Smart Growth, Smarter Finances: The Role of a Fractional CFO in Synergy’s Success Story

“Without hesitation, I would strongly recommend FocusCFO to any organization considering the addition of senior financial leadership. Their support has been truly transformational for us as a company.”

– Justin Henry, President, Synergy Direct Marketing Solutions

The Situation

Synergy Direct Marketing Solutions had grown steadily for nearly two decades — but had never had a CFO. As the company scaled and implemented EOS, leadership realized they needed serious financial guidance. They wanted someone with executive-level experience, without the cost of a full-time hire.

Their EOS implementer, Jim Jelineck, connected them with FocusCFO Area President Jeff Semple, and soon after, John Busshaus, a fractional CFO serving the Greater Pittsburgh region. It was, in Justin Henry's words, a perfect fit from day one.

What We Did

Working alongside Synergy's leadership team for over four years, the FocusCFO team:

• Built monthly financial dashboards for consistent, accurate reporting
• Created month-over-month comparisons tracking actuals against budget and forecast
• Established a formal annual budgeting process — the company's first
• Developed a seven-year financial plan tied to strategic growth goals
• Led a pricing and market analysis across all business units
• Guided cash flow planning to help leadership invest ahead of the growth curve

The Result

Synergy didn't just get better financial reporting; they built their first leadership team, started making data-driven pricing decisions, and gained the financial clarity to grow with confidence.

"It's been awesome to see how John's work has made us focus on the proper things, driving sales and watching our costs," Henry said. "It's brought a lot more clarity and visibility into everything we do."