Establish the baseline
Assess the source accounts and agree definitions for revenue, cash, margins and management indicators.
Expert service guide
Fractional CFO & Finance Consulting Projects
Fractional CFO engagements work best when tied to a business decision: extending cash runway, understanding margins or preparing a credible funding model. Present the decisions your work will support, the quality of the underlying books and the ongoing meeting cadence. Make ownership of assumptions visible from the first proposal.
Preparation guidance. Current openings and eligibility are shown on individual project pages.
Define what you will deliver
Choose the outputs that fit the actual brief. Name what is included, what depends on the client and what would require a scope change.
- A cash forecast with explicit collection, hiring and spending assumptions.
- A scenario model and management dashboard tied to a defined decision.
- A concise finance review with priorities, owners and a schedule for refreshing inputs.
Show relevant evidence
Explain your own contribution and use only samples you have permission to share. A focused example is easier to evaluate than an unrelated collection.
- A redacted forecast with the assumptions separated from formulas.
- An example explaining how a model informed a decision without claiming guaranteed outcomes.
- Relevant sector experience and a clear distinction between advisory work and regulated activity.
Ask the questions that change the scope
Question 01
Which decision must management make, and by when?
Question 02
Are the accounts current, and who owns the operational assumptions?
Question 03
Does the engagement require a one-off model, monthly leadership support or investor preparation?
Do not promise funding, returns or tax savings. Identify any work that needs a separately licensed investment, legal, audit or tax professional.
A delivery plan a buyer can review
Model the choices
Build a small set of scenarios, challenge the assumptions and review sensitivities with the decision makers.
Set the review cadence
Hand over the model, document input owners and agree how forecasts and actions will be reviewed.
Explain how you price the work
Separate discovery and model construction from a recurring advisory retainer. Define meeting hours, update frequency, entities covered and whether fundraising preparation is included.
Agree the currency, applicable taxes, payment milestones and exclusions. Review Workfry's current expert pricing before applying. A project guide does not guarantee work or earnings.
Illustrative proposal structure
Make the first message specific
My first deliverable will be an agreed cash baseline and an assumptions register. I will build the selected scenarios, review the implications with management and hand over a documented model. The engagement does not include securing investment or guaranteeing financial results.
Rewrite the example for the actual brief, your capacity and your verified experience. It is not a submitted application.
Plan for the country you work from
Check local context, working hours and professional authority. Country guides do not imply that all projects originate there or that every expert is eligible for cross-border work.
Workfry editorial guide · Updated 28 September 2026