I work with contractors and trades businesses who are tired of being in dark on their cash flows, undercutting their profits because their numbers are off, and are unsure of their ability to grow.
Revenue looks good. But at the end of the quarter you're wondering where the money went. Job costing is guesswork and margin is a mystery.
You're waiting on draws, juggling payroll, and making gut-feel decisions on whether you can take the next job. You need a forward-looking picture and confidence in your cash flows.
You're ready for a line of credit, equipment financing, or bonding capacity but your books aren't telling the story the lender needs to hear.
They are focused on coding transactions and closing the books. What you need are insights - which jobs are making money, can you hire, and what is your business worth?
More revenue, more headaches. You're not sure if the next hire, truck, or contract will help you or hurt you. You need someone who can model it out.
Whether it's 2 years or 5, an eventual exit needs clean financials, strong margins, and a business that doesn't depend entirely on you to operate.
I specialize in contractors and trades businesses where the owner is still on calls, still bidding jobs, and still figuring out how to get out of the weeds. You need someone who knows your business model and can bring sophistication and clarity to your business.
Your bookkeepr handles the books and your CPA prepares your taxes.What I offer is strategic financial leadership plugged into your business at whatever level makes sense for where you are.
Stop reacting to cash crunches. Know what's coming 13 weeks out and make decisions with confidence.
Find out which jobs are actually making you money and which ones are costing you more than you think.
Equipment, lines of credit, bonding capacity.
Replace gut feel with a one-page monthly view of what matters.
Before you add headcount or equipment: know exactly what it costs and what it needs to generate.
Thinking about selling in the next few years? The time to prepare your financials is now.
I'm Eric Barton - a Certified Management Accountant and Senior Finance Manager at a Fortune 50 manufacturer with deep experience in corporate finance, FP&A, and capital allocation.
I started Earlmist Advisory because I see many small business owners who build successful companies but make major decisions without the financial infrastructure to back them up. A bookkeeper can only take you so far and a full-time CFO isn't in the budget (or necessary).
Fractional is the answer. A few hours a month of financial partnership using skills and experience built by years of working inside large & complex organizations, leveraged to improve your unique situation.
Before working with Eric, I had no idea which jobs were actually profitable. Now I know within two weeks of finishing a job whether it hit margin — and why.
We were about to take on two more crews without a plan. Eric built us a 90-day cash model that showed us exactly how to sequence the growth. Saved us from a cash crunch we didn't see coming.
Getting our line of credit renewed was a nightmare until Eric helped us organize the financial package. The bank had everything they needed. It closed in three weeks.
Tell me where your business is and what's keeping you up at night. I'll tell you honestly whether fractional CFO support makes sense and what it would actually look like for your situation.