Tim Salikhov, CFA’s Post

Most fractional CFOs are hired to surface insights. That is not what founders actually need. I used to think my credentials mattered the most. B2B SaaS. Fintech and healthcare. Series A → C. Those things matter. But in 12 years working in SaaS I've come to realize there are a lot of exceptional finance professionals out there. People who have been through more than I have. People I actively learn from. So I kept asking myself:  What is actually different about me. It’s not financial rigor. Every competent CFO will tell you what the numbers say. The harder thing is what happens after the analysis lands. Committing to spend that leaves you with only 24 months of runway. Letting go of 250 people to protect the other 500. Taking the offer despite not fulfilling our vision. These are tough decisions to make even when the math makes them obvious. Every CFO will do the math.  But few will stay in that room with the founder — through the doubt and pushback — until there is enough conviction to act. That gap between the right answer and the decision to act on it — that is where I do my best work. Not because I have seen every situation. I haven't. Because I care enough to stay until it closes.