How to evaluate whether to hire a full-time CFO or outsource the function

This is one of the most consequential financial decisions a growing company makes — and most founders make it too late or too early.

You probably don't need a full-time CFO yet if: your revenue is under ₹10Cr, your finance function is primarily bookkeeping and compliance, you don't have external investors who require board-level reporting, and your business model is relatively straightforward.

You probably do need a full-time CFO if: you're raising a significant round and need investor relations, you're operating across multiple entities or geographies, you have complex revenue recognition or working capital challenges, or your finance function is a bottleneck to decision-making.

The middle path — a fractional or outsourced CFO — is underused in India but highly effective for companies at ₹5–30Cr revenue. A senior finance professional on a part-time retainer (₹40,000–1,50,000/month) can give you strategic financial leadership without the cost of a full-time hire (₹25–60L CTC for a real CFO).

What a fractional CFO actually does: builds your MIS, runs your investor reporting, owns your budgeting and forecasting, advises on major financial decisions, and manages your CA and internal accounts team. They don't do the bookkeeping — they direct it.

TBC provides fractional CFO services for growing Indian companies. If you need senior financial leadership without the full-time cost, talk to us about what that looks like for your business.

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