Michael King

I help fractional CFOs and accountants build multiple 6 and 7-figure advisory firms through coaching and community.

If you run a construction company, growth was supposed to make money stress go away.

Instead, revenue is up, profit is flat, and it still feels like you are one bad month away from a big problem.

Most contractors we work with are:
• Bidding 20 to 25 percent and banking a fraction of that
• Losing sleep over payroll and upcoming draws
• Unsure which jobs are actually making money
• Looking at financials that feel like a foreign language
• Making big decisions based on gut, not clear numbers

At Civil CFO, we provide Fractional CFO services for $10M to $70M contractors.

Our job is simple to say and hard to do - we bridge the gap between bid and bank so you can consistently hit 10 percent plus net profit, with clear cash flow and confidence in every major decision.

What we do for construction companies:
• Build clear forecasts and cash flow plans so you know what is coming before it hits
• Install practical job cost and WIP reporting so you can see which projects are winning or bleeding
• Help you set realistic, data backed profit targets and hold the team accountable to them
• Prepare bank, bonding, and lender ready financial packages
• Sit at the leadership table as your finance partner for growth, exits, or succession

We are not your bookkeeper or tax accountant.

We work alongside them and give you the forward looking financial strategy they cannot provide.

Why this matters:
• More cash in the bank and less time worrying about it
• Cleaner, more profitable jobs
• Reduced debt and stronger balance sheet
• A company that is ready for whatever you want next - growth, sale, or hand off

I founded Civil CFO so construction CEOs did not have to figure this out alone. Our team has worked with contractors across the country to turn financial confusion into a clear plan and disciplined execution.

If you are a contractor between $10M and $70M and you are tired of bidding 25 percent and banking 3, let's talk.

Founder

I help fractional CFOs and accountants start, scale, and optimize their advisory services.

I used to lose clients for one simple reason.

It wasn't my price. 
It wasn't my skill set. 
It was my onboarding.

I’d sign the deal, get access to the accounting, and just start working. 

And 90-180 days later? 
They’d churn.

I was skipping the most critical part of the relationship: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽.

If you want to move from $2k/month retainers to $8k/month + engagements (and actually keep them), you can’t just "do the work." 

You have to engineer the trust.

I spent the last 10 years building a 4-phase system to fix this. 
We call it "Bulletproof Onboarding."

Here is the exact framework:

👉 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 (𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝟬-𝟳𝟮) Strictly for setting ground rules. We define communication channels, emergency protocols, and exactly what "out of scope" looks like. We kill buyer's remorse before it breathes.

👉 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 We don’t just look at the P&L. We look at the org chart, the tax returns, and the pricing models. We are looking for the "mess" so we can prescribe the magic.

👉 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗔𝗵𝗮!" 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 This is the secret weapon. We don't just present data; we deliver an immediate ROI.

𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦: "I found a gap in your supply chain. Fix this, and you save $130k this year." 

Boom. 
The fee is paid for. 
Trust is cemented.

👉 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗳𝗳 We deliver a 12-month roadmap. When a client agrees to a 12-month plan, they are mentally committing to a 12-month relationship.

Most firms do the bare minimum. 
This system does the maximum.

I broke down every single step, script, and document we use in my latest video. 

It’s the exact playbook we use to manage 8-figure clients.

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://lnkd.in/epCWWn2T

Founder, Civil CFO | Fractional CFO Firm for $10M–$70M Contractors | We bridge the gap between bid and bank so you can hit 10%+ net profit

Fractional CFOs: Stop trying to hire your first fCFO. 
You aren't ready.

Most of you think hiring is the fix for being overworked. 

It's actually the single fastest way to torch cash and lose clients if you screw it up.

I learned this the expensive way. 
Hired a rockstar CFO. 
She quite in two months.

Why? 
Zero processes. 
Everything lived in my head.

Before you even sniff scaling, lock down these 5 things:
1️⃣ Documented Service Delivery 
If it only exists in your head, it doesn't exist. 

Map onboarding, call prep, report generation FIRST.

2️⃣ Cash Float 
You gotta pay 'em while they ramp. 
Have two months payroll ready before day one.

3️⃣ Clear Model (W2 vs 1099) 
Decide upfront. Don't wing it mid-hire.

4️⃣ Lead Backlog 
Hiring with no pipeline? Financial suicide.

5️⃣ 50% Capacity 
Wait 'til you're 100% full and you got no time to train. 
Classic golden handcuff trap.

I know this doesn't sound sexy, but...
Scaling isn't hunting talent. 
It's building the rails so talent can succeed.

👉 I break it all down in this week's YouTube:
https://lnkd.in/gDRYq9PW

Watch it, then tell me - which one's your biggest gap right now?

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗙𝗢 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗠𝘀...
(No, this post isn't quite as scandalous as it sounds.)

This guy has had an epic career. 
Now, he's making the leap to become a Fractional CFO.

He asked me: "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟵𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀?"

I’ve never been asked it quite that way before. After thinking about it, the answer was clear:
1. Have a tight scope of work.
2. Stick to that scope.
3. Don't underprice yourself just because you're new.

If you manage those three things, you avoid the biggest trap in this industry.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗻.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗻: 
✅ Has a narrow, powerful skill set. 
✅ Does nothing outside that skill set. 
✅ Charges a premium for high-value expertise.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗻: 
❌ Takes money for just about anything. 
❌ Produces work that isn't truly top-tier. 
❌ Provides "average" value at average prices.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

If that's you right now, let 2026 be the year you move from handyman to surgeon.

Tomorrow, I'm sharing exactly how I made that transition (and how you can, too).

Join 4,000+ Fractional CFOs in my newsletter, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, so you don't miss it.
👇👇👇

https://lnkd.in/gMT8jyBX

The goober lost the client because he made them feel stupid.

Yesterday I dropped a YouTube video about where Fractional CFOs can go to find clients.

I got a bunch of DMs about it, but I want to highlight one specific story that proves 𝘸𝘩𝘺 simplicity wins.

I once landed a client at a Starbucks inside a hotel lobby the morning after I spoke at a conference.

Why did they hire me on the spot?

Because their previous Fractional CFO, an industry guru with decades of experience, made them feel "stupid" (their words, not mine). 

"He always used fancy finance words and showed us these spreadsheets that made my head hurt. When my wife asked him questions he talked to her like she was 5 years old. We don't have a fancy college education like him but we sure as heck know how to work hard. I don't need some goober talking to my wife like she's an idiot."

Goober lol 

I met them immediately after I gave a keynote on 5 simple ways to improve cash flow. 

No fancy finance words.
Nothing that was there to make me look smart.
Just actionable help on the one thing that stressed them out.

As a Fractional CFO, everyone already knows you're pretty smart. 

Your clients won't give you bonus points for flexing on that.
 
What they will give you bonus points for is making them feel understood and capable.

This is about your clients.
Not your ego. 

👉 Don't be the goober. 

(Link to the video with the 10 best places to find Fractional CFO leads is in the comments in case you missed it yesterday).

Stop winging your monthly fCFO calls.
Your clients deserve better than a 60-minute rambling session.

Here is the exact 4-step agenda I use to run perfect CFO calls (every single time):

✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 (𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀) 
👉 Start with the human element. 

How are they? 
How is the family? 
Be a human being before talking business.
Then set a clear agenda for the call. This is key.

✅ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 (𝟭𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀)
👉 The "Rearview Mirror." 

Briefly review last month's performance. 
Keep this tight. 
Don't get stuck in the weeds.
Trends and non-obvious insights are best.

✅ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 (𝟰𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀) 
👉 The "Windshield." 

This is why they pay you. 
Where is the cash going? 
What's the plan to hit their goals?
What strategic decisions need to be made? 
Spend 80% of your energy here.

✅ 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 + 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 (𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘀) 
👉 Recap exactly who is doing what by when. 
Never end a call without clear next steps + owners.


📌 P.S. What’s the one thing you always cover in your client calls that I forgot?

The $1,000,000 question for most Fractional CFOs in 2026: 

Where can you go to find good leads? 

Let's rule out:
❌ Cold calling 
❌ Cold emails 
❌ Knocking on doors
❌ Sending out mailers

I have studied thousands of Fractional CFO firms (yes, thousands) and compiled a list of the top 26 places you can go to find great leads. 

Are you an introvert? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

Are you an extrovert? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

Are you in a big city? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

Are you in a small town? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

Are you looking for your FIRST client? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

Are you looking for your 31st client? 
✅ I have strategies on the list for you.

If you can't find ONE lead strategy on this list that works for you then you just don't want to win in 2026 😎

I just dropped a YouTube video that walks through my Top 10 places to find fractional CFO leads. If you want the list of all 26, there's a link in the description of the video (it's free). 

Link to the video is in the comments below! 👇👇👇

The fCFO industry celebrates sales too much.
And doesn't celebrate retention enough.

It doesn’t matter how good you are at sales if you're churning clients.

And the first 90 days of a new client relationship is the most critical when it comes to predicting churn.

As goes onboarding, so goes the relationship.

I see too many Fractional CFOs obsessing over their pipeline while their current client bucket has a massive hole in the bottom.

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲. 
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.

If you want to stop the 90-day churn cycle, you have to nail the first 4 weeks. 
You have to manufacture trust and deliver real value immediately.

I just dropped a video breaking down our entire "Bulletproof Onboarding" system.

𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: I included a link in the video description to download our actual 𝗢𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗗𝗙 for free. 

If you want to increase customer lifetime and customer value in 2026, then this was made for you.

📌 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗯 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 
https://lnkd.in/epCWWn2T

Most finance problems don’t start with bad accounting.

They start with broken systems: messy workflows, outdated tools, and reports that come in too late to matter.

I learned this the hard way as a founder running multiple businesses without real visibility into the numbers. That frustration led me to start Ledger Labs.

Not as a typical accounting firm, but as a finance operations partner for fast-moving companies.

We help eCommerce, SaaS, and service businesses ($5M–$50M) build scalable, automated finance functions without disrupting the way their teams already work.

Here’s how we do it:

✅ Automation-first
We eliminate repetitive tasks using tools designed around your workflows, not someone else’s template.

✅ Founder-led onboarding
I stay directly involved from day one to ensure precision and alignment no handoffs, no guesswork.

✅ Flat $50/hour pricing
Transparent pricing that includes bookkeeping, tax, automation, and controller-level insight.

✅ End-to-end execution
One finance team that handles everything books, compliance, dashboards, and strategic reporting.

✅ Advanced Power BI dashboards
Built to inform action. Live visibility into what’s working, what’s not, and where your money’s actually going.

If your finance function feels stitched together or overly reliant on individuals, it’s time to rethink the system.

We make finance invisible something that works quietly in the background while you focus on growth.

Let’s make that happen.

📩 gary@theledgerlabs.com
🗓 https://meetings.theledgerlabs.com/#/customer/discoverymeeting

Gary Jain 🚀

New to accounting?

Then this post is for you.

Because the truth is, most beginners underestimate how risky it is to skip the basics.

Think about it. Sales are growing, yet the bank balance stays tight.
 
You pay taxes on “profits” that never actually turned into cash.
Or worse, you make hiring or investment decisions using numbers that only tell half the story.

That quiet feeling that something isn’t adding up isn’t just stress.
 
It’s a warning sign.

And more often than not, it traces back to weak fundamentals.

Here’s what every beginner needs to truly understand, not just recognize by name:
 📌 Income Statement – measures operating performance and tells you whether the business is actually generating sustainable profits

 📌 Balance Sheet – evaluates financial position by showing liquidity, leverage, and long-term stability

 📌 Cash Flow Statement – reconciles profit with reality by explaining how cash is generated and used

These aren’t academic concepts or exam material.
They are the core tools decision-makers rely on to price correctly, hire responsibly, and invest with confidence.

If you don’t understand them, you’re not managing the business.
You’re reacting to it.

Follow Gary Jain 🚀 for more such content.

#accounting

I help Product based business owners reduce their time spent in managing finances ✡ Virtual CFO & Controller ✡ Added over 100M in bottomline of 500+ CPG businesses ✡ Focus on Custom Solutions using Technology

Most business owners don’t realize this:
- They believe if the books balance, accounting is sorted.
- They believe if reports are generated, strategy is covered.
- They believe if taxes are filed, compliance is safe.

Until reality hits them hard:
- A sudden cash crunch despite “profits” on paper
- A tax notice no one saw coming
- Investors walking away because forecasts didn’t add up

And I’ve seen this up close.

A founder running a $5M company had one “finance manager” doing it all.
 
On the surface, everything looked fine. But when we dug deeper, receivables had ballooned past $500K, payroll was delayed, and his financial model missed a looming debt repayment.

Here’s the truth: Accountants, Controllers, CFOs, Analysts, and Payroll Managers all serve different purposes.
 
Mix them up, and you create blind spots that can sink a business.

Understanding the roles matters because it helps you:
 📌 Keep compliance airtight
 📌 Spot risks early and fix them fast
 📌 Build reliable forecasts for smarter decisions
 📌 Align daily execution with long-term strategy

Because your business doesn’t just need numbers recorded.
It needs the right people interpreting, analyzing, and planning with those numbers.

Business owners, role clarity isn’t optional, it’s survival.

#accountingroles  #finance   #accounting

Can you really rely on your profits if your balance sheet is quietly breaking underneath?

That’s the mistake too many business owners don’t catch until it’s painful.

I worked with a founder running a services company who was proud of consistent profits month after month.
 
Sales were growing. The P&L looked healthy.
 
So he kept reinvesting and hiring.

What he wasn’t watching was the balance sheet.

Over time, receivables kept creeping up.
 
Short-term debt quietly increased.
 
And retained earnings barely moved despite “profitable” months.

The wake-up call came when his bank declined a routine credit renewal.
The reason was simple. His balance sheet showed liquidity stress and rising leverage, even though his income statement looked fine.

Here are balance sheet red flags every business owner should know:
• Current assets not keeping up with current liabilities
• Receivables growing faster than revenue
• Inventory sitting longer each quarter
• Debt increasing without matching cash flow
• Equity shrinking while profits are reported

These are not accounting details.
They are early warning signs.

Once we addressed them, he tightened credit terms, reduced debt exposure, and rebuilt liquidity.
 
The business didn’t just survive. It became stable.

Business owners, your balance sheet tells the truth your P&L can hide.
 
The question is, are you paying attention to it?

#balancesheet  #redflags

Expanding your business globally without understanding IFRS vs GAAP?

Many founders assume accounting rules are universal.

They’re not.

At first, it doesn’t feel like a problem.
Your reports look clean.
Auditors sign off.
Investors seem comfortable.

Until you cross borders.

I worked with a founder preparing to raise capital from overseas investors.
His U.S. financials were prepared under GAAP and looked solid.
But during discussions, investors kept questioning revenue recognition, asset values, and development costs.

Nothing was “wrong.”
It just wasn’t aligned with IFRS expectations.

That gap slowed the deal, triggered rework, and forced restated numbers under IFRS just to make comparisons meaningful.

Here’s what founders need to understand:
📌 GAAP is U.S.-specific, rule-based, and highly detailed
📌 IFRS is used globally, principle-based, and allows more judgment
📌 Revenue, inventory, development costs, and asset valuation can look very different under each
📌 The same business can show different profits depending on the framework

This isn’t academic detail.

It affects valuations, investor trust, and deal timelines.

Founders don’t need to master the standards.

But they do need to know which one they’re using and how it shapes their numbers.

Because when you speak the wrong accounting language, even strong businesses get misunderstood.

Follow Gary Jain 🚀 for more such insights.

#ifrs  #finance  #businessgrowth

Confusing a Finance Manager with an Accounting Manager and wondering why decisions keep going wrong?
 
That mix-up quietly creates cash stress, bad forecasts, and missed opportunities for business owners.

I worked with a founder in the logistics space who learned this the hard way.
 
He had an Accounting Manager running the books perfectly. Transactions were clean. Reports were always on time.
 
So he assumed finance was “handled.”

But every strategic decision felt shaky.
 
Should he open a new warehouse? He wasn’t sure.
 
Could he afford to lock into a long-term vendor contract? The numbers didn’t answer that.
 
And when lenders asked for forward-looking projections, all he had were historical reports.

That’s when the real issue surfaced.
An Accounting Manager focuses on accuracy, compliance, reconciliations, and closing the books.
 
Their job is to make sure the past is recorded correctly.

A Finance Manager focuses on analysis, forecasting, budgeting, and planning.
 
Their job is to help you decide what to do next.
This founder had strong reporting but zero financial direction.

Once he brought in a Finance Manager, things changed fast.
Budgets started guiding decisions.
Cash flow forecasts highlighted risks early.
 
And expansion plans finally had numbers behind them.

Follow Gary Jain 🚀 for more such content.

#financemanager  #accountingmanager #businessgrowth

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