Most businesses this size can’t justify a full-time CFO. They can justify ours.
The whole finance function, staffed part-time: your books, your controls, a monthly report, and a partner in the room when the big decisions come.
Monthly revenue at an auto aesthetics shop, the first month after the numbers showed who the real customer was.
Big Four transaction advisory and buy-side diligence at a global bank. We’ve been the people hired to check whether a company’s numbers hold up.
If The Read doesn’t turn up findings worth more than it costs, you don’t pay for it.
A CFO is a whole office. We staff every floor.
Most owners piece this together from a bookkeeper, a CPA and a few hours of someone’s time. Here is who usually covers what.
One page on your desk. Every month.
Software does the fast, repetitive work. A partner who knows your business checks it before it reaches you.
Everyday protection packages bring in most of the profit. Lead with them.
Labor rate slipped because two jobs were quoted under the rate card.
Cash covers nine weeks of costs. A hire in October is safe.
- Step 1
Books closed
Every account reconciled, every transaction coded. Nothing waits for year end.
- Step 2
The page
One page, same layout every month, in plain words. The five or six numbers that run your business.
- Step 3
The review
An hour with a partner. We bring the page. You bring the decision.
Three steps. You decide at each one.
Every step has a fixed fee, agreed in writing before work starts. You can stop after any of them.
The Read
Two to four weeks inside your numbers. You get a written memo: what’s wrong, what it costs you, and what to fix first.
No findings, no feeLearn moreThe Build
We fix what The Read found, in order: the books, the controls, then the report. Scoped in writing up front.
90-day working-system guaranteeLearn moreThe Office
We run it every month. Books closed, report delivered, review held, and a partner on call for the big calls.
Month to monthLearn moreSix industries we know from the inside.
Each has its own numbers that matter. We learn yours before we build anything.
Private Practice
Which providers, treatments, and memberships actually make money.
See how it worksFire & Life Safety
Recurring revenue that actually stays recurring.
See how it worksCommercial Building Trades
Which customers, contracts, and crews return the most.
See how it worksAuto & Fleet Repair
Pricing, bays, and labor decided on real performance.
See how it worksWholesale & Retail
Which categories earn their shelf space.
See how it worksRestaurants & Hospitality
Weekly prime cost, by location, you can run on.
See how it worksSelling in the next few years?
Buyers pay more for numbers they can trust. We get your books, reporting and story ready for the buyer’s review, well before you list.
Get ready to sellBacked by private equity?
The same four floors, aimed at your 100-day plan and reporting your investment committee will actually use.
For sponsors and portfolio teamsDo you replace my CPA?
No. Your CPA keeps tax and audit. We keep the books and everything above them, and hand your CPA clean records at year end.
What does it cost?
Every piece of work has a fixed fee, agreed in writing before we start. We share The Read’s price on the first call.
Do I have to change software?
No. We work on top of the accounting, POS and payroll tools you already run.
Who actually does the work?
The partners. The people on your first call are the people who keep your books and sit in your monthly review.
How fast can we start?
The Read starts within two weeks of the first call and takes two to four weeks.