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BlackpeakCFO Fractional Controller & CFO
Built for Multi-Location & Franchise

Three Locations. Three Sets of Books.
Zero Visibility Into Which One Makes Money.

You've got separate books per location but nobody consolidates them properly. Royalty calculations are manual. Overhead allocation is a guess. Your P&L says each location is profitable — but cash says otherwise. You're making decisions about where to invest, which location to fix, and whether to open a fourth based on numbers you can't trust. We fix that.

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No contracts · From $3,995/mo · ACMA CGMA · 24 years in professional finance

The 5 Finance Problems Every Growing Multi-Location Business Has

1. Location-Level P&L Doesn't Exist — Or It's Wrong

Your bookkeeper gives you one combined P&L. Or maybe they split revenue by location but dump all expenses into one bucket. Your Location 2 looks like it's doing $1.2M with a 28% margin. But $95K of HQ rent, $60K of shared admin salaries, and $45K of your marketing spend aren't allocated. That 28% margin is actually 14%. You just can't see it. And you're about to invest another $80K into a location that's barely breaking even.

2. Royalty and Franchise Fee Calculations Are Manual and Error-Prone

You owe 6% royalty on gross sales plus 2% to the ad fund. Sounds simple. But what counts as "gross sales" — before or after discounts? Do refunds reduce the royalty base? What about gift card redemptions? You're calculating this in a spreadsheet every month, and the franchisor's audit last year flagged $22K in discrepancies. A $4M franchise operation pays $240K+ a year in royalties. Getting that wrong by even 1% is $2,400 a month walking out the door — or an audit liability building up.

3. Consolidation Is a Copy-Paste Nightmare Done Three Weeks Late

Each location has its own QuickBooks file. Your bookkeeper exports each one, pastes them into a master spreadsheet, and tries to eliminate intercompany transfers. It takes two to three weeks. By the time you see the consolidated view, it's mid-month and the data is already stale. And the intercompany eliminations are wrong half the time. You're running a $6M business on a spreadsheet held together with VLOOKUP and hope.

4. New Location Break-Even Models Don't Exist — Decisions Based on Gut

You're thinking about opening location number four. Build-out is $180K. You think you'll break even in 14 months. Based on what? A back-of-napkin estimate. You don't have a model that accounts for ramp-up curve, local marketing spend, manager salary, inventory build, and the cash drain during months 1–8 before revenue catches up. We've seen owners open new locations expecting $40K monthly burn and hitting $75K. That's the difference between a good decision and a $200K mistake.

5. Shared Services Costs Aren't Allocated — HQ Looks Like a Cost Center

Marketing, accounting, HR, IT. You're spending $180K a year on shared services that benefit all three locations equally. But on your books, it all sits in "Corporate" or "HQ" — making headquarters look like a $180K loss center. Meanwhile, each location's P&L looks artificially healthy. Your best-performing location might actually be your worst once it absorbs its fair share. You can't make real decisions until overhead is allocated properly.

What Your Multi-Location Business Gets Each Month

Everything a full-time controller delivers — tuned for multi-location economics.

Location-Level P&L with Proper Overhead Allocation

Every location gets its own P&L with shared costs allocated by revenue, headcount, or square footage — whatever makes sense for your business. You'll see true profitability per location, not the inflated version your bookkeeper gives you.

Consolidated Multi-Entity Financials

One consolidated P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement — with intercompany eliminations done correctly. Delivered by the 5th. Not a copy-paste spreadsheet. Actual consolidated financials your bank and investors can trust.

Franchise Fee & Royalty Tracking

Automated royalty calculations tied to your POS or revenue system. Ad fund contributions tracked separately. Reconciled against franchisor statements monthly. No more audit surprises or overpayments.

New Location Financial Models

Full build-out cost model, monthly cash burn projection, ramp-up timeline, and break-even analysis. Based on actual data from your existing locations — not industry averages. Open your next location with a plan, not a prayer.

13-Week Cash Flow by Location

Rolling weekly forecast per location and consolidated. See which location is draining cash and which one is generating it. Know exactly when you need to move cash between entities — before it becomes an emergency.

Monthly Strategy Call

A dedicated call to review consolidated and location-level performance. Which location needs attention. Where to invest. Whether that fourth location makes financial sense right now. Real numbers, real decisions.

Further Reading for Multi-Location Operators

Get Your Free Multi-Location Financial Review

30-minute call. We'll look at how your locations are reporting, check your consolidation process, and show you what a real location-level P&L should look like. No pitch — just proof.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does a fractional CFO handle FDD compliance and royalty tracking? +

We automate royalty calculations tied to your POS or revenue system so the math is consistent every month — including the correct treatment of discounts, refunds, and gift card redemptions against your gross sales base. Royalty and ad fund contributions are tracked separately and reconciled against franchisor statements. This eliminates the manual spreadsheet errors that trigger audit findings and overpayments.

Can you produce consolidated financials across multiple franchise locations? +

Yes. We consolidate all locations into a single P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement with proper intercompany eliminations — management fees, intercompany loans, and shared cost allocations. Delivered by the 5th of each month, not three weeks late from a copy-paste spreadsheet. Your bank, investors, and franchisor get clean consolidated numbers they can trust.

How do you calculate true unit economics per location? +

Each location gets its own P&L with shared costs — HQ rent, admin salaries, marketing, IT — allocated based on actual usage drivers (revenue, headcount, or square footage). A location showing 28% margin on revenue-only reporting often drops to 14% once corporate overhead is properly allocated. You'll see true four-wall profitability so investment decisions are based on real numbers.

Can you build a financial model for opening a new location or territory? +

Yes. We build location-specific models covering build-out costs, monthly cash burn during ramp-up, break-even timeline, and ROI projections — all based on actual performance data from your existing locations, not industry averages. The model accounts for local marketing spend, manager hiring, inventory build, and the 6–12 month cash drain before revenue catches up. It's the difference between a $200K surprise and a planned investment.

How do you handle shared services cost allocation across franchise units? +

Marketing, accounting, HR, and IT costs that benefit all locations are allocated using a methodology we agree on with you — typically based on revenue share, headcount, or square footage. This removes the distortion where HQ looks like a $180K loss center while individual locations look artificially profitable. Every dollar of shared cost lands on the location that benefits from it.

Related Industries We Serve

Ecommerce & DTC → HVAC & Trades → Real Estate →