CFO Software Built for Financial Ops Teams — North County San Diego
I'm PJ, in Encinitas. I build custom software for CFOs who've outgrown QuickBooks plus spreadsheets but aren't ready to burn 18 months and $400K on a NetSuite rollout.
Should a CFO in financial ops software hire a solo builder?
- If your close is stuck in Excel and your team is burning weekends — yes
- If you need one specific workflow fixed (not a full ERP) — yes
- If you want it shipped in weeks, not quarters — yes
- If you need a SOC 2 vendor with 40 engineers — call someone else
What CFOs in Financial Ops Actually Ask Me
How do I cut our monthly close from 10 days to 3?
Usually it's 2-3 manual reconciliations eating the week. I map your close, find the bottlenecks, and automate the top two. That alone typically drops close time 40-60% without replacing your GL.
Should I build custom or buy another SaaS tool?
Buy if your process is standard. Build if your process is the reason your company wins. Most finance ops teams need both — a SaaS core plus 2-3 custom integrations that stitch it to reality.
What does a custom financial ops tool actually cost?
A focused workflow build (revenue recognition helper, AR dashboard, close tracker) runs $8K-$25K. Full multi-system integration work lands $30K-$80K. Anyone quoting $200K for a dashboard is padding.
How do I get clean data out of NetSuite / Sage / Intacct?
Their APIs are all workable — some just charge for saved searches or have token limits. I pull to a warehouse (Postgres or BigQuery) nightly, then build on top. Clean layer, no more CSV exports.
Can you work with our controller without blowing up IT?
Yes. I scope directly with finance, loop IT in on auth and data access, and ship something your controller actually uses. No committees.
What if I need something in 3 weeks, not 3 quarters?
That's the main reason people call me. Solo builder, no account managers, no SOW cycles. If it's scoped tight, 3 weeks is realistic.
Straight Advice for This Role
Map before you build
Spend a week tracking where your team actually loses time. The answer is rarely where you think. Build against data, not gut.
Kill one spreadsheet at a time
Don't rip-and-replace. Pick the one spreadsheet that breaks monthly and replace just that. Compound the wins.
Own your data layer
If your reporting lives inside a vendor, you're renting your own numbers. Pipe everything to a warehouse you control.
Audit trail from day one
Every custom build needs who-changed-what-when baked in. Retrofitting it later costs 3x. Non-negotiable for finance.
Don't hire a 10-person shop
For a targeted workflow, agencies overhead you to death. One solid builder who answers the phone ships faster.
Plan the handoff
Whatever gets built needs docs and a second set of eyes. I hand off clean code and a loom walkthrough every time.
PJ Zonis
Solo tech consultant. Encinitas / Solana Beach. I've built finance tooling for startups, family offices, and a few CFOs who just needed the damn close to work. Text me the problem — if it's not in my wheelhouse, I'll tell you who to call.
Connect on LinkedInOne text. Straight answer.
Tell me what's broken in your close or your reporting. I'll tell you if I can help in about an hour.
📱 Text 858-461-8054