Ecommerce Fractional CFO
Fractional CFO for Ecommerce. Cash, Margin, and Inventory Under Control.
Executive financial leadership built for DTC economics: contribution margin after ads, inventory-driven cash cycles, and channel-level profitability.
Fractional CFO Leadership Built Around DTC Economics
Most ecommerce founders can pull a revenue number. Very few can answer, with confidence, what a new $1 of ad spend actually earns after fees, refunds, shipping, and 3PL costs. That is where an ecommerce fractional CFO earns their fee.
Sataurius fractional CFO engagements are built around the numbers DTC brands live and die on: contribution margin after ads, MER and blended ROAS, inventory-driven cash cycles, and channel-level profitability across Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale.
If your business is not exclusively ecommerce, see our industry-agnostic Fractional CFO Services.
Signs a DTC Brand Needs a Fractional CFO
- Ad spend is scaling, but contribution margin is quietly compressing.
- Inventory is tying up more cash than the P&L suggests.
- You cannot answer channel-level or category-level margin questions in a meeting.
- You are preparing for a raise, inventory line, credit facility, or exit.
- Reporting arrives 20+ days after month end, too late to change marketing decisions.
- You are considering wholesale, retail, international, or a new marketplace and need a real financial view before committing capital.
How Sataurius Delivers Ecommerce Fractional CFO Services
We embed with your leadership team, own the forecasting and board package, and translate the numbers into decisions the founder, marketing team, and operations team can act on. Bookkeeping and accounting can stay with your current provider or roll into Sataurius ecommerce accounting for a fully integrated finance function.
What's Included
Scope of Engagement
13-Week Cash Flow Forecast
Weekly cash visibility that integrates inventory buys, marketing spend, and payment-processor timing.
Contribution Margin by Channel and SKU
True margin after fees, refunds, shipping, and 3PL, so leadership can steer spend toward what actually earns.
Inventory Buy Planning
Buy plans tied to demand forecast, lead times, and available cash so you do not stock out or lock up working capital.
Marketing Finance Partnership
MER, blended ROAS, and contribution-margin-after-ads reviewed alongside the marketing team, weekly.
Board and Investor Reporting
Board-ready monthly package with one-page summary, variance analysis, KPI dashboard, and forward-looking narrative.
Fundraise, Lender, and Exit Support
Model, data room, diligence responses, and lender or investor conversations, from term sheet through closing.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a fractional CFO for ecommerce?
An ecommerce fractional CFO is an experienced chief financial officer who works with DTC and online brands on a part-time or project basis. They own cash forecasting, inventory planning, contribution margin analysis, ad-spend efficiency, and investor or lender reporting without the cost of a full-time CFO hire.
When should an ecommerce brand hire a fractional CFO?
Most DTC brands bring on a fractional CFO between $3M and $30M in revenue, or earlier when raising capital, planning international expansion, negotiating with lenders or 3PLs, or preparing for an exit. Common triggers include shrinking contribution margins, inventory tying up cash, and reporting that arrives too late to influence marketing decisions.
How much does an ecommerce fractional CFO cost?
Ecommerce fractional CFO services typically cost $4,000 to $15,000 per month depending on time commitment, complexity of the channel mix, and whether the engagement is ongoing leadership or a defined project such as fundraise prep or an ERP rollout.
What deliverables does an ecommerce fractional CFO produce?
Rolling 13-week cash forecast, monthly board package with contribution margin by channel and SKU category, inventory buy plan tied to cash, ad-spend efficiency dashboards (MER, contribution margin after ads), scenario models for pricing and promotions, and lender or investor reporting.
How is an ecommerce fractional CFO different from a general fractional CFO?
The frameworks are the same, but the ecommerce version focuses on unit economics after ads, inventory-driven cash cycles, marketplace fee dynamics, and channel-level margin. Sataurius offers both general and industry-specialized engagements so you get the CFO leadership that fits your business model.
Can you support fundraising and lender conversations for a DTC brand?
Yes. We prepare the model, data room, and investor or lender narrative, run diligence responses, and stay in the room through term sheets and closing. This includes inventory-financing conversations and asset-based lender packages that DTC brands frequently rely on.
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