The driver-based scorecard that syncs with QuickBooks and Xero.

Fractional CFO–quality insights and forecasts — built for small businesses and the practitioners who serve them.

We focus on the drivers that dictate revenue, net income, and cash flow — because at the end of the day, what small businesses care about is having enough in the bank for payroll and making a profit at the end of the day.

For Businesses

$197/month

Owner / In-house Finance

For owners and in-house finance teams running one business.

  • ✓ 2 user logins included
  • ✓ 1 accounting system connection (QBO or Xero)
  • ✓ Full driver-based scorecard
  • ✓ AI insights and next-step actions
  • ✓ Forecast + target tracking

For Practitioners

$497/month

CPA / Fractional CFO

For CPAs, bookkeepers, and fractional CFOs serving multiple clients.

  • ✓ 1 user login included
  • ✓ Up to 5 client connections (QBO or Xero)
  • ✓ Multi-client console with switcher
  • ✓ Per-client targets, forecasts, insights
  • ✓ Add seats for $50/mo each

Need more than 15 seats? Contact us for enterprise pricing.

  • Tired of manual exports and spreadsheets that break when anything changes?
  • Tired of dashboards that take longer to explain than they took to build?
  • Tired of financial statements that tell you where you’ve been, not where you’re going?

lateralCFO reads your books and tells you whether you’re on track — and what to do about it.

How it works

Your accounting data, finally working for you

🔗

Connect

Sync with QuickBooks Online or Xero in minutes. More platforms coming soon.

📊

Analyze

Our proprietary engine maps every dollar to the drivers that move profit and cash. No manual entry, no spreadsheets.

⚡

Act

Get prioritized next steps to improve your numbers — from a fractional CFO AI that knows your business.

What you get

Everything a CFO would build — ready on day one

No spreadsheets to build, no consultants to hire, no reports to stitch together. It’s all here, updated every time you sync.

📊

Scorecard & Reporting

  • ✓Driver-based scorecard vs your targets
  • ✓Last month, YTD, and annual forecast views
  • ✓On Track / Watch / Off Track status on every metric
  • ✓Revenue behind-target warning with prorated YTD comparison
  • ✓One-click PDF export — board-ready, AI insights included
📈

Revenue Drivers

  • ✓Total sales transactions vs target
  • ✓Average transaction value vs target
  • ✓Revenue tracking with prorated YTD targets
  • ✓Batch, invoiced & mixed revenue recognition support
💼

Profit Drivers

  • ✓Cost of sales % vs target
  • ✓Payroll expenses vs target (YTD-smoothed)
  • ✓Marketing expenses % vs target
  • ✓Overhead expenses vs target
  • ✓Gross margin tracking
💰

Cash Flow Drivers

  • ✓Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
  • ✓Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO)
  • ✓Days Payable Outstanding (DPO)
  • ✓Gross burn rate & months of runway
  • ✓Net burn rate — balance sheet-based cash change
  • ✓Net cash flow vs target
🤖

CFO AI

  • ✓Overall financial synopsis after every sync
  • ✓Section-level insights for revenue, profit & cash
  • ✓Top 3 priority actions — updated across all views
  • ✓Target & forecast reality check
  • ✓AI chat — ask anything about your financials
🔗

Integration & Setup

  • ✓QuickBooks Online & Xero sync
  • ✓Chart of accounts mapping to driver categories
  • ✓Opening balance & prior-year catchup sync
  • ✓Multi-client practitioner console with client switcher
  • ✓Per-client targets, forecasts & AI insights

See it in action

Your complete financial picture, at a glance

app.lateralcfo.com/scorecard
lateralCFO scorecard dashboard showing revenue, net profit, and cash flow metrics

What early reviewers are saying

Validated by 4 finance professionals
“
I’ve been looking for a tool like this for years to help my clients understand their financials. My clients need more than just QuickBooks reports — they need to understand what the numbers actually mean for their business. lateralCFO bridges that gap in a way nothing else does. There’s honestly nothing else out there like it.
CS

Charles S.

CPA, PhD · Beta User

“I LOVE that you can sync only the data that is closed/complete and then the scorecard and forecast/actuals updates as well!”
KH

Kirsten H.

Bookkeeper & Fractional CFO

“I enjoy it and selfishly I really want a simple dashboard for myself and clients… Success! I’m happy with the P&L audit.”
KM

Kelly M.

Fractional CFO, Accountant & Bookkeeper

“My initial review was favorable, and I’ll be giving lateralCFO strong consideration for my clients.”
PC

Phil C.

CFO/CWO

Why I built this

Meet the founder

Jon Bassford, founder of lateralCFO

Jon Bassford

JD, MBA, CAE

LinkedIn

I’ve spent 20 years launching and running operations and finance for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits — usually doing the CFO work in organizations that couldn’t yet hire one.

Along the way I kept looking for tools to grow my own CFO practice and give clients more than a monthly report. What I found was expensive enterprise software, spreadsheet templates held together with tape, and dashboards that took longer to explain than they took to build.

So I built lateralCFO: proven financial formulas, automated against your books, with AI layered on top for the insight that used to take me hours.

How we stack up

Built for the way small businesses actually work

Spreadsheets require constant manual work. Dashboards are time consuming and require a PhD to setup. For some business owners, outsourced services are powerful but expensive. lateralCFO is the tool trusted by CEOs and Practitioners.

lateralCFOSpreadsheetsOutsourced Services
Real-time accounting sync✓✗✓
Driver-based metrics✓✗✓
AI insights & next actions✓✗✗
12-month forecast✓Manual build✓
Cash runway tracking✓Manual build✓
Practitioner multi-client✓✗✓
Monthly cost$197–$497Staff time$3K–$10K+

Get started in minutes

From sign-up to your first scorecard — six steps

1
Create your account
2
Build your company profile
3
Connect your accounting system
4
Set your targets
5
Review your forecast
6
Get your insights

Pricing

Simple pricing for every kind of user

Two plans. No tiers, no surprises, no per-feature paywalls.

For Businesses

$197/month

Owner / In-house Finance

For owners and in-house finance teams running one business.

  • ✓ 2 user logins included
  • ✓ 1 accounting system connection (QBO or Xero)
  • ✓ Full driver-based scorecard
  • ✓ AI insights and next-step actions
  • ✓ Forecast + target tracking

For Practitioners

$497/month

CPA / Fractional CFO

For CPAs, bookkeepers, and fractional CFOs serving multiple clients.

  • ✓ 1 user login included
  • ✓ Up to 5 client connections (QBO or Xero)
  • ✓ Multi-client console with switcher
  • ✓ Per-client targets, forecasts, insights
  • ✓ Add seats for $50/mo each

Need more than 15 seats? Contact us for enterprise pricing.

Questions about which plan fits? Talk to us — we’ll point you to the right one.

Stop flying blind.

Get your first scorecard in under 20 minutes — no spreadsheets, no consultants, no guesswork. Just your numbers, working for you.

Talk to us first

FAQ

Common questions

What accounting systems do you support?
QuickBooks Online and Xero are both fully supported today. Additional platforms are on the roadmap.
How long does setup take?
Most users are fully set up in under 20 minutes. You'll connect your accounting system (QBO or Xero), map your chart of accounts to our financial driver categories, set your targets, and get your first scorecard — all in one guided flow.
How often should I sync?
Ideally, sync once your books are closed or reconciled for the month — or at a reasonable point of completion. The quality of your insights depends on the completeness of your books at the time of sync. At minimum, sync once after month-end. You can sync again anytime during the month if new transactions or corrections have been made to your books since your last sync.
What are "financial drivers"?
Financial drivers are the handful of metrics that actually move your business — specifically the ones that dictate revenue, net income, and cash flow. Things like revenue per transaction, payroll as a percent of revenue, gross margin, and days of cash on hand. Instead of overwhelming you with every line item, we focus on the levers you can actually pull to improve your numbers.
How is this different from just looking at my QuickBooks reports?
Your accounting software gives you historical reports. We give you a live scorecard against targets, a 12-month forecast, AI-generated insights, and prioritized next steps — all updated every time you sync. It's the difference between a rearview mirror and a dashboard.
Is my financial data secure?
Yes. We connect to QuickBooks Online and Xero via their official OAuth APIs — we never store your credentials. Your data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and we never share it with third parties.
Does this replace my accountant or bookkeeper?
No. This platform does not do your bookkeeping or accounting. It's a financial insight tool built to help you understand and improve your revenue, net profit, and cash flow — using the data your accountant or bookkeeper has already prepared.
What's the difference between the Business and Practitioner plans?
The Business plan is for a single company — perfect for owners and in-house finance teams. The Practitioner plan lets CPAs, bookkeepers, and fractional CFOs manage multiple client connections (QBO or Xero) from one account.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes — no long-term contracts. Cancel from your account settings at any time and you won't be charged for the next billing cycle.
What if my actuals look wrong after syncing?
The most common cause is an incomplete account mapping — an account that hasn't been assigned to a driver category. The platform will flag specific gaps and link you directly to the fix. You can also re-sync at any time to pull the latest data. If you're still seeing issues, contact us at hello@lateralcfo.com — we're happy to dig in with you.
How is my data being used with AI?
Your financial data and company profile are used only to generate insights for your account — things like identifying trends, flagging risks, and suggesting next steps. We send raw numerical data (figures and ratios) to the AI model, never your company name, owner name, or any other identifying information. Nothing is tied back to your business. Your numbers are treated the same way a calculator treats numbers — they produce a result and nothing more.