“We’re doing 6 figures... but I still feel like I’m guessing.”
That’s what a Shopify founder told me recently.
And I’ve heard the same thing from dozens of others.
➡️ Sales are growing
➡️ Orders are flowing
➡️ VAT is (mostly) filed on time
But under the surface?
❌ They’re not sure if their margins are healthy
❌ They don’t know what’s safe to withdraw
❌ They’re stuck in spreadsheet chaos, second-guessing every financial decision
They’ve outgrown their basic accountant — but don’t need a full-time CFO.
This is exactly where a Fractional CFO comes in.
Wait — what’s a Fractional CFO?
Here’s the simplest way to put it:
🧮 Traditional Accountant
Focuses on the past: files your VAT, tax returns, and year-end accounts
Tracks what happened
Reports results
🔍 Fractional CFO
Focuses on the future: helps you plan, decide, and grow profitably
Helps you decide what happens next
Designs strategy
💡 If your accountant’s job is to report the numbers, a Fractional CFO’s job is to make the numbers better.
Real Talk: “Do I really need a CFO if I’m not a huge company?”
Not full-time.
But if you’re doing 6–7 figures, you’re no longer a side hustle.
You need more than just compliance.
Here’s where most Shopify sellers hit a wall:
🚧 Problem #1: "I’m making money… but where is it going?"
One client told me:
“We made €70K this month… but my bank account says €3.2K. What’s going on?”
We pulled up their numbers.
Turns out:
€11.2K went to Meta Ads
€9.8K to stock replenishment
€2.4K in Stripe/Shopify fees
€13.4K in VAT due across EU & UK
They hadn’t tracked any of it in real time.
No margin breakdown. No VAT pot. No cash flow view.
They weren’t mismanaging — they just didn’t have the right setup.
📈 We fixed this by:
Building a real margin dashboard
Creating a short-term cash flow tracker
Automating VAT savings allocation
They’re now paying themselves €2.5K/month, with no panic before payroll.
🚧 Problem #2: “I just take what’s left at the end of the month.”
This one comes up all the time.
Here’s what that looks like:
Payout lands → some gets used for VAT
Some pays suppliers
Some goes to Meta or TikTok
And whatever’s left? Becomes "pay"
But that’s not a pay strategy — that’s a hope.
We helped one founder:
✅ Identify their safe monthly draw
✅ Forecast payouts + VAT + restocks 6 weeks ahead
✅ Build a simple pay + profit allocation system
Result?
➡️ €3K/month pay
➡️ VAT saved on time
➡️ Confidence instead of chaos
🚧 Problem #3: “I rely on my gut — and it's stressing me out.”
Intuition is great.
But it’s not a cash flow strategy.
You can feel things are off — but without numbers you trust, you’re flying blind.
That’s why every Fractional CFO client we support gets:
Weekly cash flow updates
Real margin reports
Forecasts for inventory, VAT, and payouts
A clear “what’s safe to pay myself” number
One seller said:
“I used to just refresh Shopify reports and guess. Now I actually know what’s mine.”
From Chaos to Clarity: We Helped Them Free Up €4K/Month
Another Shopify brand came to us, juggling 12 different tools across operations, marketing, fulfilment, and finance.
None of them talked to each other.
👉 Shopify reports said one thing
👉 Xero said another
👉 The bank balance said something else entirely
They were overpaying for tools they didn’t need — and underestimating how much profit they were losing to app chaos.
We helped them:
✅ Ditch 7 tools
✅ Integrate Shopify + Xero + A2X properly
✅ Set up margin tracking by SKU
✅ Flag €4,000/month in recurring waste
Now? They’re leaner, clearer — and finally seeing the profit behind the sales.
Should You Work with a Fractional CFO?
Here’s how to tell.
✅ You’re doing 6–7 figures
✅ You’ve outgrown spreadsheet guesswork
✅ You don’t want to hire a full-time finance lead
✅ You want more than “year-end accounts”
✅ You want someone to help you decide what to do next
P.S. Want to see what’s possible for your business?
Book a free Shopify Finance Check-Up Call.
We’ll look at:
Your current setup
What’s working
Where you’re losing money
And what quick win could move the needle fastest
No sales pitch. Just a smart strategy.
