We Placed a CA(SA)-Qualified Controller for a Series B SaaS Company in 11 Days. Here's How
Series B startup. Controller resigned with 30-day notice. Board meeting in 6 weeks. Watch how we solved this in 11 days — and what the new controller cost per month
Read Time
Approximately 7–9 minutes
Applicable To
US Founders
Spoiler Alert
You Need to Care About IFRS
Editorial note: Company and personal details have been adjusted at the request of the client and candidate. All financial figures and outcomes are real.
Introduction
It was a Tuesday afternoon when we got the message. The CFO of a Series B SaaS company — let's call them Meridian Analytics, based in Boston — had just had their controller hand in his notice. Thirty days.
He was leaving for an in-house role at a larger firm. The CFO, let's call him Daniel, was facing a board meeting in six weeks that required a clean set of consolidated financials.
"I've heard good things," he wrote. "But I need someone who can actually do this. Not a junior. Not someone I'll have to train from scratch. A controller." Eleven days later, his new controller was onboarded and reconciling the month-end close.
Day 1: The Brief
Our discovery call with Daniel lasted 32 minutes. We covered: current finance stack (QuickBooks, Mosaic, Rippling), immediate priorities, team context, role requirements (CA(SA) or equivalent, strong FP&A, SaaS metrics experience), timeline, and rate budget ($3,500/month all-in). One call. No intake form. No three-week procurement process.
Days 2–4: Matching from the Bench
By the end of Day 2, we had identified three candidates from our pre-vetted bench.
By Day 3, we presented all three profiles to Daniel — each with a CV, a candidate summary highlighting fit-to-brief, and a recorded 3-minute video introduction from the candidate.
Candidate A: CA(SA)-qualified, 8 years experience, QuickBooks and NetSuite. Available immediately.
Candidate B: CA(SA) + CIMA qualified, 6 years experience, strong FP&A. Available in 10 days.
Candidate C: CA(SA)-qualified, 5 years experience, two previous US startup roles, QuickBooks and Mosaic native. Available in 7 days.
Day 5: The Interview
Daniel reviewed the profiles and requested interviews with Candidates A and C. Both performed well. He chose Candidate C — let's call her Terry — because of her direct US startup experience and familiarity with Mosaic, which would save several weeks of onboarding.
Days 6–8: Contracting
We provided a standard service agreement template reviewed for US startup contexts.
Both parties reviewed. Minor changes were requested by Daniel's legal counsel. Agreement signed on Day 8 at $3,200/month. During this period, Terry completed a background check, signed an NDA, and received access credentials for QuickBooks and Mosaic.
Days 9–11: Onboarding
Terry's first working day was Day 9.
By Day 10, she had produced a written assessment of the finance function — gaps identified, priorities ranked, a proposed close process calendar. "This is better than what I've seen from consultants I've paid four times as much," Daniel wrote. By Day 11, she was running the month-end close independently.
Six Months Later
Terry was now working 4 days a week.
She had rebuilt their management reporting from scratch, introduced a proper rolling forecast model, and was presenting directly at board meetings. Total cost for six months: $19,200. The equivalent US-based controller would have cost $54,000 to $72,000 over the same period.
She's become an essential part of the team. The cost difference has given us nearly four months of additional runway. — Daniel, CFO
