Cash & Working Capital
How a Profitable CPG Company Can Still Run Out of Cash
Why EBITDA can improve while liquidity deteriorates, and how founders should manage the cash cycle behind growth.
Read insightJulien Dabi
Fractional CFO, Netter Group · julien@nettergroup.com
Clear margins. Better cash visibility. Informed growth decisions.
I work with CPG founders and their teams to understand what is driving profitability, anticipate cash needs, and decide what the business can afford to do next, from taking on a new retail account to hiring for growth. As their fractional CFO, I also build the financial planning, reporting, and processes needed to support a growing business.
I bring fifteen years of CPG experience, including a decade at Natierra, seven years as CFO, and later serving as CEO. My work has spanned branded and private label products sold through natural retail such as Whole Foods and Sprouts, conventional retail including HEB, Publix, Food Lion and Kroger, and digital and marketplace channels.
Where I help
Financial clarity where operating decisions create consequences.
- Cash management and working capital
- P&L and balance sheet analysis by channel and SKU
- COGS and margin architecture across natural, conventional and digital channels
- Deduction strategy and reduction
- Co-packing and supplier contract structuring and negotiation
- Budgeting for marketing and growth investment
- Board and investor preparation
Insights
Finance, operations and the economics of growth.
Drawing on 15 years leading finance and operations in CPG, I write about the financial and operating decisions behind growth.
Profitability
Profitability Isn't One Number
How to understand customer, SKU and channel economics without mistaking a blended company average for an answer.
Read insightFinancing
Before You Sign an Asset-Based Loan
What founders need to understand about borrowing bases, eligibility, lender control and the real cost of debt.
Read insightRetail Growth
You Finally Landed the Retailer. Can You Afford to Say Yes?
The commercial win is only the beginning. Model velocity, cash, inventory and downside before the first case ships.
Read insightMargin & Pricing
Your Gross Margin Looks Fine. Your Economics May Not Be.
A founder-level framework for understanding what is actually driving margin and which revenue deserves more capital.
Read insightInventory & Operations
The Goal Is Not Less Inventory. It Is the Right Inventory.
How lead times, velocity, MOQs, SKU complexity and cash should shape inventory decisions.
Read insightFinance Function
When Does a Growing CPG Company Actually Need a CFO?
Revenue is a weak proxy. Complexity, change and decision burden determine when the finance setup has been outgrown.
Read insightEnterprise Value
What Makes a CPG Brand Financially Valuable, Not Just Fast-Growing?
Why revenue quantity is only one part of what makes a consumer brand durable, scalable and strategically valuable.
Read insightWho I work with
Growing CPG businesses navigating more consequential financial decisions.
Often $5 million to $50 million in revenue, or earlier when the company has established accounting and a meaningful decision around retail, inventory, margins, cash or financing.
How I workGet in touch
A direct email is enough.
Tell me a little about the company and what you are working through.
julien@nettergroup.com