Most founders either hire a CFO too early (burning $200K+ on a $2M company) or too late (when cash is already critical).
There's a third option.. skip the hire, keep the rigor.
Sprint CFO runs the same financial diagnostics a top-tier CFO would — unit economics, cash management, capital allocation, forecasting — calibrated for companies that fund growth from profits, not pitch decks.
No VC assumptions. No "raise more money" answers.
| Metric | Target | Danger Zone |
|---|---|---|
| LTV:CAC | 3:1+ | <1:1 |
| CAC Payback | <12 months | >18 months |
| Runway | 24-36 months | <12 months |
| NRR | >100% | <90% |
| Gross Margin | 70-80% | <50% |
| Revenue/Employee | $200K+ | <$110K |
| Rule of 40 | Growth % + Margin % >= 40 | <20 |
These aren't aspirational. They're the line between survival and death spiral.
Mailchimp ($12B exit, zero VC). Basecamp (25+ years profitable). ConvertKit ($40M ARR, 51% margins). Zapier. Zoho.
What they share:
- Revenue per employee above $500K — elite efficiency beats headcount
- CAC approaching zero — product-led growth, partnerships, ecosystems
- Margins before growth — profitability is non-negotiable, even early
- Simple pricing — complex pricing requires complex sales operations
- Annual prepay — customers finance your growth at 0% interest
Case studies and detailed calculations in references/.
/cfo should I hire a second developer at $120K?
/cfo what metrics should I track at $2M ARR?
/cfo help me build a 13-week cash forecast
Global (every Claude Code session):
git clone https://github.com/SimonTheSalesBooster/cfo.git
cp cfo/.claude/commands/cfo.md ~/.claude/commands/
cp -r cfo/cfo.md cfo/references ~/cfo/Per-project:
cd your-project
git clone https://github.com/SimonTheSalesBooster/cfo.git .claude/skills/cfoPaste cfo.md into ChatGPT, Claude, or any frontier model. Then ask your question.
Built by Simon Severino — author of Strategy Sprints and Time Freedom with Jay Abraham. Added over $2 Billion in sales to B2B clients in finance, software, and consulting.
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