Different jobs. A bookkeeper keeps records. A CFO makes sense of them.

Your bookkeeper categorizes transactions, reconciles accounts, closes the books each month, and produces financial statements. It’s the foundation. Without clean books, nothing else works. You can’t analyze numbers that aren’t accurate.

A fractional CFO sits on top of that foundation. They build forecasts, model scenarios, help with fundraising, advise on pricing, figure out when you can afford to hire, and translate financial data into decisions. Strategic work, not data entry.

Most startups need a bookkeeper first. Get the books clean. Establish a monthly close process. Know your numbers are accurate. Then, when questions get more complex, add CFO support.

You need a fractional CFO when you’re raising and need investor-ready projections, when the board or investors expect financial reporting you can’t produce yourself, when you’re making big decisions and want someone to pressure-test the math, or when you’re growing fast and need help planning around cash flow.

You don’t need a CFO if your books are a mess. That’s like hiring a strategist when you don’t have a map. Fix the foundation first.

Some startups need both at the same time. Some start with bookkeeping and add CFO support before a raise. The right answer depends on where you are and what’s coming next.