Slate CFO Partners

We help $10M - $100M CPG, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing companies build the financial roadmap to scale profitably

15+ years as the full-time CFO at four CPG and manufacturing companies, scaling revenue to 9 figures, tightening margins, improving cash flows, and building the financial operating systems to make it all run. We bring that experience into your business as a Fractional CFO, at a fraction of the $300K+ full-time cost.

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CFO experience at Sugar Bowl Bakery · Boudin Bakeries · Go Raw Sprouted Seed Snacks · Miyoko's Creamery

Scaling CPG or Manufacturing adds complexity faster than finance can keep up

You added customers, volume, SKUs, and headcount. The complexity grew with it.

Do some of these sound familiar?

"I don't have real visibility into cash for the next several weeks."

"I'm not sure I can trust the numbers enough to make high-stakes decisions."

"I don't really know which products, customers, and channels are actually making us money."

"Reporting is late and backward-looking. I need forward-looking numbers I can actually act on."

"I'm not confident inventory, COGS, and trade spend are being tracked correctly."

"I need a trusted financial leader, but not ready for the CFO $300K+ hire cost."

If you're nodding along, that's exactly where we come in.

Let's Talk

What Your Business Looks Like with a CFO Who's Been in the Seat

Most CPG and manufacturing CEOs we meet share the same frustration: the business has grown, but the financial visibility hasn't kept up.

Here's what changes when we step in as your Fractional CFO:

✅

Improved Cash Flow. Real visibility into where cash is going and a 13-week forecast you can actually trust.

Stronger Margins. Clear insight into what's driving profitability by customer, channel, and SKU so you can act on it.

Trade Spend Under Control. Visibility into what you're spending, what's working, and what's eating your margin.

Capital and Lender Readiness. When it's time to raise capital, refinance, or go to market, the financial foundation needs to be in order. We make sure it is, long before the conversation starts.

Forward-Looking Financial Planning. Budgets, projections, and scenario analysis to drive decisions.

CEO Partnership. A strategic partner to the CEO who brings structure, discipline, and follow-through on your financial goals.

Real-Time Strategic Adjustments. Month to month support, action plans, and pivots based on real-time financial data and business conditions.

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Services

Experienced CFO leadership across three core areas. We tailor the scope to your business, your stage, and the areas where we can make the biggest impact.

Strategic CFO

A strategic financial partner for the CEO and leadership team, focused on cash, capital, and value creation

Cash visibility and 13-Week Cash Flow Forecast

Working capital management across AR, AP, and Inventory

Trusted CEO partner and strategic advisor

Board, lender, and investor-ready reporting

Debt and equity capital planning, fundraising, and covenant readiness

Value-creation focus: pricing, mix, margin expansion, cost-to-serve

Quarterback key external relationships: banks, lenders, tax advisors, auditors, legal, insurance, benefits, and key vendors

FP&A and Performance

Forecasting, decision-ready reporting, and KPI visibility to know what's working, what's not, and where to act

Forecasting, budgeting, and financial planning

Scenario and sensitivity analysis for key business decisions

KPI dashboards tied to operating drivers

Unit economics and optimization of Channel, Customer, and SKU profitability

Trade spend tracking, management, and optimization

Budget vs Actual reporting with clear owners and action plans

Finance Operations

Stronger systems, cleaner data, and smarter processes so your finance function can scale

Artificial Intelligence (AI) roadmap, implementation, and practical adoption

AI and automation to augment your team with human review controls

Outsourced accounting enablement and oversight

Tech stack optimization and data integrity

ERP and system selection, implementation, and integration

Accounting close and finance workflow streamlining

How It Works

1

Tell Us About Your Company

Complete a quick form to help us understand your needs. We'll schedule a brief, no-pressure conversation to see if we might be able to help. If we aren't the right fit, we'll let you know.

2

Assess your Financial Foundation

We kick off with a Financial Health Assessment: getting to know your team, reviewing your cash position, margins, and reporting, evaluating your financial infrastructure, and identifying the gaps between where you are and where you want to be. From there, you'll receive ongoing CFO-level support tailored to your business.

3

Grow Confidently

Together, we'll build and execute the financial plan to hit your targets, whether that's strengthening cash flow, expanding margins, improving profitability by customer and SKU, or preparing for a capital raise, acquisition, or exit. You'll have the financial roadmap and the trusted CFO to make it happen.

Book a Discovery Call

Your CFO

Experienced CFO leads every engagement personally, supported by a bench of experienced finance, accounting, and operating professionals as scope requires.

Shonn Tom

Managing Partner and Fractional CFO

Shonn Tom is a hands-on CFO with 20+ years of financial leadership in CPG, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing. Trusted partner to CEOs and Boards at family/founder-owned and PE/VC-backed companies, focused on revenue growth, margin expansion, cash conversion, and building finance functions that scale.

Chief Financial Officer for 15 years at:

Sugar Bowl Bakery
Miyoko's Creamery
Go Raw Sprouted Seed Snacks
Boudin Bakeries

Results:

Scaled revenue 50%+ to 9-figure revenue at multiple CPG and manufacturing companies, delivering record sales and profitability.

Expanded margins through customer/SKU profitability analysis, trade spend management, strategic pricing, and cost-saving programs across multiple companies.

Accelerated cash conversion by tightening AR/AP/inventory cycles, expanding supplier terms, and improving deduction and chargeback recovery.

Drove multiple 7-figure cost improvements through strategic sourcing, commodity hedging, pricing negotiations, and spec rationalization.

Built the financial operating system at every company: 5-day monthly close, 13-week cash forecasting, customer/SKU profitability, weekly KPI reporting, rolling forecasts and budgets, and investor/lender-ready reporting packs.

Strengthened liquidity by refinancing into larger credit facilities, expanding covenant headroom, and unlocking capital to fund growth.

Transformed finance functions by upscaling teams, streamlining processes, and leading multiple ERP implementations for faster insights and tighter controls.

Led a successful M&A exit, recruited by a founder-owned snack company and led the sale to a $1B AUM consumer PE firm.

Private equity investor and investment banking at:

GESD Capital Partners
Solomon Partners

Education:

MBA, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
BS, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

Experience

“Shonn stepped in as CFO and quickly brought discipline to cash, reporting, and forecasting. He helped us tell a clear story with the numbers, run a tighter process, and navigate diligence with confidence. That work was instrumental in achieving a successful M&A exit."

- CEO, Founder-Owned
CPG Company

"We shortened the close, improved the quality of our financials, and built a forecast leadership actually uses. The reporting is now consistent, timely, and decision-ready."

- Controller, Consumer Brand

“Slate gave us clear cash visibility and a better handle on margin drivers. Weekly reporting became actionable, and decisions became faster and more data-driven.”

- COO, Food Manufacturer

Contact Us

Tell us about your financial goals, challenges, or project. We’re here to help you build a clear, actionable path forward.