SIXFIGURENOW™ RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Evidence First. Conclusions Second.
SixFigureNow™ studies how expertise-driven businesses grow,
scale knowledge, build stronger business models, and apply
emerging technologies.
Our approach begins with a simple principle:
Research the problem before building the solution.
Our Current Research
The 2026 Fractional CFO Growth & AI Study™
Our current research focuses on Fractional CFO firms and
four major areas affecting their businesses:
- Client acquisition and pipeline predictability
- Growth and scalability
- Expertise and intellectual capital
- Practical applications of AI
The goal is to identify useful patterns while clearly
distinguishing early observations from findings that have
been tested across a broader group.
How the Research Works
01 — Listen
We begin with structured conversations with practitioners.
Rather than starting with a predetermined solution,
we ask participants about their actual experiences,
decisions, challenges, practices, and priorities.
02 — Discover
Interviews are analyzed for recurring themes, language,
problems, practices, business models, and emerging opportunities.
At this stage, patterns are treated as hypotheses—not
industry-wide conclusions.
03 — Validate
Emerging hypotheses can then be tested across additional
interviews and structured research.
This helps distinguish an interesting individual experience
from a pattern that appears across multiple firms.
04 — Analyze
Where the data permits, we examine differences across factors
such as firm type, business model, client acquisition approach,
service model, and use of technology.
05 — Publish
Findings may be developed into research reports, articles,
frameworks, benchmarks, and other educational resources.
We aim to clearly distinguish between:
- Individual observations
- Emerging patterns
- Repeated findings
- Quantified findings
- Validated commercial insights
From Conversations to Better Evidence
The 2026 Fractional CFO Growth & AI Study™ is being
developed in stages.
Stage One — In-Depth Interviews
We speak directly with Fractional CFO firm leaders to
discover problems, practices, language, business models,
and emerging opportunities.
Stage Two — Pattern Development
Recurring themes from those conversations are organized
into hypotheses that can be investigated further.
Stage Three — Structured Research
Selected hypotheses may be tested across a broader group
using structured questions and comparable measures.
Stage Four — Findings & Benchmarks
Quantitative claims and benchmarks are published only when
the underlying data supports them.
What We Won’t Do
Good research requires restraint.
We won’t turn a handful of conversations into an
“industry benchmark.”
We won’t invent statistics to make findings sound
more impressive.
We won’t present one firm’s experience as evidence
that every firm behaves the same way.
And we’ll distinguish observed evidence from our
interpretation of that evidence.
Interesting isn’t the same as proven.
How Participant Information Is Used
Research conversations are used to identify patterns,
questions, practices, and emerging themes relevant to
the study.
Findings may be reported in aggregated form so that
readers can understand broader patterns without requiring
individual participant responses to be identified.
If we want to attribute a specific statement or quotation
to an identifiable participant or firm, we will seek
appropriate permission before publication.
Research Has Limits. We State Them.
No research project captures every firm, business model,
geography, or perspective.
When findings are published, we aim to provide appropriate
context about the research population, sample size,
collection period, recruitment approach, and relevant
limitations.
The objective isn’t to make the research appear more
certain than it is.
The objective is to make it useful.
Why SixFigureNow™ Is Doing This Research
Expertise-driven businesses contain enormous amounts of
valuable knowledge.
But growth decisions are often made using assumptions,
anecdotes, and generic advice.
SixFigureNow™ is being developed around a different model:
Research → Intelligence → Practical Growth
Better questions create better evidence.
Better evidence creates better decisions.
And better decisions can create better businesses.
Contribute Your Perspective
If you lead a Fractional