Things seemed fine—until they weren’t.

One day, Mike called me, sounding stressed. “We’re profitable, but our cash flow is always tight. I can’t figure out why.”

Your accountant is focused on the Past

We started digging into the numbers. The accountant had been doing a great job with the books—accurate, up-to-date, and compliant with all tax regulations. But here’s the thing: accounting is about the past. It tells you where the money went, not where it should go. What Mike needed wasn’t more bookkeeping; he needed a CFO.

Your CFO is focused on the Future

A CFO doesn’t just crunch numbers—they connect them to strategy. For Mike, this meant identifying that his tight cash flow wasn’t a bookkeeping error but a symptom of rapid growth. His customers took longer to pay than his suppliers, creating a cash crunch. The solution wasn’t in the past but in the future—renegotiating payment terms, securing a line of credit, and forecasting cash flow to stay ahead of the curve.

Their focus matters

This experience taught me an important lesson: while accountants and CFOs deal with numbers, their roles are fundamentally different. Accountants are essential for keeping your financial house in order, ensuring compliance, and managing historical records. CFOs, on the other hand, are forward-looking. They help you plan for growth, manage risk, and align financial strategy with business goals.

Both roles are critical, but they’re not interchangeable. It might be time to think bigger if you’re running a business and wondering why you’re stuck in a financial bottleneck despite solid accounting.

Mike made the leap and brought on a fractional CFO, and the impact was immediate. Within months, cash flow stabilized, and his confidence grew, knowing he had a partner to help him navigate the road ahead.

So, if you’ve ever thought, “Isn’t a CFO just a glorified accountant?” let me assure you—they’re not. They’re your strategic partner for turning financial insight into business opportunities.