Feast or famine
A strong quarter, then a quiet one. The next engagement depends on someone else remembering to mention you.
AI lead generation for Fractional CFO practices
Business owners who need a CFO, booked on your calendar.
Many owners need finance help but don't know who to call. The AI Growth Engine finds them and starts the conversation, and an AI SDR books the qualified ones straight into your calendar, 24/7. You keep serving your clients and only take the calls.
The CFO Buying Signals Playbook: 10 signs a business needs a CFO, where to find them for free, and what to say when you do.
Built by Jacob Krogue, CPA, who helped scale a Fractional CFO firm from 8 to 30+ clients and co-hosts the AI Rebels podcast.
The problem
Referrals built your practice. They don't make growth predictable.
Referral clients are often your best clients. But you don't control when they arrive, and that makes it hard to plan capacity, hiring, or revenue.
Selling is a second job
Done properly, outbound means list building, writing, follow-up, and scheduling every week. For most owners, those hours come straight out of billable work.
Stop-start outreach doesn't work
Outreach gets pushed aside the moment client work picks up. Without consistent follow-up, good conversations go cold.
Why I built this
The clients were out there. They just didn't know who to call.
I was the founding employee at a Fractional CFO firm. I helped grow it from 8 clients to more than 30, delivering client work and building the operations behind it, and the firm was later acquired. Nearly every one of those clients came to us through a referral.
Since becoming a CPA, I've gotten to know a lot of business owners. Many of them need finance help, ongoing or for a project, and are willing to pay for it. They just don't know who to call.
Meanwhile, the firms that could help them are waiting on referrals. AI can now close that gap. It can research a company, spot when it needs help, and reach out at the right moment, all while you keep serving your current clients. You only step in when a qualified owner is on your calendar.
I'm a CPA with a master's degree in accounting from BYU, one of the country's top-ranked programs. I started in public accounting, and today I lead an accounting and finance team at a SaaS company in Boston, including its AI transformation. For three years I've co-hosted the AI Rebels podcast, interviewing AI founders and business leaders, so I know which AI tools are ready for real work and which aren't. When you work with us, you work directly with me, not a rotating account team.
Jacob Krogue, Founder and CEO
The opportunity
Referrals find owners who know you. We find the ones who don't.
Owners tend to look for finance help at specific moments. The AI Growth Engine watches for signs of those moments in your target market and reaches out while they matter.
Raising money
Investors and lenders expect clean numbers and a credible forecast.
Growing fast
Revenue and headcount outpace the finance function that got them here.
Outgrowing the bookkeeper
They need forecasting, cash planning, and strategy, not just the books.
Preparing to sell
A sale or succession needs reliable financials and a clear story.
We use the same system ourselves
The AI Growth Engine books our own sales calls too. If you heard from us before you found this page, you have already seen it work.
How the AI Growth Engine works
We run the system. You approve it once, then take the calls.
A complete outbound sales process, built around your practice and managed by us from start to finish.
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Define your ideal client
Together we set the target: industries, company size, decision makers, and exactly what "qualified" means to you.
Your time: one 60-minute kickoff
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Build and approve
We build the prospect lists, set up the sending infrastructure, write the messaging, and train the AI SDR. You're live within 21 days, guaranteed.
Your time: review and approve the messaging
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Outreach and replies
Outreach goes out at a steady pace. The AI SDR answers replies within minutes, screens out poor fits, and books qualified prospects.
Your time: none
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Calls and reporting
Qualified calls appear on your calendar, each with a brief. You get regular reports, and we keep refining what works.
Your time: take the calls
Your reputation
Built to protect your name, not spend it
Your reputation is your business. The system is designed so that every prospect sees a professional, relevant message, and nothing reaches your calendar unless it meets your standard.
You approve the messaging
Nothing goes out until you have signed off on the positioning, the tone, and the messages themselves.
Your main inbox stays separate
Outreach runs from dedicated sending domains, so your primary email address and its deliverability are never at risk.
Measured volume
Small, targeted batches to well-researched prospects. No mass blasts, and no buying lists of random contacts.
A person behind the AI
The AI SDR works within rules you set. Anything sensitive or unusual is passed to a person instead of being answered automatically.
Who it's for
Built only for Fractional CFO practices
We focus on one kind of firm, so the targeting, messaging, and qualification are built around how your clients actually buy finance leadership.
A good fit if you
- Run a Fractional CFO practice with a clear service offering
- Want more new clients without hiring a salesperson
- Have capacity for new engagements
- Would rather spend your time on clients than on prospecting
Probably not a fit if you
- Are still defining what you offer and who you serve
- Cannot take on new clients in the next few months
- Prefer to run outbound in-house
What you get
The AI Growth Engine, fully managed
Nothing to hire, train, or manage. Your part is a 60-minute kickoff, approving the messaging, and taking the calls.
The Ideal Client Blueprint
Your target market, the qualification rules you set, and researched lists of the companies that fit them.
The Outreach System
Dedicated sending domains, messaging in your voice, and consistent follow-up, all set up and monitored for you.
The 24/7 AI SDR
Trained on your services. It answers replies within minutes, checks fit against your criteria, and books qualified calls on your calendar.
Call Briefs and Reporting
A brief before every call, lead details sent to your inbox or CRM, and regular reporting as we refine what works.
| AI Growth Engine | Hire an SDR | Do it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your time | Just the calls | Hiring and managing | Hours every week |
| Launch | Within 21 days | Recruit, then train | When you find time |
| Coverage | 24/7 | Business hours | Between client work |
| Reliability | Runs every day | Depends on one person | Stops when you're busy |
| Cost | Setup plus a flat monthly fee | Salary, benefits, tools | Your billable time |
Our guarantee
Live within 21 days
Your outreach is live within 21 days of your kickoff call, or your first month's management fee is free.
Founding partner program
3 of 3 spots open
We're a new firm, and we'd rather say so. Our first three practices get 50% off the setup fee and their monthly rate locked for 12 months, in exchange for honest feedback and, if the results are there, a case study.
Terms
Simple and flexible
- One-time setup fee, then a flat monthly fee
- 90-day initial term, then month to month
- You own the lists, messaging, and domains
FAQ
Common questions
What does "fully managed" mean?
We handle strategy, technology, copywriting, sending, reply handling, and ongoing optimization. You approve the targeting and messaging at the start. After that, your main job is taking the calls that land on your calendar.
How does the AI SDR work?
The AI SDR is an AI assistant trained on your services, your ideal client, and how you describe your practice. When a prospect replies, it responds promptly, answers common questions, checks fit against criteria you set, and offers times from your calendar. Anything outside its rules goes to a person.
Will prospects know they are talking to AI?
The AI SDR never claims to be a person. If a prospect asks, it says plainly that it is an AI assistant working with your practice, and it can bring a person into the conversation at any time.
Who decides what "qualified" means?
You do. We agree the criteria at kickoff, such as company size, industry, role, and timing. Only prospects who meet them are offered time on your calendar.
How long until I see results?
Your outreach goes live within 21 days of your kickoff call, guaranteed. If it doesn't, your first month's management fee is free. How many calls get booked depends on your market, your offer, and the targeting, so we set realistic expectations together before you commit. We do not promise specific numbers.
What does it cost, and is there a long contract?
There is a one-time setup fee and a flat monthly management fee, scoped to your target market and outreach volume. After a 90-day initial term, it is month to month. We share exact numbers once we know what your practice needs.
How do Fractional CFOs get new clients?
Most Fractional CFO practices grow through referrals from clients, bankers, attorneys, and CPAs. Referrals produce great clients but arrive unpredictably. The most reliable way to add to them is outbound outreach timed to buying signals: moments like hiring a controller with no CFO, raising capital, taking on debt, or opening a new location, when an owner is most likely to need finance leadership. The AI Growth Engine runs that process for you.
How is this different from a general lead generation agency?
We work only with Fractional CFO practices, so the targeting, buying signals, messaging, and qualification are built around how business owners buy finance leadership. You approve every message before it goes out, outreach runs from dedicated domains that protect your main inbox, an AI SDR handles replies and books calls 24/7, and you own the lists, messaging, and domains.
What is a free Signal Scan?
A Signal Scan is a free list of up to 10 companies in your market that are showing signs they need a CFO right now, such as hiring a controller, raising capital, taking on debt, or opening a new location, with the signal and the decision maker for each. You request it with a short form, and the list is yours to keep whether or not we work together. Request a Signal Scan
Can you help with more than lead generation?
Yes. Once your pipeline is running, we can help you find and apply AI and automation in your day-to-day work, such as client onboarding, recurring reporting, and internal admin. Every recommendation starts from your actual workflows, not from a tool we want to sell.
Free playbook
Get The CFO Buying Signals Playbook
The moments when owners go looking for finance help, and how to reach them first. Free by email.
- 10 signs a business needs a CFO
- Where to find each one for free, with the exact search to run
- A short first message for each signal, ready to adapt to your voice
- A 30-minute weekly routine to turn signals into conversations
No spam. Unsubscribe any time.
Rather see real prospects now? Get a free Signal Scan
P.S. Every engagement comes with our 21-day launch guarantee: your outreach is live within 21 days of kickoff, or your first month's management fee is free. And founding partner pricing is limited to our first three practices.