Seacoast CFOAlice Shackelford
The work

Three ways in. One person on the other end.

Most engagements start in one of three shapes. The lines between them blur once we're working — a diligence project turns into a retainer, a systems reset uncovers a pricing problem — and that's fine. What follows is the shape at the beginning.

01 / of 03

Fractional CFO

An ongoing seat at the table. Monthly close, cash, forecasting, board and bank communication, and whatever the quarter throws at us.

The scope
  • Own the monthly close and produce a plain-English financial memo
  • Maintain a rolling 13-week cash forecast and annual plan
  • Sit in leadership meetings; run the quarterly board or investor update
  • Manage the relationship with your bank, lender, insurance broker, and CPA
  • Coach the bookkeeper or controller you already have
Cadence

Two to four days a month, retained. Weekly check-in, monthly review.

Typical client

$3M–$30M revenue. Founder-led. No in-house finance leadership yet.

Starting at

from $6,500 / month

02 / of 03

Financial Systems Reset

A finite project when the books, the chart of accounts, or the reporting have drifted away from how the business actually runs. Fixed scope, fixed fee.

The scope
  • Rebuild the chart of accounts around real operating segments
  • Move to accrual, tighten cutoff, document the close
  • Stand up a management P&L, cash statement, and KPI page
  • Migrate or clean up QuickBooks, NetSuite, or Xero as needed
  • Train the internal team so it stays clean after I leave
Cadence

Six to ten weeks. Kickoff, weekly working sessions, handoff.

Typical client

Companies preparing for a raise, a lender, a sale, or a first real budget.

Starting at

from $18,000 fixed

Often the on-ramp to a fractional retainer, but it doesn't have to be.

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03 / of 03

Deal & Diligence Advisory

A short, sharp engagement around a specific transaction. Buy-side or sell-side. I represent your interest at the table.

The scope
  • Quality-of-earnings support and normalized EBITDA build
  • Working-capital peg calculation and negotiation
  • Purchase-price allocation and earnout modeling
  • Data room organization and buyer/lender Q&A
  • Post-close 100-day integration plan
Cadence

Four to twelve weeks, depending on deal timeline.

Typical client

Owners selling all or part of the business, or founders making a first acquisition.

Starting at

engagement-specific — usually $15K–$45K

Not a fit if

Honest disqualifiers.

  • You want a bookkeeper. I work alongside good ones, but I'm not one.
  • You need a Big Four-branded QoE report for a nine-figure deal.
  • You're pre-revenue and looking for a CFO title on a pitch deck.
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Not sure which one fits? Send a short note and we'll figure it out on a call.

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