Services

Alpha Squared offers a number of CFO services designed to be custom tailored to the needs of each client.  We don’t believe in a “one size fits all” model.  As we begin the “Discovery” part of a new client relationship, we assess what areas are of the highest concern with the most impact and how we can prioritize a set of solutions to help provide the client with the best value and most sustainable results over time.
Some examples of our services are included in the chart below.

Overall, a good fractional CFO should be seen as a strategic partner to the executive leadership team and the Board. 

Several examples of the CFO value proposition are highlighted.  Not all of these skills may be needed at once but a powerful fractional CFO will access their swiss army knife toolkit to address any financial challenges in order to drive value and progress.

A Few Benefits of Investing in an Alpha Squared Fractional CFO
  • Strengthen company’s financial capabilities at fraction of the cost of a full time CFO
  • Become much more “forward looking” and improve the ability to make better business decisions using data and analytical insights
  • Leverage years of financial experience with different companies and best practices
  • Proactively structure the company for controlled growth
  • Evaluate growth scenarios with data based decisioning
  • “Peace of mind” for CEO
  • Allow management team to focus on their areas of expertise
  • “GoTo” person for all things financial
An Alpha Squared Fractional CFO can help answer critical questions
  • Where do I make/lose $ ?  Which clients?  Which product lines? 
  • What does my cash / liquidity runway look like and what should I do?
  • What are the risks that I am not seeing?
  • Are we “on target”?  What should we focus on to improve?
  • What is the estimated value of the company now and in the future?
  • How much $ can I take out comfortably?
  • What investments should I make in people and resources and how to think about ROI?
  • How and when should I raise capital?
  • How can I most effectively communicate financials with investors or my Board?
Examples of a Alpha Squared Fractional CFO Delivering Value
  • Built a new business model for a music school to evaluate options during Covid leading to a strategic on-line pivot and improved profitability
  • Developed a multi-year, complex, financial business plan and KPI’s for a health-care tech company – presented to board and investors resulting in a successful capital raise
  • Designed and implemented an automated tool for key metrics – allowing business owners to get deeper insights into performance and identify opportunities
  • Transformed a standard P&L for a B2C business into a product profitability indicator – allowing the business owner to invest in products with a clear understanding of margin impacts
  • Analyzed workforce costs, cash flow and related revenues for a health care provider to empower owner to confidently invest in new roles
  • Assessed financial capabilities for a digital marketing company enabling owner to make data driven decisions on where to invest resources
Path to Success in a Typical CFO Advisory Engagement
  • Initial discussions between business owner and CFO Advisor to determine fit
  • Discovery – Financial capabilities review with assessment and recommendations
  • Detailed Analysis of balance sheet, income statement & cash flow
  • Monthly forward looking financial review with business owner & team
  • Detailed budget build – typically 3 year plan with analytics / scenarios
  • Quarterly Re-Forecast
  • KPI’s / Metrics development & automation
  • Resource planning with tracking capability
  • Product Profitability Analysis
  • Sales Pipeline Revenue Projections / Tracking

Client Testimonial

Sethu Palaniappan (Former Managing Directory / COO Deutsche Bank)

Andy and I worked together at Deutsche Bank in London where he was the CAO of the Global Equities group.  I hired Andy to design and implement a control structure and financial transparency that we needed at that time. Andy is very insightful, thoughtful and carries a certain gravitas with him that enables him to gain the respect of his peers and co-workers while implementing the improvements necessary.  Andy was also an excellent negotiator and was responsible for almost every major 3rd party contract negotiation as well as our outsourcing arrangements.  He was able to drive significant expense reductions across the organization while improving quality and automation.  He partnered closely with all of the business heads in the Equities group and across other parts of the company. Because of his background in technology groups, he was able to bridge the gap in helping us understand the necessary investments and avoid making costly mistakes.  He built and managed a team of high performing people and led by example.  When I left Deutsche Bank I was fortunate to be able to hire Andy into a similar role at UBS.  I highly recommend him for any consulting role that will leverage his skills.  He will help your organization.

Sethu Palaniappan

Former Managing Directory / COO Deutsche Bank
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