“We’re spending over €3K a month on tools — and I still don’t know if we’re profitable.”
That’s what a Shopify founder told me on a Check-Up Call recently.
And honestly? She’s not alone.
Most 6–7 figure eComm brands have a tool for everything:
Shopify
Stripe
Klarna
PayPal
A2X
Xero
Inventory tools
Analytics apps
VAT plugins
Affiliate platforms
Loyalty programs
But here's the uncomfortable truth:
Tools ≠ strategy.
If your stack isn’t connected, if your data isn’t accurate, and if your reports don’t actually help you make decisions — your system is broken.
And that broken system is costing you.
Case in point: €3,100/month in app costs — zero clarity
This founder’s stack included 12 tools.
Some duplicated each other.
Some weren’t configured properly.
Some were pulling data at the wrong time — or not at all.
We did a quick analysis.
Monthly tool costs: €3,100
Profit visibility: Low
Decision-making clarity: None
Actual financial insights: 0
After a full CFO audit, we cleaned up the stack:
✅ Removed 4 unnecessary tools
✅ Fixed double-counted payouts in Stripe and Klarna
✅ Corrected VAT coding in Xero
✅ Built a clear margin dashboard that finally made sense
Total saved: €7,600/year
Total gained: Confidence. Clarity. Control.
What a Fractional CFO does that your accountant probably doesn’t
A lot of eComm sellers think:
“But my accountant set up Xero. Isn’t that enough?”
Here’s the difference:
Accountant
Xero Setup ✔️ Yes
App Integrations ❌ Maybe
Reports ✔️ P&L, Balance Sheet
Strategy ❌ Not part of service
Fractional CFO
Xero Setup ✅ Yes — but strategic
App Integrations ✅ Only if it supports decision-making
Reports ✅ Custom dashboards, insights
Strategy ✅ Central to everything
A CFO doesn’t just “set it up.”
We make sure the setup works for your business — and your decisions.
We ask:
Can you see your profit per product line?
Do you know which ad campaigns are actually profitable?
Are you capturing every eligible VAT reclaim?
Do your payouts match what’s hitting the bank?
If the answer is no — your systems aren’t working.
Poll Results: Where most sellers feel the pain
We asked sellers: “Which integration is the biggest pain in your setup?”
Top answers:
Shopify
Stripe
A2X
VAT tools
What this tells us?
👉 It’s not just about complexity.
👉 It’s about trust.
You can’t plan if you can’t trust the numbers.
“If your systems aren’t giving you answers — they’re not working.”
This came up in another client call.
She had five dashboards. None of them agreed.
Her bank balance didn’t reflect her sales.
Her Xero report showed a profit.
But she hadn’t paid herself in two months.
This is the real cost of data chaos.
You feel stuck.
You can’t make decisions.
You lose confidence.
As a Fractional CFO, this is exactly where I step in.
I don’t just plug in tools.
I help you fix the flow of information — so every number means something, and every decision is grounded in reality.
Why I built Thrive to run lean, remote, and smart
When I started Thrive Digits, I knew one thing for sure:
I didn’t want to build a bloated agency.
I wanted a lean, high-impact practice that could help sellers across Europe — from my laptop, wherever I happened to be.
What I didn’t expect?
That nearly every 6–7 figure seller I worked with had the same problems:
Too many apps
Not enough clarity
Systems that create more chaos than insight
That’s why Thrive isn’t just an accounting firm.
We’re your Fractional CFO partner.
We bring strategy, structure, and plain-English clarity to your eCommerce finances — so you can finally feel confident scaling your business.
Ready to untangle your tech stack?
If your systems feel more chaotic than helpful — it’s not just you.
You don’t need more tools.
You need a clear CFO-level review that shows you what’s working, what’s broken, and what to fix first.
I offer a free 20-minute Shopify Finance Check-Up Call where we:
✅ Review your current setup
✅ Spot where money is falling through the cracks
✅ Show you one smart move to make next
No sales pitch. Just clarity.
