When to Hire Your First Finance Person

One of the most common questions I get from founders is: “When should I hire someone to handle finance?”

It’s a deceptively simple question with a nuanced answer. Hire too early, and you’re burning precious runway on overhead you don’t yet need. Wait too long, and you’re drowning in spreadsheets when you should be talking to customers.

The Signs You’re Ready

After working with dozens of founders, I’ve noticed a pattern. You’re probably ready for finance support when:

1. You’re Making Decisions in the Dark

You’ve got money coming in, money going out, but you can’t quite answer questions like:

What’s my actual runway?
Which products or services are profitable?
Can I afford to hire?

If you’re guessing at these answers, you need help.

2. The Spreadsheets Have Taken Over

You’re spending 10+ hours a week on bookkeeping, reconciling accounts, and trying to make sense of your numbers. That’s 10 hours not spent on product, sales, or strategy.

The test: If financial admin is pulling you away from revenue-generating activities, it’s time.

3. You’re Scaling

Revenue is growing. You’re hiring. Customers are multiplying. But your finance systems are still the same hacky setup from when you were solo.

Growth without systems leads to chaos.

4. You Need to Talk to Grown-ups

Banks, investors, regulators—they all want financial data you can’t produce quickly or confidently. If you’re scrambling before every important meeting, you need professional support.

What Kind of Help Do You Need?

Here’s where it gets interesting. “Finance help” comes in many flavors:

Bookkeeper: Tactical, keeps the books clean. Great for the basics, but won’t help with strategy.

Part-time CFO / Fractional Finance: Strategic guidance without the full-time cost. (This is where I live.) You get expertise when you need it.

Full-time CFO: When you’re scaling fast and finance is a daily strategic function. Expensive, but essential at a certain stage.

My Recommendation

If you’re reading this, you’re probably somewhere between “handling it myself” and “full-time CFO territory.”

For most founders I work with, the sweet spot is bringing in fractional support before you think you need it. Not to do the books (hire a bookkeeper for that), but to set up systems, create the right metrics, and be there when you have those “how the heck do I do this?” moments.

You don’t need someone 40 hours a week. You need someone who’s been there before.

Need help figuring out where you are in this journey? Let’s talk. Book a discovery call and we’ll map out what makes sense for your business.