What CFO Source does

CFO Source is a privately held Maryland-based professional services firm founded in 2004 in Sykesville, Maryland, that delivers outsourced CFO, accounting, tax, and QuickBooks consulting services. The firm serves small and mid-sized businesses — with an explicit specialization in contractors (construction, paving, painting, electrical, IT) — across Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia. Its core offering is built around Intuit QuickBooks expertise, supported by certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor credentials held by managing partner Craig Kershaw (CPA, MBA), whose 20+ years of CFO/Controller experience includes Fortune 500 work at CSX Corporation. The firm also maintains affiliations with AICPA, MACPA, and Financial Executives International, and a banking testimonial from The Columbia Bank validates the Financial Stress Test forecasting methodology.

The product portfolio centers on CFO Services (budgeting, cash flow forecasting, strategic planning, bank relations), QuickBooks Services (consulting, installation, training, cleanup, custom reports, ongoing support), Tax Planning and Preparation, Contractor Services (job costing, percentage-of-completion accounting, certified payroll, workers comp tracking), and proprietary tools such as the Financial Stress Test System, the 25-Point QuickBooks Checkup, and a Contractor's QuickBooks Setup tailored to construction job economics. Source material lists 14+ distinct product offerings and roughly 20 sub-services on the firm's website. Technology is built on Intuit QuickBooks (the firm is a certified ProAdvisor requiring annual recertification), supplemented by proprietary Excel/process-driven methodologies rather than any AI/ML tooling or platform. Auxiliary digital products include two e-books ('Advanced Techniques for QuickBooks Users' at $29 and 'QuickBooks for Contractors'), with the latter distributed via Amazon for national contractor reach.

CFO Source makes money through a mix of part-time, project-based, and ongoing consulting engagements billed as professional services; tuition-based in-person training courses delivered through a MACPA partnership at $280 per seat (capped at 12 students per session); and modest one-time e-book sales. There are no published rate cards; consulting pricing is quote-based with a complimentary initial analysis offered as the lead-conversion mechanism. Distribution is direct-sales-led, supplemented by content marketing (blog, social channels, authored books, and e-books used as lead magnets) and channel partnerships (MACPA training; Amazon for the book). The firm remains founder-operated, has raised no outside capital, has no subsidiaries, and operates with a 1–10 employee team.

Name

CFO Source

Legal name

CFO Source

Website

https://cfosource.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CFO Source is a Maryland-based professional services firm providing outsourced CFO, QuickBooks consulting, tax planning, and contractor-specialized accounting services to small and mid-sized businesses across Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outsourced CFO & Accounting Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Outsourced Finance & CFO Services (BPAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Planning & Analysis Support (Budgeting, Forecasting, Management Reporting) (BPAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Outsourced CFO services
• QuickBooks consulting
• Contractor accounting
• Small business advisory
• Tax planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sykesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Outsourced CFO & Financial Consulting: Part-time, project-based, and ongoing consulting engagements providing senior-level CFO services, financial analysis, budgeting, and strategic planning. Revenue generated through hourly or fixed-fee consulting arrangements.
2. QuickBooks Services: QuickBooks consulting, setup, training, cleanup, and ongoing support services. Includes installation, custom report setup, and troubleshooting.
3. E-book Sales: Sale of educational e-books including 'Advanced Techniques for QuickBooks Users' ($29) and 'QuickBooks for Contractors' (sold on Amazon). One-time purchase model.
4. QuickBooks Training Courses: In-person and advanced QuickBooks training classes taught in partnership with MACPA. Tuition-based model ($280 for contractor training course).
5. Tax Planning & Preparation: Tax planning and preparation services for individuals and businesses, including entity structure optimization and compliance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CFO Source provides outsourced CFO, accounting, tax, and QuickBooks consulting services on a part-time, project-based, or ongoing basis to small and mid-sized businesses and contractors in Maryland. The firm delivers senior-level financial expertise including budgeting, cash flow forecasting, financial statement analysis, QuickBooks setup and training, tax planning and preparation, and contractor-specific job costing. Services are delivered by certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors and CPAs, supplemented by proprietary tools such as the Financial Stress Test System and published QuickBooks guides.

Product overview

CFO Source is a Maryland-based outsourced CFO and accounting services firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial services primarily centered around QuickBooks and CFO-level expertise. The core offering includes CFO Services (budgeting, cash flow forecasting, strategic planning), QuickBooks Services (consulting, training, installation, cleanup, support), Tax Services (planning and preparation), Accounting Services, and Contractor-specific services. The product portfolio is organized around their flagship QuickBooks ProAdvisor certification, supported by specialized e-books on QuickBooks advanced techniques and contractor applications, plus proprietary tools like the Financial Stress Test System. Services are delivered through part-time, pay-as-you-go engagement models serving contractors and small-to-mid-sized businesses across Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved client $30,000 on annual insurance premium while improving coverage
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnership for Advanced QuickBooks training courses. CFO Source serves as MACPA's exclusive Advanced QuickBooks trainer for Maryland CPAs. Classes held at MACPA facilities with limited enrollment.
• Intuit (QuickBooks)coreTechnology or IntegrationCertified QuickBooks ProAdvisor partnership with Intuit. Craig Kershaw is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor requiring yearly recertification. Firm specializes in QuickBooks implementation, training, and consulting.
• AICPAminorOthersMember affiliation with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants shown on website affiliates section.
• Financial Executives International (FEI)minorOthersMember affiliation with Financial Executives International shown on website affiliates section.
• CBS RadiominorOthersMedia affiliation mentioned on website.
• AmazonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor'QuickBooks for Contractors' book distributed through Amazon marketplace for nationwide reach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• KatzAbosch: Maryland-based CPA and business advisory firm providing accounting, tax, and CFO-level advisory to SMBs in the same Baltimore/Central Maryland corridor as CFO Source.
• Anders CPAs + Advisors: Mid-Atlantic accounting and advisory firm headquartered near St. Louis with strong regional presence; competes for the same Maryland/SMB outsourced CFO and accounting work that CFO Source targets.
• Ellin & Tucker: Baltimore-based CPA and business advisory firm serving SMBs and mid-market clients across Maryland with accounting, tax, and CFO advisory services — directly overlapping CFO Source's service lines and geography.

Direct peers

• Burkland: Outsourced CFO, accounting, and tax services provider for SMBs and growth-stage companies; competes in the same fractional CFO / outsourced finance niche, particularly for clients who do not need a full-time CFO.
• CFO Leadership: Fractional and interim CFO provider serving SMB and mid-market clients; similar delivery model and customer profile to CFO Source's outsourced CFO engagements.
• The CFO Centre: Global fractional/outsourced CFO firm serving SMBs with part-time CFO engagements — directly comparable business model (senior finance expertise on a pay-as-you-go basis) to CFO Source.
• Propel CFO: Outsourced and fractional CFO services firm for small and mid-sized businesses, overlapping directly with CFO Source on part-time CFO, financial strategy, and accounting support offerings.

Broad incumbents

• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA): Large U.S. accounting and advisory firm serving SMB and mid-market clients with outsourced accounting, tax, and CFO advisory; a scaled incumbent competing for the same contractor/SMB outsourced finance wallet.
• BDO USA: Top-tier global accounting and advisory firm offering outsourced finance, tax, and CFO advisory across SMB and mid-market segments; broader portfolio but competes directly for outsourced CFO work that CFO Source also pursues.

Others

• SCORE: SBA-funded network providing free small business mentoring, including financial management guidance; adjacent rather than competitive — many SMBs weigh SCORE mentorship against paid outsourced CFO engagements like CFO Source's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CFOSource
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-CFO-Source/141396365883746
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-cfo-source?trk=ppro_cprof

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CFO Source