Don King, Partner, CMG Financial Solutions

CMG Financial Solutions provides a wide range of CFO consulting services, focusing primarily on small and middle market companies, offering strategic solutions to acute issues faced by companies as they transition through various stages of development. For the middle market company that has never had a CFO, the path may be to go “all in” with a CFO and launch numerous initiatives simultaneously. The better tactic is likely a more focused approach, addressing the issues that are most relevant to the company’s overall strategy. The company needs the strategic perspective of a seasoned CFO, but may not need the seasoned CFO on a full-time basis. With the right staff already in place, a CFO engaged on a fractional basis can bring skills, experience and leadership to the organization while maintaining a certain level of objectivity that allows the company to overcome challenges with speed, efficiency and less distractions than otherwise. This approach includes a four-step process. The steps in the process are as follows: 1. Establish the strategic priorities as expressed by executives within the company. This is based on the strategic direction of the company and will determine the areas of focus in the short term. A strategy based on organic growth vs. a potential sale of the business in two years will yield different priorities. Focusing resources in the wrong areas will not benefit the overall strategy. 2. Determine the accuracy and relevancy of internal reporting, analytics and associated policies and procedures. Both financial and non-financial internal reporting should be reliable, relevant and enable management to make informed decisions that support the strategic direction of the company. 3. Ensure a professional acumen exists within all support functions. A key responsibility of the CFO in any organization is to assess key staff positions and provide the proper leadership and mentoring to key people within the organization. A scalable organization is critical as the company continues to grow. 4. Ensure that quality relationships exist with professional organizations that support the company. This includes risk management and insurance, banking, legal and compliance and accounting/tax. These relationships are critical not only to helping control costs but also help the organization maneuver through the challenges that may lie ahead. This process ensures the organization stays focused and does not over-extend itself with a wide range of initiatives that do not support the overall strategy of the company. The fractional aspect of the CFO typically yields less stress on the company from a financial and organizational perspective. There is simply less “change” occurring at a time when an organization may be going through extraordinary changes. It is also a more natural process for the ownership of the strategy and initiatives to remain with the existing executive leadership. It is critical that the CFO remain focused on the four key areas outlined above and maintains the perspective of the overall strategy. Throughout this process, the CFO will remain engaged in a critical role. Establishing and maintaining a professional accounting environment that produces accurate and relevant information, records transactions properly, ensures scalability in people and resources and drives all efforts toward a common strategy. It is possible that a wide range of issues will be addressed. Changing circumstances and early success will warrant revisiting the strategic initiatives and underlying objectives periodically. This process of recalibrating the strategy in the context of the environmental influences is a key role played by the CFO that will ensure an even higher level of success in achieving the overall strategic objectives of the company.