Island Waters Accounting

Services

One thing, done at the level you need it.

We sell ongoing financial leadership on a monthly retainer, priced to the value and the risk it removes, never by the hour. You are placed into the tier that fits where your company is, and you move up as it grows. Five tiers, two that build the foundation and three that bring full CFO judgment.

Foundation

Discover

$1,000 to $2,000 per month

Earliest stage or smallest companies that need trustworthy books and clean financials, not yet advisory.

  • Bookkeeping with proper coding
  • Bank reconciliation
  • Cash basis accounting
  • Basic reporting: Balance Sheet, P&L, AP Aging, AR Aging
  • Monthly 30 minute call

Best for: Squeaky clean books you can finally trust, and a clear monthly picture.

Accrual grade

Embark

$2,000 to $3,500 per month

A company that needs accrual grade, diligence resilient books, often with a raise or a board on the horizon.

  • Everything in Discover, on an accrual basis
  • Audit ready rollforward schedules on every balance sheet account
  • Customized reporting with commentary
  • Accounts payable, with your approval required on every payment
  • Accounts receivable matching and application (you generate the invoices)
  • Monthly 45 minute call

Best for: The step up in rigor before full CFO advisory begins.

CFO advisory begins

Launch

$3,500 to $5,000 per month

Pre seed and seed companies, profitable small businesses, or anyone who needs lighter CFO scope.

  • A reliable monthly close and clean books
  • Entry level CFO advisory
  • One review call per month
  • No surprises

Best for: A steady hand and a clear monthly picture, not yet a full board grade finance function.

Most common fit

Scale

$5,000 to $7,500 per month

Growth stage companies, post raise, milestone or runway driven. The heart of the venture backed profile.

  • Everything in Launch
  • Forecasting and scenario modeling
  • A 13 week cash flow model
  • A KPI dashboard
  • Board and investor ready reporting
  • About two calls per month

Best for: A company answering to a board and managing a runway clock.

Full stack CFO

Exit

$7,500 to $10,000 or more per month

Late stage and exit bound companies, or anyone who needs full stack CFO judgment.

  • Everything in Scale
  • In room board and lender presence
  • Contract and debt negotiation support, alongside your attorney
  • Transaction support and a strategic operating partner
  • Weekly and ad hoc access

Best for: The raise, the lender, the sale, the moment the stakes are highest.

Pricing ranges are on the pricing page. A prospect who needs accounts payable or accounts receivable handled is an Embark client or above, never Discover.

Project work

Some work does not belong in a retainer

An intake books cleanup, a fundraise sprint, an audit readiness project, a one time model build, or a defined transaction. We scope those separately. Ask, and we will price it to the outcome.

Said plainly

We are not a CPA firm, and we do not do attest work, legal advice, or investment advice. Your tax preparation and filing are handled by a tax partner we trust, under a separate engagement you pay directly, while Island Waters stays your single point of contact through both preparation and filing. We will always tell you when something belongs with your attorney or another licensed professional.

Questions founders ask

Questions about the work

Fractional CFO versus controller versus bookkeeper: who does what?
A bookkeeper records what happened, a controller owns the close and keeps it accurate, a CPA files taxes and audits, and a CFO looks forward at cash, forecasting, and strategy. You can have spotless books and still not know whether you can make payroll in five months, and closing that gap is the CFO's job.
How much access do I get, and how many hours?
Access scales with your tier rather than a punch clock, because you are buying judgment and outcomes, not hours. Lighter tiers include a monthly review, growth tiers add forecasting and about two calls a month, and the full stack tier includes weekly and ad hoc access.
Can I move between tiers as my company grows?
Yes, and most clients do. You start in the tier that fits today and graduate as your needs deepen, from clean books to advisory to a full finance function. That path is the point, not an upsell.
Do you charge a setup or cleanup fee for messy books?
When inherited books need real cleanup before ongoing work can stand on solid ground, that one time project is scoped and priced separately, so you are not paying ongoing rates for a backlog. We will tell you plainly if that is needed before any work starts.
How do engagements work?
Every engagement runs on a written, signed scope of work that spells out exactly what is included, so there are no surprises. We start with a short conversation, place you in the tier that fits, and confirm the scope in plain language before any work begins.
Can you handle my tax preparation and filing?
We do not prepare or file taxes ourselves, but we make it simple. We outsource your tax work to a tax partner we trust, under a separate engagement you pay directly, and we stay your single point of contact through both the preparation and the filing, so you coordinate with Island Waters rather than juggling providers. Tax advisory packages are delivered directly by the tax partner, and Island Waters is glad to join those calls to keep the numbers and the story consistent across everyone.

The first step

Not sure which tier fits?

That is what the first call is for. We will listen, then tell you honestly where you fit and why.

See If We Are a Fit (15 minutes)