Our story
Built for the climb.
A CPA-led team of controllers and CFOs, built for e-commerce and inventory-driven brands that have outgrown their bookkeeper.
- of combined finance leadership
- 30+ years
- on every engagement
- CPA-led
- where our team has served as controller or CFO
- Pura
- NOMATIC
- doTERRA
- Pillow Cube
- Creatably
- how our first clients found us
- 100% referral
Growing product brands hit the same wall. SKUs, channels and inventory multiply, and more cash gets tied up in stock. But the finance function stays where it started. The bookkeeper records what happened, nobody can say which products actually make money, and a full-time CFO costs more than the business can justify.
Clark Bigler and Duck Brotherson have each spent a decade or more as CFOs, controllers and auditors, and they kept meeting brands stuck at that wall. They launched a fractional CFO practice, and clients loved the work. But every engagement was built from scratch, with its own scope and its own process. The practice reached its own timberline, the point where growth stops no matter how hard you push.
Then they brought in Kelsey Van Wagenen, CPA, a longtime controller at inventory-driven brands. Her first assignment was a single fast-growing e-commerce brand. She embedded with their team and built the financial infrastructure that let them see clearly and move fast. Clark and Duck saw great work, and a way of doing it that could be repeated.
So they asked her to lead a firm with one focus: product brands. Craig Van Wagenen designed the model and the operations behind it. Instead of custom engagements, clients move through four clear stages, Trailhead, Base Camp, Ascent and Summit, each with the systems, reporting and guidance that stage needs, without ever changing firms.
A timberline is the point on a climb where the trees fall away and you can finally see the whole mountain. That's what we give our clients: a clear view of where the business stands, and the path to what's next.
Based in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Serving brands nationwide.
Our promise
Clarity. Strength. Perspective.
Perspective today. Strength tomorrow.
Every engagement comes with
- A CPA leading the work, not just reviewing it
- One fixed monthly price, quoted up front
- A named team that knows your brand
- Room to grow through four stages without changing firms
Values
How we work.
01
Integrity
We tell you what the numbers say, even when it isn't what you hoped.
02
Clarity
Plain-English reporting a busy founder can act on in five minutes.
03
Stewardship
We treat your cash like it's ours to protect, because it's yours to grow.
04
Partnership
A named team that knows your brand, not a rotating ticket queue.
The team
The people on your rope team.
Controllers and CFOs who've run the books inside product brands, led by a CPA.
- Inventory & COGS
- Month-end close
- Financial reporting
Kelsey has spent nearly a decade in accounting at consumer-product brands. She started as an accountant at Lashbrook, then moved through international accounting to assistant controller at doTERRA. She served as controller and finance director at Pura, then head of finance at NOMATIC, in businesses where inventory, landed costs and margins decided whether growth turned into profit. As controller, she improved inventory adjustments by 90%. Kelsey leads every Timberline engagement. Each client gets a CPA who has run the close and built the reporting from the controller's chair.
- CFO strategy
- Cash & forecasting
- Capital & lending
Clark has served as CFO of Pillow Cube, Stairslide and Creatably, bringing hands-on experience with the financial decisions behind growing consumer brands. He also owns and operates Daily Carry Co., an e-commerce brand, where he manages the same challenges his clients face every day: buying inventory, allocating ad spend, protecting margins and keeping cash available for what comes next.
His perspective comes from being both a CFO and a business owner. He understands how inventory, customer acquisition costs and operating expenses work together, and how quickly growth can put pressure on cash.
At Timberline CFO, Clark helps e-commerce founders get a clear picture of their business, understand what's actually making money and build a financial plan they can use to make decisions.
- Internal controls
- Audit readiness
- Financial reporting
Duck began his career as an auditor at Smuin, Rich & Marsing CPA. He then spent nearly seven years as financial controller at Intermountain Electronics, and today he is a partner at Bigler Brotherson Accountants. His specialty is the work most growing brands skip until it hurts: internal controls and reporting that hold up to outside scrutiny. He also speaks Chinese, a real advantage for brands that manufacture and source overseas. For clients, that means accurate numbers and a clear next step from every report.
- Operations & systems
- Client onboarding
- Brand & marketing
Craig designed Timberline's four-tier service model and built the operating stack behind it, from client intake and onboarding to the QuickBooks Online, A2X, Synder and Fathom workflow. He leads operations, marketing and brand. Before Timberline, he spent nearly five years at BambooHR, where he guided 60+ companies through software implementation and created training content reaching more than 3.3 million users. He also manages a $2.3M real estate portfolio across several LLCs in Utah and Ohio, so he knows what it takes to keep books and cash clean across multiple entities. For clients, that means onboarding that is clear and organized from day one.
The team behind every close
See your business from the summit.
A 30-minute discovery call. We'll look at your channels, your inventory and your books, then quote one fixed monthly price.
