This includes developing financial plans, overseeing investments, and managing bookkeeping tasks such as accounts payable. A comptroller also provides advice on how to reduce costs and improve revenue. When, as an accountant, you get really good at accounting and financial reporting and develop the ability to manage several different activities and supervise people, you can become a financial controller. This job is more than a bean counter role; however, the controller role is a natural progression from an accountant. CFOs and financial controllers usually come from an accounting background and start off as accountants. The accountant’s role is that of record-keeping and financial reporting.

A part-time or fractional CFO should likely be sufficient until revenues reach between $50 to $100 million, at which point a full-time CFO should be brought on board. A person suitable for the role of CFO needs to be a great financial strategist and a data-backed critical thinker. We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site.

Education and Skills

They are forward-focused professionals who do whatever they can to partner with and support their sales, operations, IT and other teams that directly or indirectly drive growth. They don’t get in the way of initiatives, and remove roadblocks holding their internal partners back from achieving their goals. They run big-picture scenario analyses, create action plans and present them to the CEO and the rest of the leadership team. Controllers typically report directly to the CFO (except in cases where there is a COA) and usually lead a team of accountants, bookkeepers, and accounts receivable/payable clerks. In terms of skillsets, a CFO’s skills may be the same as a Controller, but a CFO must be certainly involved with both the business and the numbers from an early stage.

• Most small businesses need both, which brings us to the third option.
• They are forward-focused professionals who do whatever they can to partner with and support their sales, operations, IT and other teams that directly or indirectly drive growth.
• Your business is evolving, tackling complex challenges, and ready for financial leadership.
• The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is your executive-level staff, often reporting directly to the CEO.
• Though the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the financial controller work closely together, they have significantly different roles within a company.

One of the qualifications we mentioned above which is common to CFOs and controllers is the ability to show visually appealing and useful reports. But we we do tend to see CFOs earlier and more often in some industries, such as tech companies with a lot of investor money at stake and where rapid growth is expected. According to PayScale.com, the median compensation package for a small business controller is $80,296. The complete range of salaries varies from $50,500 to $133,400 with influencing factors including company size and location. Understanding the duties of CFO and Controller can guide your decision, but your primary goal should be to find someone who aligns with your company and brings knowledge and experience to the table. If you’re deciding between hiring a Controller vs CFO, consider consulting with an expert who can determine which would be the best fit for your company.

When Do You Need a CFO?

Depending on a firm’s size, controllers may supervise the accounting department staff, participate in the accounting process during tax season, and coordinate the hiring and onboarding new additions to the finance team. They are more in line with https://www.bookstime.com/ financial reporting than financial planning. The primary difference between a controller and a CFO is the area of focus. Controllers are executive-level accountants who manage the day-to-day tracking and reporting of your financial activities.

• As an experienced entrepreneur himself, he has served in various C-suite leadership and advisory roles across a wide spectrum of industries.
• The complete range of salaries varies from $50,500 to $133,400 with influencing factors including company size and location.
• If you’re unsure whether your company can afford to bring on a full-time CFO, then indinero’s fractional CFO services may be a more viable solution.
• In a larger organization, a controller will oversee payroll processing and financial reporting, and they might help the CFO to prepare operating budgets.
• The accounting department may be missing critical opportunities if there is no one in the role of controller.
• At $1MM, the controller is likely doing some of the harder transactions for a bookkeeper (playing “down” in the role), serving as a sounding board for the bookkeeper, and overseeing basic reporting and processes.

CFOs’ salaries may be affected by their experience and education level, as well as their geographic location and the industry in which they work. Manufacturing and professional, scientific, and technical services paid their chief executives a median annual salary of more than $208,000. Healthcare and social assistance paid $174,000, and government paid $110,000. Vacations and time off will not leave your company high and dry when you rely on internal controls.

When a Company Might Need a CFO

Your business is evolving, tackling complex challenges, and ready for financial leadership. Before we dive in, however, allow me to give you the 30-second answer. They most often report to the organization’s CEO or board of directors in the nonprofit sector or senior government officials in the case of the public sector. Unlike the Controller, the Chief Financial Officer should have a thorough knowledge of financial reporting and accountancy.

Controllers typically have an auditing, cost control, or accounting background and an undergraduate degree in accounting or a related field. Most small businesses need both, which brings us to the third option. At times, it may be difficult for you to delegate responsibilities to others. But your company will never be able to grow effectively if you’re the one doing all the work. There comes a point in every small business owner’s life when their daily tasks become seemingly impossible.

CFO vs Controller

If you decide to hire a controller and/or CFO, we can help with some resources. In addition to the qualifications listed below, see our post 5 Questions Every Owner Should Ask Their Controller and The Average CFO Salary (2018) + 28 Key CFO Interview Questions (coming soon). For example, project-based businesses like general contractors might have a controller cfo vs controller support the purchasing process to keep expenses in line and establish reporting to enable job/project profitability monitoring. At $1MM, the controller is likely doing some of the harder transactions for a bookkeeper (playing “down” in the role), serving as a sounding board for the bookkeeper, and overseeing basic reporting and processes.

The controller manages all the day-to-day work of an organization and is involved in every aspect of its functioning. A company should start thinking about bringing on a part- or full-time controller when they reach $1 to $5 million in annual revenue. It is typically wise to go for a part-time controller at first, though firms should plan to transition to a full-time controller when they approach $10 million in annual revenue. They are precise, detail-oriented accounting professionals who make sure the company’s internal operations run smoothly, accurately and on budget. In May 2018, the BLS reported that 21% of chief executives (55,600) were self-employed workers or entrepreneurs.

Is a CFO necessary if my company has a comptroller or controller?

If this is too rich for you or if you don’t need a full-time controller, there are alternatives. For example, at The CEO’s Right Hand, we provide accounting and bookkeeping services along with outsourced CFO services with packages starting at $4,500 a month. This will provide you with the support you need at just a fraction of the cost. Controller salaries vary depending on experience, the size and location of the company, and the complexity of the industry. Controllers at small companies (~$10MM in revenues) typically make $150,000 annually.

With an outsourced financial controller on your team, you will have access to expertise in accounting and bookkeeping when you need it. The deeper bench that outsourcing offers is one of the major benefits of outsourcing finance and accounting functions. The CFO is the finance leader and chief financial strategist of a company.