What the 90-Day Number Actually Delivers | Fixed-Price Virtual CFO Sydney
The 90-Day Number is a fixed-scope virtual CFO engagement at $17,850 plus GST. The four named deliverables, the 90-day build, and what happens after day 90.
Published: June 2026
The 90-Day Number is a fixed-scope virtual CFO engagement: $17,850 plus GST, payable in three instalments of $5,950, over 90 days, with one named deliverable chosen before the work starts. On day 90, you have the number. That is the product. This page exists because "named deliverable" should mean something you can inspect before you buy, so here is each of the four deliverables in full: what gets built, what decisions it supports, and what you are holding at handover.
Every engagement has the same shape. Weeks one and two: data access, a working session with the founder, and the assumption set drafted and agreed. Weeks three through ten: the build, with a short written update each week so you always know where the work sits. Weeks eleven through thirteen: stress-testing, the founder walkthrough, and handover with documentation. The work is led by a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ).
There is no retainer attached, no auto-renewal, and no scope creep, because the scope was fixed on day one. Most Australian virtual CFOs sell this work inside open-ended monthly engagements at $3,000 to $8,000 per month; we are one of the few project-based providers in the market, and the project structure is the point. Why the market sells retainers instead is its own article.
You choose one of four deliverables.
The forecast every founder should be running and most are not. A working, week-by-week model of cash in and cash out over the next 13 weeks: receipts by customer or channel, payroll, super and tax timing, supplier runs, and the headroom line that tells you the lowest point your cash will touch and when.
It supports the decisions that bank balances cannot: whether the next hire is affordable now or in two months, whether the quarter's tax cycle collides with the fit-out deposit, how much buffer the business actually carries. A hypothetical $6M services firm running 20 staff will typically find its cash trough lands somewhere it did not expect, often in the week a quarterly instalment and a fortnightly payroll coincide.
At handover you hold the model itself, built to be updated in under an hour a week, with every assumption documented. The full guide to the 13-week forecast covers the structure in detail. This is the most common first deliverable, and for founders showing the classic warning signs, it is usually the right one.
A three-statement model built to be read by investors: revenue built from drivers rather than growth percentages typed into cells, cost structure tied to headcount and capacity, cash position derived rather than asserted, and scenarios that flex on the assumptions a term sheet negotiation will actually test.
It supports a raise, a debt facility, or a serious strategic conversation. Investors read the model as a proxy for how the founder thinks; a model where revenue grows 8% monthly because cell C14 says so reads as exactly what it is. For SaaS founders, the model carries the metrics diligence will open first, covered in our SaaS virtual CFO guide; for the timing question, do I need a virtual CFO before Series A gives the direct answer.
At handover you hold the model, a one-page assumptions register, and the downside case already built, because the investor meeting where you are asked "what if growth halves" is not the place to start modelling it.
The deliverable for founders who know revenue but not margin. We rebuild the economics of the business at the unit that matters: per client, per project, per product line, per site, per practitioner. Fully loaded, including the costs that convention leaves out: unbilled time in services, freight and fulfilment in ecommerce, rework and retention in construction.
It supports pricing decisions, the "which part of this business deserves more of me" question, and the kill-or-scale call on marginal lines. A hypothetical $8M business with three service lines typically discovers the line generating a third of revenue is generating almost none of the profit, and the founder's instinct about which line that is turns out right about half the time. That coin-flip is the reason the build exists.
At handover you hold the unit economics model, the margin bridge by line, and a one-page summary built for the next pricing or planning conversation.
A reporting structure designed around the two or three numbers that actually decide things at your stage, with everything else moved to appendix. We design the pack, build the first edition with you, and document the process so it can be produced monthly in hours rather than days, by you or your bookkeeping function.
It supports board meetings that change decisions instead of consuming a day of preparation to change nothing. The board reporting guide sets out the three-page structure in full.
At handover you hold the pack template, the first completed edition, and the production checklist.
The scoping call exists to pick the most decision-critical artefact, not the most impressive one. The rough mapping: cash anxiety or a hiring plan points to the 13-week forecast; a raise inside 12 months points to the model; a margin mystery points to unit economics; investor or board friction points to the reporting pack. Where two compete, we build the one the next big decision depends on, because the second can be a second engagement, or something you build yourself off the first. The deliverables compound; a unit economics build makes the eventual model better, and the forecast makes every other artefact honest about cash.
You decide. Most founders move to a fortnightly or monthly cadence at that point, because the artefact is now worth maintaining and interrogating. Some take the deliverable and run the next 12 months on their own. Both are correct outcomes, and the ongoing engagement, where it happens, is scoped separately. There is no automatic anything.
The test we offer every founder is the one we hold ourselves to: if we cannot tell you the deliverable on day one, do not hire us. The price is $17,850 plus GST, fixed, with no "from" in front of it. How that compares with the hire and the retainer is set out in the cost of a virtual CFO in Australia.
What exactly is the 90-Day Number?
A fixed-scope virtual CFO engagement at $17,850 plus GST: one named deliverable, built over 90 days, chosen up front from a 13-week cashflow forecast, a fundraise-ready financial model, a unit economics build, or a board reporting pack.
Is $17,850 the full price?
Yes. Fixed fee, plus GST, payable in three instalments of $5,950, with no "from" pricing and no add-ons mid-engagement. If the scope is fixed, the price can be one number.
Who does the work?
The engagement is led by a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ). The person who scopes the deliverable is accountable for the build.
Can I choose two deliverables in one engagement?
No. One engagement, one deliverable, done properly. The deliverables compound, so the second is faster if you come back for it, and several founders run the second build themselves off the first one's structure.
What do you need from me during the 90 days?
Access to your accounting file and a working session in the first fortnight, then roughly an hour a week. The weekly written update keeps you current without meetings for their own sake.
What happens if my situation changes mid-engagement?
The assumption set gets revised and documented; the deliverable does not change. A model built through a changing quarter is more useful, not less, because the scenarios get real.
Do I have to continue after day 90?
No, and there is no auto-renewal. Most founders choose a fortnightly or monthly cadence afterwards; some run the deliverable solo for a year. Both outcomes are fine by design.
Is the 90-Day Number suitable for a business under $3M revenue?
Usually not, and we will say so on the call. Below roughly $3M the constraint is normally operational discipline rather than analysis. Past roughly $25M, you likely need a full-time CFO, and we will say that too.
Sydney Virtual CFO is a Sydney-based virtual CFO service for founders running $3M to $15M businesses across SaaS, ecommerce, professional services, construction, and other low-volume, high-value industries. We deliver fixed-scope CFO engagements with a named deliverable on day 90: a 13-week cashflow forecast, a fundraise-ready financial model, a unit economics build, or a board reporting pack you can run on your own.
Our front-door product, the 90-Day Number, is fixed scope at $17,850 plus GST. We are one of the few project-based virtual CFOs in Australia, in a market built almost entirely on monthly retainers. No retainers without a deliverable. No 80-page reports. No theatre.
This content is general information only, written for Australian founders running businesses in the $3M to $15M revenue range. It does not constitute tax, financial product, investment, or legal advice and should not be relied on as such. The work referenced is led by a Chartered Accountant (CA ANZ), but Sydney Virtual CFO is not a licensed tax agent, not a licensed financial adviser, and not authorised to provide personal financial advice. Tax obligations, accounting treatments, fundraise terms, and statutory requirements depend on your individual circumstances. For advice specific to your business, contact the team directly or consult a registered tax agent, licensed financial adviser, or qualified lawyer. Information was current at the time of publication and may change without notice. We review and update guides periodically.
