Connor Abene

For those of you that have no idea what I do, this is it lol: I’m a fractional CFO and I work with clients in the $1m-$50m million in annual revenue. Here’s what I offer clients:

Every business owner who tells me they hate accounting just hasn't had it explained clearly. Learn the basics. Once it clicks, it's one of the most useful tools you have.

Good accountants prevent problems people never realize were coming. That’s why the best work often goes unnoticed.

Every month founders sit in a review meeting and can't explain why they miss the targets Revenue is down. Costs are up. Margins look off. And nobody can say whether it's a real problem or just a bad month. That's why I built a Budget vs Actuals Template that brings every decision back to facts. Comment "BUDGET" and I'll DM it to you.

I built my fractional CFO firm off of sound financial principles. Now I'm sharing how I'm building it and the business finance lessons I've learned working with 40+ clients. Join here: smbblueprint.co

The older I get, the more I appreciate businesses that are simple, profitable, and predictable.

82% of SMBs fail due to poor cash flow management. That's why I created a 5-day crash course to help you: • Increase your cash flow • Understand your finances • Maintain healthy gross margins Get it for FREE today 👇 smbblueprint.co

Your clients don't care how many hours you put in. They care about one thing: did you solve their problem? Stop grinding for the sake of it. Get results.

My biggest surprise when I started working with SMBs was finding out how many healthy-looking businesses are one bad quarter away from serious trouble. • Unquestioned overhead • Razor-thin margins • Slow receivables Basic operational problems that most founders are too busy to address. Review your P&L. Stay on top of expenses. Protect margins. Don't wait until the business forces you to.

@MCovBrown How do you define contribution?

Want to charge more? Solve a bigger problem.

Harsh truth: the numbers don't matter as much as you think. Numbers don't run the business. People do. You can build the best model in the world, but if the CEO and leadership team don't trust you, it won't matter. CFOs who can't influence people will never influence outcomes.

The sweet spot for a fractional CFO client: $1M to $30M in revenue. Over $30M, they usually need a full-time hire. Under $1M, the problems aren't big enough yet. Don’t waste time chasing businesses that don’t need you.

We ask about KPIs in every onboarding call. Most founders say their revenue target. That’s not a KPI. That’s a goal. Your KPIs should be the 3–5 metrics that drive that goal. Pick them. Track them. Obsess over them. That’s how you actually hit the target.

A finance professional who can communicate clearly will outperform a smarter one who hides in spreadsheets.

If I were starting a fractional CFO business today, I'd do it differently. I'd niche down by industry from day one. When I started, I thought I needed to take on any client who would pay. It felt like the safe move. But it makes everything more complex. 10 clients across 10 different business models are basically 10 different jobs. Every new industry is a new learning curve. New terminology, benchmarks, and problems that come up again and again. It all adds up faster than you expect. Narrowing down makes the whole business run better. The 2nd client is easier than the 1st. The 5th is easier than the 2nd. You start to recognize the same problems, build the same frameworks, and deliver better work in less time. You also become easier to refer to. Pick one lane. Become the expert. Go all in. You'll build a stronger business than you would going broad.

If you're struggling to grow profitably – check out Finance of Scale. Each Saturday you'll pick up a few tactical tips to improve your business finances. Join here: finance-of-scale.kit.com/2bb94b9fb3

We now work with 100+ clients and manage over $1 billion in revenue for them. 5 years ago I was charging $1,000 a month. There’s no shortcut. The business is built one client, one hire, one tweet at a time.

The best CFOs translate financial risk into plain English. Not “liquidity risk.” “We’ve got 4 months before we run out of cash.” Not “margin compression.” “We’re making $18K less on the same revenue as last quarter.” Not “customer concentration risk.” “If we lose Client X, we lose 32% of our revenue.” Help them visualize it so they act.

Finance pros obsess over technical skills. But what actually determines your income is: • Who you serve • How you price • Whether you can get in front of them Your Excel skills are already good enough. Work on the rest.

@jmolinaCPA Many

@ConnorAbene Yep, see a lot of companies trying to run before they can walk.

Don't hire a fractional CFO... Until you’ve hired for these 2 roles: 1. Bookkeeper 2. CPA A Fractional CFO isn’t there to clean up your books. They’re there to make strategic decisions based on accurate financial data. Messy numbers = Bad decisions. Get your foundation right first. Then bring in a CFO to help you scale.