Your numbers should work for you today, and be worth more the day you sell.
I'm Gaurang Patel, a fractional CFO in New Cumberland. I help owners of $1M to $10M businesses in South Central PA get clear on their numbers: where the cash goes, what to decide next, and what a buyer or a bank would see if they looked tomorrow.
No cost, no strings.
Why a CFO with a buyer's eye
Right out of college in 2008, I started on the buyer's side, working for a local group of family offices that was always looking to invest. I went on the site visits and built the models that decided whether they bought or walked away, and I've been doing this work ever since. My family and I have also bought, run, and invested in small businesses ourselves. So I've sat on the side of the table that picks a business apart.
I came into this work as an exit planner. I wanted to help owners get ready to sell, so they'd walk away with what they'd earned instead of watching a buyer's CPA chip it away. But the more owners I talked to, the more I heard the same thing: "Selling is years away. Right now I need to know where my cash is going and what to do next."
They were right. And it turns out it's the same work. The numbers that make a business run better today are the exact numbers a buyer and their banker will judge it on later. Fix them now, and you get both: more cash and better decisions this year, and a business that's worth more whenever you decide to sell.
- MBA (Finance)
- MS (AI/Information Systems)
- On the buyer's side since 2008
- New Cumberland, PA
Where are you right now?
"I need help with cash and decisions now"
See how I help →"I'm thinking about selling in the next 3 to 5 years"
See how I help →"I'm a CPA, attorney, financial advisor, banker, or insurance agent"
Let's compare notes →"I need help with cash and decisions now"
You're busy running the business. You see the bank balance, but not the whole picture. You're not sure which numbers matter, where the cash leaks out, or whether the next hire, price change, or loan is a good idea.
What I do as your fractional CFO:
- A monthly look at your three big financial statements, in plain English, and what they're telling you
- A simple budget and a 12-month cash forecast, so payroll is never a surprise
- A short dashboard of the handful of numbers that matter for your kind of business
- A second set of eyes on the big decisions: hiring, pricing, equipment, loans
- Practical AI to take routine paperwork and reporting off your plate
- I work alongside your CPA, not instead of them. Your CPA looks back at what happened; I help you decide what happens next.
Start with a free 15-minute call. Pick one:
"I'm thinking about selling in the next 3 to 5 years"
Good. Three years is the sweet spot. Most owners start planning the day they decide to sell, and by then the numbers a buyer will judge are already on the books.
- An honest valuation built on your discounted future cash flows, not a rule-of-thumb multiple
- A Buyer's Scorecard that grades your business the way a buyer and their banker will
- A 3-year game plan to fix what a buyer would find, before they find it
- Help lining up your team: your CPA, your attorney, and the right broker when the time comes
Start with the free Exit Readiness Self-Assessment in the 33 Nightmare Numbers brief (5 minutes), or book a free 15-minute call.
"I'm a CPA, attorney, financial advisor, banker, or insurance agent"
Your business-owner clients ask you questions that sit just outside your lane. Why is there never any cash? What's my business worth? Am I ready to sell? I'm someone you can send them to. I work alongside you, not around you, and I send clients your way, too.
If you'd like to compare notes, let's set up a quick 15-minute call or a coffee. And you're welcome to share the 33 Nightmare Numbers brief with your clients.
Set up a call or a coffeeThe 33 Nightmare Numbers
I wrote a brief on the 33 numbers that sink small business sales. Here's the thing: almost every one of them is costing you money long before you ever sell. A few examples:
- The weakest 40% of small businesses share 4 things in common. The big one is bad CFO hygiene: mixing personal and business money, not reading the big 3 financial statements, no budget, no forecast. Today it costs you cash and sleep. At the sale, a buyer spots it in about 10 minutes. (#6)
- Poor quality of earnings is the #1 reason banks decline loans. Today, it's profit that never shows up in your bank account. At the sale, it's your buyer's loan getting turned down. (#22)
- Most banks won't lend unless the business brings in at least $1.20 to $1.25 for every $1.00 of loan payments. Today, that number decides whether you get the line of credit. At the sale, it sets the ceiling on your price. (#20, #21)
- The average small business sells for only 2.4 times SDE. On $300,000 of SDE, that's about $720,000, not the $1.5 million many owners have in their heads. The good news: the multiple isn't fixed, and every extra 1X on $300,000 is another $300,000. (#7)
- 80% of small businesses never sell. Not for less. Not at all. It's not a buyer problem; there are 35 buyers for every seller. Most businesses just aren't ready to be bought. (#1, #4)
Run your business as if it's for sale from day one, even if you never plan to sell. You'll keep more cash, make better decisions, and if the day ever comes, you'll be ready.
Let's talk
The first 15 minutes are free. Bring one question about your numbers, and you'll leave with an answer.