Fractional Controller, Operations & Growth Services · Veteran-owned · Serving the United States
MTL Services is a fractional controller, operations and growth firm for owner-led companies from $1M to $25M+ in revenue: month-end close and cash forecasting, a fractional COO, sales management on HubSpot, marketing, social media and e-commerce operations. Every engagement is a monthly retainer with a written scope, so the invoice is never a surprise.
Free · 30 minutes
You get a one-page note on what we heard and what we would propose.
Who this is for
Trades and e-commerce brands, $1M to $25M, anywhere in the United States
Trades and e-commerce look different and break the same way. You pay for materials or inventory weeks before the customer pays you. Your margin lives at the job, the truck, the route or the SKU. And the system that runs the work (ServiceTitan, Jobber, Buildertrend, Shopify, Amazon) never quite agrees with QuickBooks.
MTL Services is the controller who reconciles the two, then answers the monthly question: which jobs, routes, channels or SKUs made money, and where did the cash go.
In the owner’s words
Trades
I know which jobs felt profitable.
a 30% markup is a 23% margin2
A 30% markup on cost is a 23% gross margin on the selling price (0.30 ÷ 1.30).
E-commerce
The Shopify report and the bank deposit never agree.
one net number every 14 days3
From Amazon (reported)
Gross margin looked fine until landed cost showed up.
about 10 points4
Of margin hidden in freight, duties and 3PL receiving (reported)
We are growing and there is less cash every quarter.
35% → 22%5
Median DTC contribution margin, 2021 to 2025 (reported)
Roles
Four roles, and most owners at this size have only the first. We do the controller’s work, with CFO-style reporting from Controller + Cash up. The other three columns show what we are not.
| Bookkeeper | Controller | CFO | Outside accountant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What they do each month | Enters bills, invoices and payroll, and reconciles the bank. | Owns the close: reviews the reconciliations, accruals and job or SKU costing, then produces the financial package. | Plans: forecasts, capital, pricing strategy, lender and investor relationships. | Little until year-end, then the tax returns and any statement a lender or surety needs signed by a licensed firm. |
| What they hand you | Books that are up to date. | A closed month on a fixed date, with KPIs and the cash position. | A plan, a forecast and the financing to fund it. | Tax returns, and the signed statements a bank or surety asks for. |
| Who you call when | A bill is missing or a payment looks wrong. | The numbers look off, a lender wants statements, or margins slip. | You are raising money, buying a business or planning a large bet. | A tax question, or a bank or surety needs statements with an opinion. |
| Typical cost, loaded (Florida benchmark) | $70,591Source 2Source 1Source 10Source 11Source 21 | $162,637Source 3Source 9Source 20Source 54 | $266,822Source 20Source 3 | Engaged by the return or the review, not salaried. |
| MTL Services | Controller scope, with CFO-style reporting from Controller + Cash up. Not a CPA firm, so no audit, review or tax work: we make your outside accountant’s work faster and cheaper. |
MTL Services
Controller scope, with CFO-style reporting from Controller + Cash up. Not a CPA firm, so no audit, review or tax work: we make your outside accountant’s work faster and cheaper.
MTL Services is not a CPA firm. What we do not do
How it works
Free · 30 minutes
We ask about revenue, entities, who does the books today, what your lender or surety asks for, and what is late. Then we tell you whether the Diagnostic is needed or you can start with Controller Essentials directly.
10 business days, when needed
Books current and one entity: you start on Controller Essentials and month one includes an onboarding review. Anything uncertain (behind on reconciliations, more than one entity, a lender covenant, revenue above $6M, or a cleanup smell): the Financial Health Diagnostic, 10 business days. Credited to month one of any band signed within 30 days.
Day 15 · Day 10
Your package lands on day 15 for Controller Essentials and day 10 for Controller + Cash.
Written scope
Your retainer covers the scope listed for your package, every month, for one fixed fee. There is no meter on the invoice.
Packages
One package per business size and a written scope. See the packages
Not sure which page to read? Four questions point you to it
Intro
$1M - $3M in revenue
One monthly retainer
Month-end close oversight, reconciliations reviewed, a six-KPI package on day 15 and a 30-minute call.
Instead of hiring: Controller-level oversight without a controller's payroll.
Most chosen upgrade
$3M - $6M in revenue
One monthly retainer
Monthly balance-sheet reconciliations, a 13-week cash forecast, AP/AR cadence and a quarterly lender pack on day 10.
Instead of hiring: The close, the cash forecast and the lender pack, without a first controller hire.
$6M+ in revenue
One monthly retainer
A package on day 10 with twelve KPIs including your industry, a quarterly reforecast and a 60-minute review call.
Instead of hiring: This is the size at which a controller usually gets hired.
Add what applies
Operations and growth
A fractional COO, a sales manager, a marketing manager, a social media team and an e-commerce operator, each with a written scope and one point of contact.
01
Someone who runs the operating rhythm, a few days a month.
3 packages · a full-time coo or operations manager
02
A pipeline you can read, and someone who works it with you.
3 packages · a sales manager or revops hire
03
A marketing plan with a budget, a calendar and a number to hit.
3 packages · a marketing manager or fractional cmo
04
Posted on schedule, answered the same day, reported monthly.
2 packages · a social media coordinator
05
Listings, orders, inventory and the payout, run like a business.
2 packages · an e-commerce manager or marketplace va
Need more than one line? The bundles put several on one scope.
Which package
Your name and email, then what you need. You get the fit on screen and a short note by email, with the package named on it. No call required.
Step 1 of 2
Industries
01 · Trades
ServiceTitan · Housecall Pro · Jobber · Buildertrend · Knowify · Tekmetric
02 · E-commerce
Shopify · Amazon Seller Central · A2X · Link My Books · Cin7 · ShipBob · TaxJar · Avalara