Experienced Enough to Know What Works.
Curious Enough to Keep Improving.
The Gap
Every day, startups and modern companies run their finances on real-time dashboards, AI-assisted accounting, and rolling cash forecasts. Their teams are small but they move fast, because the systems do the heavy lifting.
Traditional businesses built just as much, often more. But most of them are still running their back office the way it was set up ten or fifteen years ago: aging software, manual processes, a bookkeeper who learned on the job, and a CPA they only see in April.
The tools to close that gap exist. What’s been missing is someone who knows both worlds well enough to bring the modern one into the traditional one, without blowing everything up.
That’s why UpstreamCFO exists.
How I Got Here
I’m a licensed CPA. I spent years in public accounting working with contractors, service businesses, and other owner-led companies. I learned how these businesses actually run: lean finance teams, old processes, QuickBooks files that had been passed down like family heirlooms.
Then I went and ran finance at a startup. That’s where everything changed.
New finance tools and AI capabilities were coming out constantly. I tested a lot of them myself. Some were useful. Plenty weren’t. Over time I got good at telling the difference, not from reading about them, but from using them to close the books, forecast cash, build models, and get answers before a meeting.
I don’t recommend software based on a demo or a sales deck. I’ve used these tools under pressure, in real companies, with real deadlines. That’s the experience I bring to every client.
The realization was simple: the businesses I grew up working with in public accounting needed the same systems I was building at startups. Nobody was bringing it to them. So I started doing it.
What I Do for Clients
I work with traditional businesses that have outgrown their back office. I come in, build the financial systems the business needs, train the existing team to run them, and stay on as an ongoing CFO.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Financial Model & Forecasting
A real budget, a rolling cash forecast, and scenario models your team can maintain and use to test decisions before committing the cash. Not a spreadsheet I hand you and walk away from.
Monthly Close & Reporting
Books closed on time every month, with clear reports that show you where the money went and where the margin is. Broken out by service line, by team, by job type, however your business actually works.
Pricing Analysis
Your rates rebuilt from actual cost data: labor burden, materials, overhead. Then kept current so you're not giving away margin without knowing it.
Modern Tools & Systems
I select the right software for your business, replace what's outdated, set everything up, and make sure it all talks to each other. This includes AI-assisted tools where they actually help, not where they sound impressive.
Team Training & Support
Your existing team stays. I train them on every system I set up, and I stay available so they always have someone to ask. The person who's kept your books for ten years doesn't get replaced. She gets better tools and real support.
Buyer-Ready Books
Owner comp separated, add-backs documented, processes written down instead of memorized. Useful every day, and worth real money if someone ever wants to buy you.
Why You Won’t Find Client Names or Testimonials Here
I work inside my clients’ financial systems. I see their margins, their cash, their payroll, their pricing. That level of access requires confidentiality, and I take it seriously.
You won’t find client logos, named case studies, or public testimonials on this site. That’s a deliberate choice. My clients trust me with sensitive financial information, and I don’t use that relationship to market myself.
If we’re seriously considering working together, I’m happy to connect you with a current client who has agreed to speak about their experience.
Who I Work With
I specialize in traditional, hands-on industries where financial complexity meets operational reality.
Plumbing
Service line margins, price book rebuilds, membership plan economics
HVAC
Seasonal cash planning, agreement ROI, technician profitability
Electrical
Job costing, collections, commercial vs. residential margins
Construction
Job profitability, WIP visibility, cash flow forecasting
Run a different kind of traditional business? The system works the same. Let’s talk →
See What Your Team Could Be Doing
Bring me the finance process that’s taking too long, causing the most frustration, or still being done manually.
We’ll spend 30 minutes looking at what could be better.
Schedule a Consultation