A: Every engagement begins with a no-pressure discovery call to understand your goals, challenges, timing, and capacity needs. If there’s alignment, we’ll follow with a proposed engagement letter outlining the recommended approach and model.

Depending on your stage and complexity, you may need:

• Fractional — ongoing part-time leadership for clarity, momentum, and consistency

• Interim — higher-intensity temporary leadership to stabilize a transition or gap

• Project-Based — defined deliverables with a clear start and end point

• CFO + COS blended support — strategic finance + operational execution in one integrated role

Most engagements begin with a strategy workshop or deep-dive to set direction and establish priorities.

Our process: Discovery → Engagement Letter → Kickoff → Fractional, Interim, or Project Journey

A: We work on a fixed-fee monthly retainer or a defined project fee — no billable hours, no surprise invoices. You’ll always know exactly what you’re getting, and who you’re working with.

Retainers create predictability, remove billing uncertainty, and allow us to show up as a true team member — invested in outcomes, not watching the clock. Engagements often begin with more in-person or intensive support to build clarity and momentum, then evolve into a steady rhythm of fractional leadership as your needs change.

The first step is a free discovery call to scope the right fit.

A: Yes. Fractional and interim work give us the focus and flexibility to show up fully engaged. Many clients experience more value than full-time hires because we’re not stretched thin or distracted by internal noise.

Support is often heavier at the beginning to build clarity and momentum. Over time, the rhythm may shift — combining ongoing touchpoints with execution behind the scenes — ensuring the right level of leadership without the full-time overhead.

A: Unlike traditional consultants, we don’t deliver decks and walk away. We integrate with your leadership team, bring a CPA-level financial lens, and drive initiatives with accountability. You get a trusted right hand — not a detached service provider.

A: Many firms provide a traditional fractional CFO focused on reporting, forecasting, and capital management. That work is important — but often not enough.

Tideway blends CFO expertise with the execution and alignment of a COS. This dual-role model bridges finance, operations, and people — ensuring you get:

• The numbers to make the right decisions and

• The operational horsepower to ensure those decisions get implemented

The result: clarity, alignment, and momentum — without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive.

A:

• You’re reacting instead of planning.

• You’re unclear on what your numbers are telling you.

• You’ve outgrown your bookkeeper, Controller, or EA but aren’t ready for full C-suite hires.

• Decisions feel risky without financial clarity.

A: We’re typically brought in when a business has outgrown its current capacity — but isn’t ready for full-time executive hires.

Strategic + Operational Challenges

• Founders or CEOs stretched too thin

• Strategy not translating into execution

• Communication or leadership gaps

• Project gridlock or stalled initiatives

• Needing systems and structure to scale

Financial Visibility + Planning Needs

• Lack of financial oversight or unclear reporting

• Cash flow uncertainty

• Misaligned KPIs or unclear performance drivers

• Finance team needs stronger leadership, context, or guidance

• Banking or lender communication gaps

We step in with CFO clarity and COS-level execution — to create momentum and support sustainable growth.

A: Our model pairs two critical functions:

CFO: cash flow, reporting, forecasting, long-term value creation
COS: execution, cross-functional alignment, communication, unblocking priorities

Together, they provide strategic clarity and the operational horsepower to ensure decisions actually get done — without full-time cost.

A: Not necessarily. Some companies need one or the other; others need a blended approach. During Discovery, we help you determine the right mix based on your clarity needs, operational gaps, and leadership structure. Many companies evolve into blended support once financial clarity is in place — but some need it from day one. We right-size the structure to your stage and complexity.

A: Tideway works collaboratively with your internal team or outsourced partners — including bookkeepers, Controllers, and finance support.

We don’t replace a bookkeeper. Instead, our role sits at the operational finance and strategic oversight level while your bookkeeper manages the day-to-day transactions, reconciliations, and filings. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

What we do:

• Lead the finance function strategically — clarity, priorities, accountability
• Oversee the bookkeeping workflow to ensure accuracy and consistency
• Coordinate information, deadlines, and deliverables so nothing stalls
• Translate the numbers into budgets, visibility, and decision support
• Clarify roles so everyone knows who does what
• Bring in a vetted bookkeeping partner if you need one

What we don’t do:

• Post journal entries or bank reconciliations
• Prepare monthly bookkeeping or tax filings
• Process payments or manage AP/AR transactions

In short: You still need a bookkeeper - we make the finance function work smoothly, strategically, and with far more clarity.

A: We operate best when treated like part of your leadership team.
That means full access to rhythm, data, and strategy — and the ability to drive accountability and alignment across departments.

We are hands-on, not on the sidelines.

A: Over time, yes — but not by removing the owner or changing who’s accountable.

As financial clarity improves and execution becomes more consistent, fewer decisions need to funnel through one person. Leadership ownership strengthens, priorities move forward more smoothly, and the business becomes easier to run — even while the owner remains actively involved.

This is typically a longer-term outcome of our fractional engagement model, where continuity, context, and follow-through allow meaningful improvements to take hold without disrupting how the business operates.

A: Yes. When needed, we partner with a boutique recruiting firm to help you hire the right long-term finance talent — whether that’s a bookkeeper, Controller, analyst, or operational role.

If we’re providing interim leadership, recruiting can run in parallel. We’ll help scope the role, vet candidates, and ensure a smooth handoff so the team is set up for success.

A: Our sweet spot is founder-led and owner-operated businesses at inflection points — rapid growth, transitions, restructuring, or strategy execution needs.

We support companies requiring financial leadership and operational execution without committing to a full-time hire.

We also help earlier-stage companies preparing to scale on a case-by-case basis.

A: Our core work is with businesses — but we also offer strategy packages for individuals starting their own consulting or fractional practice.

A: We work with only a small number of clients at a time — so each one receives the focus, depth, and support usually reserved for a full-time executive. We don’t take on competing clients. When we’re in your business, we’re fully in it.

A: At Tideway, we use AI in simple, practical, and responsible ways to support better decision-making. AI helps us speed up analysis, surface insights, and streamline parts of the finance and operations process - but it never replaces judgment, experience, or the relationship we have with clients.

We adopt AI with care:

• We protect sensitive client information.

• We balance innovation with accuracy and discretion.

• We only use AI when it genuinely strengthens outcomes.

Our goal is to help companies understand their numbers, operate more smoothly, and make confident decisions—not to overwhelm them with tools or trends. AI is just one of the ways we bring clarity and execution support to the businesses we work with.