About Us
Helping Business Owners Unlock Their Untapped Potential
To help independent business owners develop their untapped personal and business potential. When the people in the business grow, the business itself grows. The resulting cashflow, freedom, and happiness brings stability and a positive difference in the lives of their families and team members.
Our Story
Pro Activity CFO was born from a simple observation: independent business owners don't want to learn accounting and study financial reports. They prefer to focus on the activities that drive the results. They want to measure the gauges on the important sales and operations in real time — every week. They want to know which products and services make a good profit and where the “leaks” are sooner rather than later. They want their teams to be productive and accountable. They want more time to work on strategy and less time putting out fires.
The “Pro” stands for professional — our definition is simple: a professional is a person who does what they said they would do, when they said they would do it.
“Activity” is what the sales and operations teams do or don't do every day in the business. We make sure you have a good gauge to measure activities and bring real-time accountability to the important tasks.
“Pro Activ” also reflects a quality many business owners desire from a financial advisor. Government compliance and tax savings are important, but proactive advice and accountability to action create cashflow and profits — and a need for more tax planning!
CFO— small independent businesses need CFO skills as much or more than larger businesses, but can't afford the $200,000 to $300,000 it takes to hire one. We provide a slice of CFO skills for a fraction of the price, and deliver all of the benefits.
We know you and your business are unique and different. However, we also know — from experience with business owners over the last 30 years — the common tools and resources for coaching and mentoring business owners and their teams to achieve their goals.
As a dedicated strategic partner of Baker Tilly Trillium, we can enhance and expand their service offering for business owners looking to grow and increase their cash flow and freedom.
What Makes Us Different
We speak the language of business owners and focus on the tools that bring accountability to the daily and weekly activities that drive and grow the business. We respect and embrace the challenge of behaviour change in order to successfully remove the barriers and constraints currently in the way.
Our Guarantee
“If you're not happy, you don't pay.”
Fixed-fee, no-surprise pricing on all our products.
Meet the Team
Experienced advisors committed to your success.
Paul Foster, CPA, CA
Founder & Lead Advisor
“The Business Therapist”
With over 35 years in accounting and advisory, Paul brings a unique combination of financial expertise and practical business wisdom. After graduating from the University of Waterloo and earning his CA designation in 1987, he built a successful practice before pivoting fully to business advisory in 2011.
Named RANONE 2010 North American Advisor of the Year, Paul served as Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Windsor Odette School of Business and as Lean Startup Advisor at the EPICentre. His approach — asking good questions instead of giving good answers — has transformed hundreds of businesses.
Paul's capstone project is Pro Activity CFO: packaging over 30 years of tested tools and accumulated wisdom into a repeatable model that serves independent business families at scale.
Joshua P. O'Beid, CPA
Partner & CFO Advisor
Joshua brings energy, enthusiasm, and a deep understanding of financial management to the Pro Activity CFO team. With a strong background in accounting and advisory services, Joshua works directly with clients to implement the systems and processes that drive measurable results.
Partnering with Paul, Joshua is focused on building Pro Activity CFO into a scalable advisory firm that delivers executive-level financial leadership to independent business owners who need CFO expertise but can't justify a full-time hire.
Joshua's hands-on approach ensures that every client receives personalized attention and practical solutions tailored to their unique business challenges.
Our Core Values
The principles that guide everything we do.
Integrity
Doing the right thing, being true to ourselves.
Professional
Simply do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it.
Different
Not a results-based accountant, not a consultant with all the answers. A curious coach, optimistic facilitator, and Socratic-minded mentor.
Work to Live
Family is as important as business.
Systems Mindset
Consistency through systems, for scalability.
Lifetime of Learning
Always growing, always improving.
How We Compare
Traditional Accountants
- Focus on compliance and tax
- Report on trailing indicators
- Review results after the month
- Reactive to problems
Pro Activity CFO
- Integrate financial + operational + sales
- Measure activities that drive results
- Real-time gauges and dashboards
- Proactive and preventive
- Socratic coaching approach
- Fixed-fee with money-back guarantee
Traditional Consultants
- Prescriptive “expert” advice
- Create dependency on consultant
- Hourly billing with scope creep
- Solutions may not stick
Let's Talk About Your Business
Book a free discovery meeting to explore how we can help you achieve cashflow, freedom, and happiness.
Book Your Free Discovery Meeting