"I'll Hire When We're Bigger"

The cost of waiting and the right time to start.

Last Updated: January 2026|9 min read

Key Takeaways

•You often need CFO help to GET bigger, not just after you're already there
•The cost of waiting compounds—bad decisions during growth are expensive
•Growth without financial infrastructure creates technical debt
•The best time for CFO support is before you desperately need it

"We'll bring in a CFO once we hit $10M."
"I'll hire financial help after the next round."
"Let's get through this growth phase first."

The logic seems sound: reach a certain size, then get professional financial help. But this thinking gets causation backwards. You often need CFO support to reach that milestone—not after you've already achieved it.

Waiting until you're "big enough" means navigating your most challenging growth phase without financial guidance. It's like saying you'll hire a navigator after you've already crossed the ocean.

The Growth Paradox

The businesses that most need financial guidance during growth are the ones saying "we'll get help after we grow." The very act of scaling is where CFO support creates the most value—and prevents the most expensive mistakes.

What Waiting Actually Costs

Delaying CFO support doesn't cost nothing. Here's what you're likely paying for the "privilege" of waiting:

Suboptimal Pricing During Scale

Growing at the wrong price locks in bad unit economics. A 5% pricing gap on a growing business means the loss compounds with every new customer. By the time you "get big enough" to hire a CFO, you've left millions on the table.

Growing Into Bad Habits

Without financial discipline during growth, you develop patterns that are hard to fix later: bloated cost structures, inefficient processes, poor vendor terms. At $10M, you'll wish you'd built better habits at $5M.

Cash Strain Without Visibility

Growth consumes cash—inventory, receivables, hiring ahead of revenue. Without proper forecasting, you run into cash walls at exactly the wrong time. Reactive financing is expensive and stressful.

Delayed or Worse Financing

When you finally do need capital—whether equity or debt—you'll have messy financials and no compelling narrative. This costs points on valuation or terms. Getting CFO help before the raise pays for itself in better outcomes.

Your Time and Mental Space

Growing a business is all-consuming. Add "figure out the financials" to your plate, and something else suffers—usually the strategic work only you can do. A CFO handles finance so you can focus on growth.

The Right Time Is Before You Need It

The best time to engage a CFO is not when you're in crisis—it's 6-12 months before the critical event or growth phase.

Optimal Timing for CFO Engagement

Fundraising: 6+ months before you need capital. Time to clean up financials, build models, and create the story.

Rapid growth: At the start of the growth phase, not after. Build infrastructure while scaling, not in reaction to it.

M&A (buying or selling): Minimum 12 months before transaction for best outcomes.

New market/product: Before major investment decisions, not after you're committed.

Notice the pattern: CFO support is most valuable in preparation for transitions, not in reaction to them. Reactive CFO engagement is better than nothing, but proactive engagement creates significantly more value.

What Changes When You Have CFO Support During Growth

Strategic Hiring

Know exactly when you can afford to hire and what the financial impact will be. Make confident decisions instead of hopeful guesses.

Pricing Confidence

Understand your true costs and price for profitability from the start. Lock in good unit economics before they're hard to fix.

Cash Visibility

13-week forecasts mean no cash surprises. Finance growth intentionally instead of reactively.

Investor Readiness

If and when you need capital, your house is already in order. No scramble, better terms.

Why Delay Compounds

Small problems during growth become big problems at scale. A few examples:

Pricing Gap: 5% Under-Priced

At $3M revenue: $150K/year lost

At $10M revenue: $500K/year lost

Cumulative loss during growth: $1M+

Fixing this earlier is worth $850K+

Bad Hire: One Wrong $150K Role

Direct cost: $150K salary + benefits

Productivity loss: $100K+ (team impact, missed opportunities)

Replacement cost: $50K+ (recruiting, onboarding)

Total: $300K+ for one mistake

Fundraise Without Preparation

Valuation difference: 20-30% lower for messy financials

On a $5M raise: $1-1.5M more equity given up

Long-term dilution cost: Multiples of that at exit

CFO for 6 months: ~$40K. Value saved: $1M+

The Growth Multiple

Every efficiency or inefficiency you build in during growth gets multiplied by scale. Fix a 5% cost leak at $3M and you prevent it from becoming a $500K annual problem at $10M. That's why early CFO involvement has outsized returns.

When Waiting Might Be Okay

To be fair, there are situations where it makes sense to wait:

You're pre-product-market-fit: If you're still figuring out if you have a viable business, focus on that first.
Growth is intentionally slow: If you're running a lifestyle business with modest growth goals, you may not face the scaling challenges that require CFO support.
Your books are a mess: Fix bookkeeping first. A CFO needs reliable data. Investing in clean books is prerequisite.
No major decisions on the horizon: If business is stable and you're not planning significant changes for 12+ months, you can wait—but keep reassessing.

But be honest with yourself: are you waiting because it truly doesn't make sense yet, or are you just uncomfortable with the investment? The latter costs money.

How to Start Now (Even If You're Not Sure)

If you're uncertain, there are low-risk ways to get started:

Have a Diagnostic Conversation

Most fractional CFO firms offer free initial consultations. Get an objective assessment of where you stand.

Start with a Focused Project

Engage for a specific goal—cash flow assessment, pricing review, fundraise prep. See value before committing to ongoing support.

Begin with Minimal Hours

5-8 hours/month provides basic strategic coverage. Increase if you see value. Month-to-month keeps it flexible.

Next Step

Return to our main guide for a complete assessment: Do You Really Need a Fractional CFO?

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the right time to hire a fractional CFO?

The best time is before you desperately need one. Trigger points include: preparing for a major financing event (6+ months before), entering a rapid growth phase, facing complex financial decisions, or feeling like you're flying blind on financials. If you're already in crisis, you've waited too long—though it's still better late than never.

What revenue level makes sense for a fractional CFO?

Revenue is less important than complexity and trajectory. A $3M business growing 50%/year or preparing for acquisition needs CFO help more than a stable $15M business. That said, most fractional CFO engagements happen between $3M-$30M revenue where the investment makes sense but a full-time CFO isn't justified.

Can I wait until after we hit [milestone] to get CFO help?

You can, but the milestone might be harder to reach without CFO support. This is the trap—you wait for growth to justify the investment, but lack of financial guidance makes growth harder or less profitable. Consider getting help for the push to the milestone, not after you've already achieved it.

What's the cost of waiting another year?

Quantify it: What decisions will you make this year? What's at stake if you get them wrong? What opportunities might you miss without better financial visibility? For most growing businesses, the cost of a year of suboptimal decisions exceeds a year of CFO fees several times over.

Don't Wait Until It's Urgent

The best time to build financial infrastructure is before you desperately need it. Let's discuss your growth trajectory.

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