// The Journal
Insights & Hiring Guides
How to hire, what it costs, and the benchmarks that decide who's actually good. Written for operators.
Fractional CFO for SaaS: Rule of 40, NRR and Burn Discipline
Rule of 40 above 40%, NRR above 110%, CAC payback under 18 months, gross margin 70%–85% — the four benchmarks a fractional CFO tracks to keep a SaaS business fundable.
What a CFO Does to Prepare Your Brand for a Sale
QoE, working-capital peg, EBITDA normalization and multiple expansion — the CFO tasks that determine whether your brand sells at 3x or 6x EBITDA.
Scaling Consumer-Brand Finance from $80M to $200M
The $80M–$200M band is where consumer-brand finance gets genuinely hard. Generalist CFOs struggle here — here is what changes and why specialists win.
CPG Finance: Trade Spend, Retailer Margin and the Working-Capital Trap
Trade spend runs 15%–25% of CPG gross sales. Retailer margin takes another 22%–30%. Here is the gross-to-net waterfall and the working-capital trap that catches most founders.
The eCommerce Finance Benchmarks Every Founder Should Know (2026)
The six eCommerce KPIs that separate healthy brands from ones that quietly run out of cash: gross margin, CAC payback, CM3, LTV:CAC, inventory days and MER.
When to Hire a Fractional CFO for Your eCommerce Brand
Most eCommerce brands hire a fractional CFO too late. The right trigger is around $5M revenue — and by $20M it is no longer optional. Here is the framework.
Fractional vs Interim CFO: Which Do You Actually Need?
Fractional and interim CFOs solve different problems. Learn which model fits your situation — ongoing strategic finance vs short-term cover or a transaction.
How Much Does a Fractional CFO Cost in 2026?
Fractional CFO retainers run $4K–$15K/month in 2026. Compare day rates, hourly fees and full-time CFO costs to find the right model for your business.