Fractional CFO · Owner-Led Businesses · NY/NJ

You should not find out you are running out of cash two weeks before it happens.

I give owners real-time control of cash, numbers they can trust, and a finance function that runs without them in the middle of it. I get in the numbers with you and sit with you on the decisions that matter.

Naitik Patel, CPA · 25+ years in finance leadership
Broadridge · Citi · Deutsche Bank · Merrill Lynch · Deloitte

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What changes

Cash clarity you can act on

A 13-week rolling cash forecast. Real visibility into cash, working capital, and what is coming. Before it becomes a crisis.

Numbers you and your bank can trust

Driver-based models that connect how the business actually runs to your P&L and cash. Ready when you sit down with a lender, a partner, or a buyer.

A finance operating system

Close cadence, KPI dictionary, CFO pack. Infrastructure that makes your numbers repeatable. No single point of failure.

Built for owners who have outgrown their bookkeeper.

You built something real on instinct and a bookkeeper. You have revenue and a team. But the financial picture is still assembled by hand every month and nobody fully trusts it, including you.

That is the gap I fill. Not a consultant with a deck. A finance operator who gets in the numbers with you.

Who this is for

Contractors & tradesFranchise operatorsFamily businessesTech-enabled services$2M–$50M revenueOwner-led

The first 30 days

You will know where you stand within the first week.

No multi-month discovery phase. We move fast and build as we go.

Week 1

Financial diagnostic

I get into your P&L, balance sheet, cash position, and reporting stack. You get a clear picture of where the gaps are and what is urgent.

Weeks 2–3

Build the foundation

Cash forecast, KPI framework, and close process. Built in your tools, designed for your team to run without friction.

Week 4

CFO pack + 90-day plan

A clean reporting package and a clear forward plan. You walk into your next bank or partner conversation with numbers you can defend.

The Hudson Operating System

You are not buying a person. You are buying a system.

Three phases, run in order. The point is a finance function that holds up after the engagement changes shape, not one that only works when I am logged in.

Establish the Baseline

A week inside your numbers. Cash, margins, close process, and data integrity. You get an honest picture of where you actually stand.

Build the Model

A 13-week cash forecast and a driver-based model built on how the business really works. Margin by job, product, customer, or location. Numbers you can act on.

Drive Execution

A finance cadence that runs on its own. Reporting your team owns, decisions made together, and a function that no longer routes every question back to you.

A note on tools

ERP and AI Readiness Assessment

Before you spend six figures on an ERP implementation or an AI tool your team will not use, you need an honest assessment of what you actually need and when. I evaluate your current finance stack, identify the highest-leverage gaps, and give you a phased build plan. Available as a standalone engagement or as a retainer add-on.

See the full scope on the Services page

Engagements

How clients work with me

Engagements are scoped based on complexity, reporting cadence, and team size.

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A full-time CFO in the NY metro costs $280K–$380K per year in salary before benefits, bonus, and equity. Most owner-led businesses do not need that yet. They need the judgment without the overhead.

Foundation

CFO Foundation

1–2 days/month

Monthly retainer · scope-based

–Cash forecast + close cadence
–Monthly CFO pack
–Bookkeeper coordination
–Owner working sessions

Most common

Growth CFO

1–2 days/week

Monthly retainer · ongoing

–Full FP&A + scenario modeling
–Owner and lender reporting
–Finance team build-out support
–Strategic finance partnership

Project

Capital Events CFO

Project-based

Defined scope · fixed deliverables

–Bank financing + SBA loan packages
–Acquisition and sale support
–Partner buyout modeling
–Succession and transition readiness

Financial Diagnostic: where every engagement starts

Before the retainer begins, I spend a week inside your numbers. You get a clear-eyed assessment of your cash position, reporting gaps, and what needs to be built first.

1 week

standalone engagement

Scope and cadence are calibrated to your stage. Let us talk about what makes sense for your situation.

From the desk

Latest from the blog

Practical takes on cash, margins, and running a tighter operation.

Finance Operations

AI Will Not Fix a Messy Close Process. It Will Make It More Expensive.

95% of companies that deployed generative AI saw zero measurable return. The model was not the problem. The data and process underneath were. Automating a broken workflow accelerates the failure.

2026-05-12

AI & Finance Operations

Your AI Budget Is About to Skyrocket. Most Founders Will Not See It Coming.

Anthropic and Microsoft both flipped to token-based billing in April 2026. If your AI budget is still a flat line item, it is already wrong. Here is how to reforecast before June.

2026-04-28

SaaS · Capital Markets

The SaaSpocalypse Has a Second Act. It Hits Your Runway.

The equity crash was the headline. The credit squeeze is the second act and it hits small and mid-sized SaaS and fintech companies where it hurts most: runway, refinancing, and access to debt.

2026-03-20

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Common questions

Do you work with companies that already have a bookkeeper or controller?+

Yes. That is the most common setup. I work alongside your existing accounting team. I am not replacing them; I am adding the strategic CFO layer above them. We define the handoffs clearly in week one.

How is this different from hiring a full-time CFO?+

A full-time CFO in the NY metro costs $280K–$380K per year before benefits, bonus, and equity. You are not ready for that fixed cost yet, but you do need the judgment. With me, you get senior-level FP&A, reporting your bank and partners trust, and strategic partnership at a fraction of that. And no hiring risk.

What does a typical month look like?+

Close by day 5–7. CFO pack delivered by day 10. A working session with you or the leadership team mid-month. A standing check-in toward month end. You always know where things stand. No surprises.

Can you sit in on bank, CPA, or partner conversations?+

Yes. I prep the numbers, join the meeting as the CFO voice, and coordinate directly with your CPA, your banker, or a partner when that is useful. When you are financing, buying, selling, or bringing someone in, I am in the room for it.

What is the Financial Diagnostic and do I have to do it?+

The diagnostic is a one-week deep dive into your P&L, balance sheet, cash position, and reporting infrastructure before the retainer starts. It gives me a real foundation to work from. It is not required, but most clients find it is worth it on its own.

Let us talk about your numbers.

30 minutes. No pitch. An honest conversation about where your finances stand and whether I can help move them forward.

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