The job a D2C fractional CFO actually does
A UK D2C brand has three financial problems and they are all entangled. The first is contribution margin: how much does an order actually make once you have paid for product, returns, fulfilment, payment processing, the right share of paid acquisition, and the long tail of platform fees nobody tracks. The second is cash: how much of the business is locked in stock, in transit, in supplier prepayments, and in the gap between paying for inventory and collecting from the customer. The third is growth: where the next £1 of marketing should go, and which channel is quietly subsidising another.
A fractional CFO owns these three problems. Day to day that means a clean monthly close, an integrated three-year model, a weekly cash view, contribution margin tracked by channel and by SKU, and a founder-readable board pack. Decisions in the room rather than reports in your inbox.
What is in scope
- Monthly close oversight. We review your accountant or bookkeeper's work, push back on anything that does not reconcile, and own the numbers that go to the board.
- Contribution margin rebuild. Channel, SKU, and customer cohort. From Shopify, the payment processor, A2X, the 3PL invoice, the returns log, and the ad platforms.
- Cash runway and 13-week cash forecast. A model the founder can edit themselves, with sensitivity around stock arrivals and ad spend.
- Inventory financing strategy. Outright purchase, supplier terms, asset-based lending, revenue-based finance, or invoice finance — modelled against the cash position.
- Pricing and promotion. Modelling promotional mechanics against true contribution margin before commitment.
- Board pack and investor reporting. Monthly. Written for the founder, useful for the board.
- Fundraise and exit readiness. Engaged separately when the moment arrives.
The tools we work in
We integrate into your existing stack. The typical Oro client runs Xero or QuickBooks for accounting, A2X for sales-channel reconciliation, Shopify with native or Triple Whale / Northbeam / Lifetimely for attribution, Klaviyo for email and SMS revenue, Cin7, Unleashed, or Inventory Planner for stock, and a 3PL or in-house fulfilment provider with monthly invoicing. We do not require you to switch stack. We do require clean data going in.
Cadence and price
Retainers run from £3,500 to £7,500 per month for ongoing fractional CFO work. The driver is the rhythm of the engagement, not your revenue line. A monthly close, a quarterly board, and a single decision-making session a month is the low end. A weekly cash call, an active fundraise, a rebuild of contribution margin, and twice-monthly decision sessions is the high end. We propose a number on day one and we hold to it.
When this is not the right service
If the question is bookkeeping accuracy, VAT, or year-end accounts, you need a good ecommerce accountant. We are happy to recommend two or three we work alongside frequently. If you are above roughly £20m of revenue, raising consistently, or running a complex group structure, you should be hiring a full-time CFO. We can scope the search and the role definition for you and hand over cleanly.