towards the same goals.
- Performance Measurement: Conduct periodic reviews to assess the partner's performance against agreed-upon metrics. Provide and encourage the team to give constructive feedback and work collaboratively to optimize service delivery.
How do fractional CFOs measure the success of working with an external accounting and finance partner?
Success will be measurable in a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. Key areas to consider are:
- Efficiency and Accuracy: How are they on timeliness, maintaining a low error rate, and delivering agreed-upon reporting and other services?
- Cost-Effectiveness: Are overall costs remaining within the agreed upon budget and are you achieving cost savings while maintaining quality?
- Strategic Impact: With routine tasks outsourced, are you able to take on more clients or dedicate more time to strategic financial consulting? Does the external team bring specialized skills that you can draw on to offer more, or more specialized, services to widen your client base?. Also, consider whether your clients are experiencing positive results due to the combined efforts of yourself and the outsourced team?
- Communication and Collaboration: Does the partner respond quickly and clearly to your inquiries and client needs? Are they effective problem-solvers who handle unexpected situations well? Do they proactively bring ideas and suggestions to the table that enhance the outcomes for your clients?
- Technology Integration: Does the partner's technology stack integrate with your existing accounting software and tools? Seamless integration minimizes manual data entry and streamlines workflows.
- Data Security: Are you satisfied with your partner's data security protocols and how well they ensure the safety and confidentiality of your clients' financial information.
"Scrubbed has turned my accounting around! Being a small business owner, I could not previously afford the level of service I needed before I found out about Scrubbed. Thank you for helping me straighten out my books and file my taxes appropriately!"
Defining Success
You’ll feel the impact in the time you get back.
Reliable information comes from experienced teams running the work consistently. The true measure of our partnership isn’t just a clean ledger—it’s the friction we remove from your day-to-day operations.
- Predictable Closes – Month-end stops being a bottleneck. The books are closed accurately and on schedule, giving you the foundation you need for timely forecasting.
- Reduced Rework – When experienced finance professionals are embedded in the day-to-day work, you spend significantly less time fixing errors and adjusting entries.
- Protected Strategic Focus – The ultimate metric. You get your time and energy back to actually advise leadership, confident that the underlying execution is being handled with care.
Conclusion
Ready to strengthen the execution behind your practice?
Growing a fractional CFO practice requires reliable financial operations. Whether you need a single controller to stabilize a specific client’s reporting, or a full accounting team to support your expanding portfolio, we have the senior talent to handle the work.
Conclusion
By partnering with Scrubbed’s accounting and finance team, you can finally bridge the gap between managing daily tasks and delivering high-impact strategic support to your clients. Our on-demand, scalable solutions adapt to your specific needs, allowing you to seamlessly expand your service offerings without the burden of hiring and managing a full-time staff. This newfound efficiency translates into more time for client collaboration, strategic planning, and ultimately, driving the financial success of your clients’ businesses. Book a meeting with a Scrubbed professional today and discover how our expertise can empower you to take your fractional CFO practice to the next level.
FAQs
Fractional accounting is a type of staffing model that allows businesses to access experienced finance professionals on a part-time or as-needed basis, without the cost of hiring full-time staff. It allows you to tap the expertise of a CFO or accounting team on-demand, providing flexibility and efficiency, especially for growing businesses that want to scale sustainably.
Scrubbed provides offshore fractional accounting teams rather than full-time employees. This means you get a remote team of experienced professionals working alongside your core staff, bridging workflow gaps, and offering support.
Here’s why our clients choose Scrubbed’s offshore model for their business:
- Flexibility – Scale finance support up or down based on your business needs.
- Tailored expertise – Access a team with industry-specific knowledge and cross-functional experience.
- Better resource allocation –Let your in-house team focus on strategic initiatives while we manage essential finance functions.
Absolutely. Startups typically engage us for foundational needs such as bookkeeping, cash flow monitoring, and timely financial reporting. Established businesses often require support with more complex tasks like audit preparation, financial consolidation, and strategic budgeting.. Regardless of your business’s size, Scrubbed can adapt to each client’s stage and scale to provide the right level of support.
To integrate seamlessly with your in-house team, we align with your internal processes, systems, and communication channels. Our teams are selected based on time zone compatibility and workflow preferences. We establish clear deliverables, maintain regular check-ins, and follow structured project tracking from day one to ensure collaborations run smoothly.
Scrubbed’s fractional accounting team provides a range of services, including bookkeeping, accounts payable and receivable, monthly close and reporting, and financial planning and analysis. These financial functions are commonly outsourced by clients because they require technical expertise, consistent execution, and often take valuable time away from core business activities.
At Scrubbed, we understand clients may be concerned about data privacy and security risks when working with an offshore team. Which is why we employ enterprise-grade data protection protocols, including encrypted access, role-based permissions, and regular internal audits, to ensure complete protection. We are also SOC2-certified, and our team is extensively trained to adhere to compliance standards and confidentiality requirements.
Yes. We proactively plan for seasonal peaks by forecasting client needs and cross-training our staff. This ensures we can scale resources quickly during tax season, audits, or other busy periods, without compromising deadlines or deliverables.
Scrubbed serves clients across various industries, including real estate, clean technology, SaaS, non-profit organization, e-commerce, and professional services. These sectors benefit most from the flexibility and cost efficiency of fractional finance, particularly as they scale and adapt to changing market demands.
Once you decide to work with us, onboarding typically takes one to two weeks. We begin with an alignment call to understand your needs and workflows, and we request access to your accounting systems, prior financials, and key documentation. From there, we set clear milestones to ensure a smooth and efficient transition.