Finance leadership, without the full-time hire.
Megan VanWinkle, CPA, MBA, leads the finance engagements at Product Advantage. An accounting degree, years in finance and accounting at Disney, and currently a manager in financial systems there. Fractional CFO, controller, or financial systems lead for startups, growth-stage companies, and established businesses that need senior finance judgment every week but not a full-time executive.
Six things a finance leader does that you're currently doing without
Each one shows up in cash, in the board deck, or in diligence. Each one is cheaper to get right the first time.
Forecasting and cash
A rolling forecast tied to the plan, a cash runway you can trust, and scenarios for the decisions ahead: hiring, pricing, a raise.
Close and reporting
A monthly close that lands on time, GAAP financials, and a management report leadership actually reads.
Board and investor reporting
The deck numbers, the KPIs, and the answers to the questions investors ask. Consistent from one quarter to the next.
Financial systems
ERP and close-tool selection, implementation, and the automation that replaces the spreadsheet everyone is afraid to touch. Megan runs financial systems for a living.
Audit and diligence readiness
Clean books, documented controls, and a data room an auditor or a buyer's team can work from. Pairs with our technical due diligence.
Pricing and unit economics
Margin by product and customer, pricing changes modeled before they ship, and the cost side of every build-or-buy decision.
When people call Megan
- The books are behind. The close takes weeks, the numbers move after they're reported, and nobody is sure what cash looks like next quarter.
- A raise or a sale is coming. Investors or buyers will ask for clean financials, a forecast, and the story behind both.
- The finance stack doesn't fit anymore. Spreadsheets and a starter accounting package got you here. The next stage needs a real system, a chart of accounts that makes sense, and reporting that doesn't depend on one person.
- A first finance hire. You need the role defined, the interviews run by someone who has done the job, and the handoff planned.
- The founder is the CFO. And would like to stop being the CFO.
When fractional makes sense
Fractional works when you need senior finance judgment every week but not a full-time executive. A full-time CFO is a large fixed cost, and most companies below a certain size need the judgment more than the seat.
When the company needs a CFO in the room every day, Megan will say so and help you hire one.
What happens in the first month
Every engagement opens with a two-week finance assessment and a written plan you keep, whether or not the engagement continues.
Assessment
Books, close process, controls, cash, systems, and the reports leadership relies on. One-on-ones with whoever touches the numbers.
Stabilize
The close on a calendar, a cash forecast you believe, and a reporting cadence leadership and the board can set their clock by.
Run the function
Forecast, board reporting, systems, audit prep, and the finance side of a raise, a sale, or an acquisition.
Handoff
Hire the permanent finance leader or hand the function to your team, with the process and the system documented.
One practice, both seats
- A CFO and a CTO who already work together. For a growing business or a portfolio company, finance and technology leadership from one practice, without a handoff between firms.
- Financial systems are where the two meet. ERP, billing, revenue data, and the reporting pipeline are a finance problem and a technology problem at the same time.
- Diligence from both sides. Financial and technical due diligence from the same team, written for the same committee.
- An investor's eye. We run a family investment office. Megan brings the finance lens to our own investments and to our clients' numbers.
Megan VanWinkle, CPA, MBA
Accounting undergraduate, MBA, and CPA. Years in finance and accounting at Disney, where she is currently a manager in financial systems. Co-founder of Product Advantage and of the VanWinkle Group family office with Justin.
Meet the team →Fractional CFO questions
What does a fractional CFO do?
A fractional CFO owns the finance function on a part-time cadence: forecasting and cash, the monthly close and reporting, board and investor reporting, audit and diligence readiness, pricing and unit economics, and the systems behind all of it. You get senior finance judgment every week without a full-time executive.
Fractional CFO or fractional controller?
A controller owns the close, the books, and the controls. A CFO owns the forecast, the capital, and the conversations with the board and investors. Many companies need both in one person before they can justify two. Megan covers either, and the first two weeks tell us which one you need most.
How many days a week is a fractional CFO?
Half a day to two days a week, on your calendar. More during a close, a raise, an audit, or a systems implementation.
What does a fractional CFO cost?
Scoped after a call. Fractional CFO and controller engagements run on a monthly retainer or a day rate, settled in the first conversations and written into the agreement. Financial systems projects are scoped and quoted up front.
Can you replace our bookkeeper or tax preparer?
No, and you usually should not. Megan sets up the close, the controls, and the reporting your bookkeeper works inside, and coordinates with your tax preparer. For law firms, BetterDocket offers a staffed finance arm that includes bookkeeping and trust accounting.
Which accounting and finance systems do you work with?
Selection is vendor-neutral and based on your size, your stack, and who will run the system after the engagement. We do not resell software and we take no referral fees. Megan manages financial systems as her day job, so implementation is not a side skill.
Do you work remotely?
Yes. Megan works remotely across US time zones from Orlando, Florida, with on-site time for kickoff, close weeks, and board meetings when it helps.
Need a finance lead, not a full-time hire?
A free 30-minute call. You'll leave with a recommendation whether or not you hire us.