What keeps professional services owners up at night
Busy but not profitable
High activity can hide low realisation and write-offs. Measure margin by engagement.
Lock-up
Unbilled WIP and slow debtors can tie up two months of revenue.
Contractor mix
Contractors give flexibility but raise payroll tax, super and margin questions.
Government and panel concentration
Model the impact of losing a major contract before it happens.
The KPIs your CFO should report
| KPI | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Utilisation by role | Billable ÷ available hours |
| Rate realisation | Billed vs standard rates |
| Lock-up days | WIP + debtor days |
| Margin by client / contract | Who you actually make money on |
| Revenue per FTE | Productivity |
| Pipeline coverage | Booked + probable vs target |
All of these appear live in CFOAvatar, your AI CFO dashboard.
Ask CFOAvatar: sample questions
Run the numbers
How CFOSurge works with you
One of our Australian CPA partners owns your relationship, leads board and investor conversations, and signs off the advice that matters.
Experienced CFOs and analysts with Big Four and Fortune 500 backgrounds build your forecasts, reporting and models, working to Australian business hours.
Connects to your accounting software and watches cash, margin, debtors and KPIs every day. It answers questions 24/7 and flags risks before month-end.
Frequently asked questions
What is lock-up and why does it matter?
Lock-up is WIP days plus debtor days: the time between doing work and getting paid. Reducing it by 20 days can free a month of revenue in cash.
Can you help with partner or shareholder distributions?
Yes. We model distributions against cash, working capital and tax, and Division 7A where relevant, with your tax adviser.
Do you work with government contractors?
Yes. We report margin by contract, model renewals and forecast cash around government payment cycles.
Does a 20-person consultancy need a CFO?
Usually a virtual CFO or AI CFO Essentials is enough. The value lies in utilisation and lock-up reporting.