Most small businesses don’t start with a full-blown finance department. And the truth is… they don’t need one. If we had to rebuild a finance function from scratch? We’d do it with just two key people. And we’d do it with clarity, strategy, and zero fluff.

Person #1: The Operator

This is your financial backbone.

They’re not just paying bills or running payroll. They’re owning the systems, the cash flow rhythm, invoicing cadence, and the compliance that keeps your business on track.

Their job? Make sure the day-to-day never becomes the emergency.

They keep things smooth, predictable, and in motion.

Person #2: The Translator

This is where most teams struggle and where we often step in.

The Translator isn’t a bookkeeper or a report-runner. They’re a strategic partner who helps leadership connect the dots between data and decisions.

They help you answer:

• Can we afford to hire?
• Are our margins where they need to be?
• What’s the financial impact of this next move?

Their job is to give you clarity, not just reports.

What You Don’t Need (Yet)

Here’s what we wouldn’t prioritize out of the gate:

• Dashboards for the sake of dashboards
• Obsessive modeling with no action behind it
• Hiring a big team before your goals are defined

With the right tools and two sharp minds, your finance function can be lean, agile, and ready to grow with you, not behind you.

The Bottom Line

Small businesses need financial support that scales with them, not a bloated team or overbuilt systems.

At Cascade CPA, we help nonprofits, healthcare businesses, and insurance firms get the financial clarity they need without hiring a full in-house team.

Whether you need your Operator, your Translator, or both, we’ve got your back.

Let’s build a finance function that works for you.