Financial analysis
Understand what your cash flow, profitability, and financial results mean for your business.
Business & CFO Advisory
Make business decisions with a clearer picture of your finances.
I help business owners understand profitability, cash flow, and the financial impact of important decisions.
You can work with me on a specific project or get ongoing CFO-level guidance without hiring a full-time CFO.
Evan O’Brien, CPA, MBA · Former Bank CFO & Chief Investment Officer · 13 Years in Finance
I typically respond within one business day.
Questions about cash flow, growth, or a major financial decision?
You’re not sure why profit or cash flow has changed.
You want to understand what’s happening in your business and which numbers need attention.
You’re deciding whether to use debt or cash.
A major purchase or business investment is ahead, and you want to evaluate how different choices could affect your finances.
You’re planning for growth.
You need to consider the financial implications of expansion, review your budget, or assess what different scenarios could mean for your business.
Your business is growing, but you don’t have a clear picture of its financial performance.
You’re busy running the business, but you want a better understanding of profitability, cash flow, and what the numbers mean for your next decisions.
Get financial analysis and recommendations you can act on.
For a specific project or ongoing advisory, the work reflects your business and the decisions ahead.
Forecasts and scenarios
When useful, I model alternatives so you can compare the potential financial impact of different decisions.
Recommendations explained
We review my findings and reasoning together, with written recommendations or an action plan when appropriate.
Follow-up and adjustments
Ongoing advisory includes reviewing results and adjusting recommendations. For individual projects, follow-up depends on the engagement.
My experience as a bank CFO and Chief Investment Officer informs how I evaluate performance, risk, and capital decisions.
How I help you evaluate your business finances
I start with what you want to understand or decide, then identify the information and analysis needed to address it.
Discuss your business and the decision.
Tell me what’s happening in your business, what you’re considering, and what you want to accomplish.
Define the work and gather information.
We agree on the scope and the information needed. I then request the financial records relevant to the work.
Analyze the numbers and alternatives.
I review the information and develop models or scenarios when they would help evaluate your options.
Review the recommendations together.
I walk you through what I found, explain what I recommend and why, and answer your questions.
Determine the next steps and follow-up.
We discuss how to move forward and the financial implementation support and follow-up included in our engagement.
Frequently asked questions
Is CFO advisory right for my business?
It may be useful if your business is growing, financial questions are becoming more complex, or you’re facing an important decision and need experienced financial guidance without a full-time CFO.
Can I start with a single project?
Yes. You can engage me for a specific project without committing to ongoing work. If you want continuing guidance, I offer monthly or quarterly meetings based on your needs.
What will I receive?
For a project, we agree on the analysis and deliverables needed. These may include models, forecasts, scenarios, written recommendations, or an action plan, with a meeting to explain the findings. Ongoing work includes reviewing cash flow, profitability, budgets against actual results, and trends, with forecast updates and recommendations as needed.
Can I keep my current CPA or bookkeeper?
Yes. You can keep your existing bookkeeper, CPA, or tax preparer. You don’t need to use my bookkeeping or tax services to work with me on business advisory.
How is advisory different from bookkeeping or tax planning?
Business advisory focuses on understanding financial performance, evaluating decisions, forecasting, and planning how to use your business’s money. Bookkeeping maintains your financial records, while formal tax planning evaluates strategies for your tax situation. Bookkeeping, Tax Preparation, and formal Tax Planning remain separate services.
What information will you need?
Depending on the question, I may request financial statements, tax returns, budgets, debt information, cash balances, projections, or relevant contracts and transaction details. You can start the consultation request with a brief description of your situation.
Does the work include implementation and follow-up?
Ongoing advisory includes financial implementation support, follow-up, and review of actual versus expected results so we can adjust as your business changes. For a project, implementation support and results review depend on the engagement. I stay involved from a financial perspective and can coordinate with your attorney, banker, investment advisor, or bookkeeper when appropriate.
