Rise of the Fractional CFO - Your Next Career Move? (& When and Why to Hire One)
Summary
Not every company needs—or can afford—a full-time CFO. That’s where fractional CFOs come in: high-impact finance leaders who step in just when they’re needed most.
In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, co-hosts Alex and Lauren are joined by Anne Samak de la Cerda, partner at FLG Partners, to unpack the rise of the fractional CFO model. With two fractional CFOs on the mic—Lauren included—the conversation dives into how the role works at different stages of company growth, what to look for when hiring, and how the job has evolved in today’s market.
“You really need to have the right CFO with the right skills at the right time,” says Anne. “And sometimes, that means bringing someone in on an interim or fractional basis to fill a gap, solve a crisis, or lead a transformation.”
Two Paths to the Fractional CFO Role
Both Anne Samak de la Cerda and Lauren Pearl came to fractional CFO work from full-time executive roles—but their journeys reflect the diversity and flexibility of this growing path.
Anne began her transition after a “crazy, pivotal experience” at Anki, a robotics startup that had gone without a CFO for too long and was running out of cash fast. “My first role was telling them how fast they were running out of cash,” she recalls. That experience, combined with a bit of career experimentation inspired by the book Designing Your Life, pushed her to try fractional work—and she’s never looked back.
Lauren’s path came from a place of seeking variety and meaning. After leading finance at a fast-growing startup, she left when things shifted into maintenance mode. “I didn’t like that,” she says. “So I left, started my own startup, and started doing fractional CFO work to pay the bills.”
That side hustle quickly became her main focus.
“One of the companies I was supporting at the time told me, ‘I know you’re working just part-time here, but it feels like you’re working more than everybody else in the company.’ That’s when I realized: this doesn’t really take 40 hours to drive huge impact.”
Early vs Late Stage: What Kind of Finance Leader Do You Actually Need?
One of the clearest takeaways from this episode is just how different finance leadership looks depending on your company’s stage.
For early-stage startups, Lauren says the signs it’s time to bring in a CFO often come when founders begin bumping into questions they can’t answer:
“How do I get funding? How do I allocate the funding that I've got?”
In those situations, she focuses on structuring decisions where there’s limited data, building flexible systems that can pivot, and educating founders on the fundamentals of financial management. “You’re not just building the systems,” she explains, “you’re helping the founder build the foundations they’ll use to run their company for the rest of their journey.”
For later-stage companies, Anne’s role is often more situational:
“Later stage is about deep expertise, fast. There’s often some sort of crisis going on.”
That could be running out of cash, a CFO losing the board’s trust, or a founder unsure what kind of finance leader to hire next. In these cases, Anne says she’s typically “a sparring partner” for CEOs during transition periods—and someone who can assess existing teams and guide them through complex changes like M&A, debt refinancing, or a leadership reset.
The Sweet Spot: When to Bring In a Fractional CFO
Timing is everything—and getting it wrong can be expensive.
“One very recurring [crisis] for me is the board has lost trust in the CFO,” says Anne. Sometimes the CFO in place is technically strong, but the relationship with leadership has broken down.
On the early-stage side, Lauren sees founders hiring when they hit a wall in decision-making:
“When you bump up into those questions, it’s when it’s kind of time to start bringing in someone with a CFO skillset.”
Both emphasize that context is key. Hire too early, and you risk having a leader who’s bored or underused. Wait too long, and you may already be in a tough spot with investors, messy books, or missing metrics.
How the Role of the CFO is Evolving
Forget the “numbers person” stereotype. Today’s CFOs are business partners, technologists, and storytellers.
“There’s going to be a lot more push on those fractional experts to also have tech expertise—being able to come in not just as an accounting leader, but as someone who knows how to get these things done with the newest technologies,” says Lauren.
From cybersecurity and automation to collaboration with engineering, fractional CFOs are expected to operate with a high level of fluency in modern tools.
Anne agrees: “You can’t just be a spreadsheet person anymore. There’s definitely this expectation that you can navigate new tools, AI, and the broader implications of finance and tech.”
This evolution also extends to how finance is positioned within the company. Lauren explains:
“The idea of hiring a fractional CFO got a lot more appealing because you can afford someone part-time where you might not have budget for a full-time person.”
And it’s not just about cost savings—it’s about smarter, faster impact.
The Power of Networks in the Fractional CFO Model
Whether you’re building a solo practice like Lauren or part of a collective like FLG Partners, network is everything.
“Often my advice to CFOs thinking about going fractional is: if your network isn’t yet strong enough that you know exactly who your first clients will be, you might want to wait before diving in,” says Lauren.
She emphasizes that referrals, reputation, and relationships are the backbone of a successful fractional practice. Your brand is no longer your former company—it’s you. “That shine you get from a big-name past employer wears off fast,” she adds. “After that, it’s all about your personal brand and the relationships you’ve built.”
Anne echoes this sentiment from her experience at FLG Partners. While each partner runs their own independent practice, the collective provides a powerful layer of support. “It’s my sounding board,” she says. “If I’m dealing with a complex debt structure or a board conflict, I can lean on the experience of 20+ other partners who’ve seen it before.”
That kind of network doesn’t just help you find the right clients—it helps you serve them better.
Full Episode
Whether you're navigating your first finance hire or exploring fractional work yourself, this episode offers candid, real-world insight into what the role actually looks like today. With two experienced fractional CFOs sharing the mic, you'll walk away with a clearer understanding of when to hire, what to expect, and how finance leadership is evolving.
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