About John D. Mathis, CPA, CIA
I've sat in the CFO chair. Now I sit in yours.
I've spent 30 years turning plant and project numbers into decisions owners can act on, including 13 years at a Fortune 100 manufacturer in the U.S. and Asia, CFO and VP-level roles at private equity-backed and family-owned plants, and two years running a small business of my own.
Today I work with owners of manufacturing, distribution and defense businesses between $1 million and $100 million in revenue who have outgrown the bookkeeper but don't need a full-time CFO. I give them what a CFO gives a large company: cash they can see coming, margins they can trust, and a steady hand when the big decisions land.
What I bring
Plant floor fluency. I've been a VP of Operations as well as a CFO. I've led kaizen events, cut lead times in half and rebuilt standard costs from engineering time studies.
Numbers that tell the truth. An income statement can show record profit while the company borrows to fill its warehouse. I give owners a one-page, plain-English profit statement by product family that shows where the cash really went, and ties out to your audited numbers every month.
Lender-ready numbers. I've closed term loans and lines of credit, managed covenants and borrowing bases, and led Big 4 audits to clean opinions.
Speed. I've cut monthly closes from three weeks to five days at more than one company.
PE and deal experience. I've worked inside sponsor-owned companies and know what a buyer's quality-of-earnings team will look for.
Selected results
Client names withheld. Details available on request.
$100M PE-backed industrial products manufacturer: cut the monthly close from 15 business days to 5, rebuilt standard costing across 1,000+ SKUs, and saved $500K on the insurance renewal.
PE-backed packaging and machinery manufacturer: released $1.5M of working capital and cut the close from three weeks to five days.
Defense contractor: set up DCAA-compliant accounting before the auditors arrived.
Fortune 100 manufacturer's finance arm, Asia Pacific: led regional finance for about $5B of managed assets across eight countries.
Credentials and books
CPA · CIA (Certified Internal Auditor) · Six Sigma Black Belt · B.S. Accounting, Indiana University
Career: Founder, Chicago Style CFO Services · VP Finance, PE-backed packaging and machinery manufacturer · CFO, national textile recycler · Regional Controller, $170M Tier 1 agricultural and off-highway equipment supplier · Owner, catering and events business · 13 years at a Fortune 100 manufacturer, including Asia Pacific Controller and Internal Audit Director · Controller, CFO and VP Operations, industrial products manufacturer · Audit Manager, national CPA firm
The Fractional CFO Playbook: CFO-Level Clarity Without a Full-Time Hire. A plain-English guide for owners who are profitable but can't find the cash. Available on Amazon Kindle.
Fire Your Bookkeeper: Run Your Own QuickBooks with AI (with David Sladek). How owners can keep their own books clean with AI and finally understand the story their numbers tell. Available on Amazon. See the AI Accounting page.
Fire Your Boss, Buy a Business: A CFO's Guide to Buying a Seven-Figure Business Using Other People's Money. Coming soon. See the Buying a Business page for early access.
Chicago Style Comeback: a memoir about rebuilding after a business, financial and family collapse. Email john@chicagostylecfo.com for a free copy.
Read The Fractional CFO Playbook Free
Get the Introduction and the full 90-Day Plan to Clarity: the step-by-step plan for going from flying blind to seeing your numbers clearly. Free, from the author.