Questions Worth Answering Before the First Call.

Most advisory firms — and most fractional CFOs — compete on the same things: institutional pedigree, having "sat on both sides of the table," cost savings over a full-time hire. Useful, but not rare. Almost every credentialed CFO says some version of it.

The actual difference is what the experience gets used for. The mechanical side of finance — bookkeeping, reporting, compliance — is becoming a commodity, and increasingly automatable. What doesn't automate is judgment: weighing a specific company's uncertain, high-stakes decision and reasoning it through to the plan that actually fits. That's where 20 years on the investor's side of the table earns its keep — not as a credential to display, but as pattern recognition applied directly to your decision, by the person who has it, every time.

No handoffs. No junior team. No templated playbook borrowed from someone else's business.

We have worked with founders and leadership teams across world. Most engagements are conducted remotely with structured check-ins, so geography rarely limits what we can do together.

Size isn't the qualifier — ambition is. We work across the spectrum. What matters is whether the company is serious about growth and the decisions ahead are consequential enough that getting them right actually moves the outcome.

Every client is different. We don't assume similarities and then cookie-cutter a potential action plan or outcome based on segmentation — each business gets the same direct, senior-level attention regardless of where it is in its growth. That's not a nice-to-have. It's the whole point of what we bring to the table.

We work across industries — the common thread is not the sector but the nature of the decisions being faced. Growth-stage companies navigating capital raises, acquisitions, or exits tend to face similar financial challenges regardless of what they do.

We have particular depth in technology and SaaS companies, resource-based businesses, and professional services firms — industries where capital structure, valuation complexity, and transaction readiness tend to matter most.

At most advisory firms, the senior person sells the engagement — and then hands it off to a junior team. What you're sold and what you get are different things.

At 3 WEST, every engagement is led directly by David. There are no handoffs, no junior analysts running the work, and no dilution of experience between what you're promised and what you receive. The person you speak with in the first conversation is the person doing the work.

Yes. Confidentiality is a standard part of every engagement. All conversations, materials, and financial information shared with 3 WEST are treated as strictly confidential — and we are happy to sign a mutual NDA before any substantive discussion begins.

We operate as the financial lead — scoped clearly so there is no overlap with legal, accounting, or banking mandates. Your client relationship stays yours. Our focus is entirely financial and investor-facing as a complement to existing advisors.

We encourage every client to work holistically with their existing advisors, because the best outcomes happen when everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Every engagement is led directly by David West, CFA — no handoffs, no junior team. The person you refer your client to is the person doing the work.

A Fractional CFO provides senior financial leadership on an ongoing, part-time basis — focussed on areas that need a focus without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. The role covers the same strategic ground where needed: financial clarity, decision support, capital planning, and performance visibility.

The difference is engagement structure. A fractional engagement scales to the area and intensity of the decisions being faced — more support where and when it matters most, less where and when it doesn't.

Fractional CFO engagements are ongoing — structured around a regular cadence of areas such as financial oversight, decision support, and planning. The specific rhythm depends on the where and what the business needs: some engagements are anchored around weekly check-ins, others around monthly planning cycles with ad-hoc support in between.

The engagement scales naturally as the business evolves — as an example — more intensive during a capital raise or major decision period, more measured during steady-state operations.

Yes — and this is a common setup. The Fractional CFO role is complementary to your existing accountant or bookkeeper, not a replacement. Accountants handle compliance, tax, and historical reporting. The Fractional CFO role focuses on forward-looking decisions: where capital goes, how risk is managed, and what the numbers mean for what comes next.

The same applies to legal counsel. We work alongside lawyers on transactions and capital events — providing the financial and economic analysis that complements their legal structuring work.

The honest answer is 12 to 24 months at full intensity — but the best answer is... "it depends" — long enough to build the financial discipline, navigate a capital moment, and transfer the capability to the team. The goal of every engagement is embedded capability: financial thinking that compounds long after the engagement concludes at that level.

When the discipline is built and the decisions are being made well, the intensity naturally decreases. That is not a failure — it is the outcome. Engagements continue as long as they are delivering value, and transition naturally when the business has internalized what the engagement was built to create.

A simple way to think about it: if a capital event is more than six months away, a Fractional CFO engagement is almost always the right starting point. The ongoing work of building financial clarity, tightening the numbers, and making better decisions week after week is exactly what creates a stronger position when the transaction arrives.

If a transaction is imminent — a raise, a sale, or an acquisition — transaction advisory is the primary engagement. And if you're already a Fractional CFO client when the moment comes, the transition is seamless. We already know the business.

This is actually the ideal scenario — and it happens regularly. A Fractional CFO engagement that leads into a transaction means we already know the business deeply: the financials, the risks, the value drivers, and the story. That context makes the transaction process significantly more effective and efficient.

When a transaction is approaching, the engagement simply evolves — shifting from ongoing financial leadership to transaction preparation and advisory support. The work builds on itself rather than starting over.

Earlier is almost always better. The preparation that happens before a process starts is where the outcome is shaped — not during it. Owners who engage six to twelve months before a raise or sale leave with better outcomes because the financial story is tight, the risks are already addressed, and there is nothing left for the other side to use as leverage.

That said, if a process is already underway, there is still meaningful value in engaging. The earlier in the process, the more we can shape. But even late-stage support — on diligence management, term sheet review, or negotiation — can protect significant value.

Yes. We advise sellers preparing for a sale or go-public transaction, and acquirers evaluating and executing on acquisitions. The buy-side experience is particularly valuable on the sell side — because understanding exactly how buyers think, what they look for, and how they use diligence findings to push price down changes how we prepare and position our sell-side clients.

Fractional CFO engagements are structured as monthly retainers, scaled to the scope and intensity of the work. M&A and Capital Advisory engagements are typically scoped and priced on a project basis, reflecting the nature and complexity of the transaction.

Pricing is discussed directly in the initial conversation — there are no hidden fees and no surprises.

A first call is straightforward — usually 30 to 45 minutes. The goal is to understand your situation, what decisions are ahead, and whether there is a fit worth exploring further. There is no pitch, no obligation, and no pressure.

Most people leave the first call with a clearer sense of what they need — regardless of whether they engage.

Yes. Because every engagement is led directly and personally, the number of active clients at any time is deliberately limited. This ensures the depth of attention each client receives is never diluted.

Engagements are accepted based on fit — the nature of the decisions being faced, the stage of the business, and whether the work is the kind where this level of experience makes a real difference.

Fractional CFO engagements are structured as monthly retainers, scaled to the scope and intensity of the work. Transaction advisory engagements are scoped and priced on a project basis, reflecting the nature and complexity of the situation.

Pricing is discussed directly and transparently in the initial conversation — sized to the value being created, not to a standard rate card. The first conversation is where it starts.

Quickly — typically within one to two weeks of an initial conversation, depending on the situation. For time-sensitive transactions or capital events, we can move faster when the situation calls for it.

Because engagements are selective, there is occasionally a short waitlist. If timing is a consideration, the earlier you reach out the better.