Scale your business with a veteran fractional CFO and former COO who doesn't just manage the numbers—but partners with you to streamline operations, raise capital, and drive growth.
Strategic CFO & Operational Partner
for $3M - $30M+
Business Owners.
More than a CFO. A Hands-on Partner for Growth.
Solving problems, refining strategy and quarterbacking execution.
In a growing business, problems don’t stay neatly inside their lanes. That’s why you don’t just need a spreadsheet advisor or expert modeler, you need a partner who rolls up their sleeves and gets things done.
Growing up in a startup culture, I learned early on that success belongs to leaders who focus on solving the problem, no matter what it takes. If a challenge stands between your business and its goals, I step in to resolve it: whether it’s aligning on a strategic plan, securing financing, quarterbacking a project or system rollout, stepping into an interim role, or anything else your business needs.
My diverse background as both a CFO and COO means your financial strategy is always grounded in real-world, executable operations.
Not sure which capital path fits your business?
Reinvest profits, take on debt, or raise equity? The right answer depends on where your business stands today - growth rate, margin profile, finance infrastructure, and where you want to be in 3-5 years.
Take the free Growth Capital Scorecard — 16 questions, less than 10 minutes. You'll get a personalized readiness assessment across four dimensions and a recommendation on which capital path best fits your situation right now.
Services
Tailored Solutions Unique to You
Financial Architecture & Capital Raising
Custom 5-year financial forecasting and growth models.
Annual budgeting and variance-to-plan templates.
Capital raise strategy (Seed, Series A, debt, and convertible equity).
Data room content curation and term sheet negotiation.
Bank and investor relationship management.
Operational Scaling & KPI Development
Design of real-time executive dashboards and performance KPIs.
Cash flow forecasting and aggressive liquidity management.
Unit economics, CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), and LTV (Lifetime Value) analysis.
Customer and contract profitability modeling to identify margin leakages.
Finance/accounting system evaluation and team scaling.
Strategic Execution & Interim Leadership
Hands-on leadership to solve cross-functional bottlenecks.
Interim executive support (CFO, COO, or Chief of Staff) during crucial transitions.
General management execution (e.g., physical facility moves, team restructures).
Board of Directors meeting preparation, representation, and advisory.
Preparation for PE/VC exits and M&A diligence management.
We Focus Your Energy on Driving Results
We focus on the numbers so you can focus on your business
From financial models and budgets to dashboards and KPIs, we help you focus on driving success by creating tools that measure and track results.
We help you align your vision
If you want to achieve big goals and aspirations for your business, you need a framework for success. We help you explore all your options so you can make informed decisions.
Case Studies
Recent Engagements
SaaS Construction Software
We evaluated the Company’s financials, provided an additional review of monthly results, and built 5-year forecast, working closely with the executive team and existing accounting resource. We analyzed customer profitability and developed a framework to explain customer churn. Once the forecast was approved by the Board of Directors, we shifted our focus to support a capital raise and helped create investor presentations. We sourced term sheets for debt, helped prepare materials for due diligence, managed the data room, and helped negotiate the purchase agreement for a $26M Series A equity investment. The transaction closed 15 months after our engagement began.
Financial Services
We provided interim CFO services while the Company worked to hire a replacement. Working closely with the founder and executive leadership team, we built a 5-year forecast that was rolled into an annual budget. We helped guide Board discussions on geographic expansion, pricing strategies, gross margins and additional customer offerings. We helped negotiate improved terms with existing lenders. We worked closely with the team to prepare investor collateral and participated in investor discussions that resulted in a $40M equity investment. Following the investment, we continued to support the Company with analysis on unit economics and customer churn.
SaaS Education
We started with a review of financial results and asset-level performance, built a 5-year forecast and created lender materials. We represented the Company to interested lenders that were sourced by an investment bank the Company had retained. We helped manage due diligence, participated in lender calls, and helped negotiate a $25M credit agreement. Once the facility closed, we reviewed monthly financial results and drafted required lender reporting on financial and asset performance.
Testimonials
“Rich has been a trusted friend and advisor for the last 17 years. He has been a reliable partner in orchestrating over $500 million in bank financings and taking Oasis through a private equity exit. He is intellectually sharp, versatile, passionate, and has recruited and built strong teams.”
Ralph Shayne, CEO of Oasis Financial
“Great experience working with Rich. He was able to build a strong model which enhanced our ability to better predict our business which we were able to leverage in raising outside capital. He helped successfully execute a $26M Series A growth equity investment, bringing key relationships and experience to bear while being responsible for key tasks before and during diligence. Rich served as the CFO for over a year until the closing of Series A.
“I praise his ability to work well within our existing key management team and fill in gaps without much guidance. His style of not over complicating matters and understanding the real business needs allowed him to make a significant impact with meaningful outcomes that will carry on with the business for a long time.”
Matthew Bullis, Founder of RapidWorks
“Rich is that rare CFO that balances high-level strategic focus with a hands-on deep understanding of his business. I first worked with him after he sold Oasis Financial to a private equity investor in late 2016 and hired my firm, RSM, as their professional service firm. Rich interfaced with my team as well as with representatives from our valuation group. His depth of understanding of the nuances of his business and his ability to distill his message to the key points relevant to his audience were impressive.
“Rich was patient and professional, and a true partner throughout our interactions. He successfully built a top notch accounting/finance team at Oasis, and I have no doubt that his dynamic personality would serve many companies well.”
Joe Kaczmarek, Partner at RSM US LLP
“Rich is an engaging and thoughtful leader. Moreover, he is honest and follows through on obligations. My team enjoyed several productive years working with Rich and felt that he maintained a strong sense of respect and balance among his stakeholders. He is communicative, able to consider new ideas, and willing to address challenges and opportunities.”
Jeff Michalczyk, Regional Group Head of CIBC US
Talent
Delighted to Meet You
Rich Smolen, Founder
Rich Smolen has spent 25+ years as a senior financial executive in privately-held, VC/PE-backed, and public companies. He’s been a CFO or COO 4 times, has been involved in the sale of two businesses, completed $500M+ in bank financings, and raised $40M in equity (Seed, Series A, Convertible). He’s also managed an office buildout and move, served as an interim marketing leader and managed a call center.
Rich currently works as a fractional CFO with founders and CEOs across industries ranging from SaaS, telecom, professional services and financial services - helping them develop strategic plans, raise debt and equity, build the financial infrastructure to scale, and generally partnering with them to enable growth.
He lives in Chicagoland and works exclusively with businesses in the $3M–$30M range who are serious about their next move and are looking for a true partner.
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