Fractional CFO and COO.
Questions answered.

A fractional CFO provides senior financial leadership on a part-time or contract basis. The work typically includes cash flow management, financial forecasting and budgeting, financial reporting cleanup, pricing and margin analysis, lender and investor relationships, and strategic financial planning. For most businesses in the $1M to $20M range, a fractional CFO does what a full-time CFO would do, without the full-time salary. See: Fractional CFO Oklahoma

A fractional COO provides senior operations leadership on a part-time or contract basis. The work typically includes operational process design, team structure and accountability systems, vendor management, and building the operational infrastructure that lets a business scale without the founder in every decision. See: Fractional COO Oklahoma

A fractional operating partner covers both the CFO and COO functions in a single engagement. For most businesses in the $1M to $20M range, financial problems and operational problems are intertwined. An operating partner addresses both without requiring two separate fractional hires. See: Fractional Executive Services Oklahoma

A CPA handles tax compliance and year-end reporting. A bookkeeper records transactions. A fractional CFO uses the financial information to drive strategy, forecasting, cash flow management, pricing decisions, capital allocation, and financial planning. The three roles are complementary. A fractional CFO works with your existing CPA and bookkeeper, not instead of them.

Fractional CFO engagements at Scissortail Fractional typically range from $2,500 to $10,000 per month depending on scope, the complexity of the business, and the level of involvement required. That is a fraction of the $150,000 to $200,000 annual cost of a full-time CFO hire. Every engagement is scoped to the actual work, not a package.

Fractional COO engagements at Scissortail Fractional typically range from $2,500 to $10,000 per month depending on scope and the depth of operational work required. Like the CFO engagement, cost is scoped to the actual work and complexity of the business, not a flat rate.

The first 30 to 60 days are typically a financial and operational assessment, understanding where the business actually is, cleaning up reporting, and identifying the highest-priority gaps. After that, the engagement shifts to ongoing financial leadership: monthly reporting review, cash flow management, decision support, and strategic financial work. The cadence is built around what the business needs, not a predetermined package.

Most engagements start within two to three weeks of the initial conversation. There is no extended sales process, a call to understand the business, a scope conversation, and the work begins.

It depends on where your biggest gaps are. If your financials are unclear, cash is hard to predict, and you are making major decisions without good numbers, that is a CFO problem. If your operations are breaking, the team is not executing consistently, and you are involved in every decision, that is a COO problem. Many businesses in the $1M to $20M range need both.

Businesses in the $1M to $20M annual revenue range. This is the market where fractional work has the highest leverage, past the startup stage, not yet large enough to justify a full-time executive team, and often running on financial and operational infrastructure that has not kept up with the business.

Yes. Exit planning is one of the most impactful applications of fractional CFO work. The financial preparation, clean books, normalized earnings, documented processes, defensible projections, typically takes two to three years of deliberate work. Scissortail Fractional works with business owners on the full financial and operational preparation for exit, not just the final quarter before going to market. See: Exit Planning Oklahoma

Yes. Scissortail Fractional works with businesses in distress as well as businesses that are stable but structurally wrong for where they are trying to go. Turnaround work starts with cash flow stabilization, cost structure analysis, and lender and vendor relationship management, then moves into the structural fixes that prevent the same problems from recurring. See: Business Turnaround Oklahoma

Scissortail Fractional is based in Edmond, Oklahoma. We work with businesses across Oklahoma including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman, Broken Arrow, and statewide via remote and hybrid engagements.

Tyler Dickson does the work. Every engagement is handled personally. No handoffs to junior staff, no project managers coordinating from a distance. The person you talk to in the first conversation is the person doing the work. See: About Tyler Dickson

Tyler has over a decade of corporate experience spanning oilfield services, manufacturing, construction lending, and mortgage underwriting, primarily on the financial and accounting side from analyst to controller. He has also owned and operated his own businesses, including ventures generating $4M in revenue and managing 370 employees. He holds a degree from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from the University of Central Oklahoma. See: Full Background

Scissortail Fractional has specific depth in oilfield services, construction, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare, and professional services. Tyler spent over a decade in corporate roles across these industries before founding Scissortail, so the work is grounded in how these businesses actually operate, not generic advisory frameworks.

Tyler has done both sides, over a decade in corporate finance and operations, and ownership and operation of his own businesses. Most fractional advisors come from one or the other. Every Scissortail engagement is handled personally, with no handoffs to junior staff and no out-of-state consultants. The firm is built specifically for Oklahoma businesses in the $1M to $20M range.