About Us

History

Our firm was founded in 2012 by Greg Brown. He formed Cardinal Finance with an initial focus upon providing contract CFO services to companies that would benefit from access to his experience and skill set, but who did not have either the need or budget for a full-time CFO.

As the firm grew several clients expressed an interest in having Cardinal Finance provide a broader range of accounting services. In order to meet these needs we began to offer contract bookkeeping services. This gives clients the option of having us provide the entire spectrum of accounting and finance needs, from bookkeeping to having Mr. Brown fully participating as a member of the client’s management team as their CFO.

How We Are Different

Finding a firm that will do your accounting or finance work is easy. Finding the right fit for you and your needs is a bit more of a challenge.

Among the things that sets Cardinal Finance apart from the crowd are:

A dedication to the needs of small businesses that is evident throughout the career of our founder. If you’re a $250M in annual revenues distribution company you can probably find a better fit … if you’re a $2.5M in annual revenues software company you probably cannot.
Ease of engagement, meaning no long-term contracts or surprise bills. We believe in fixed fees and month-to-month agreementes. The last thing that we want is to have a client working with us simply because they are tied to us via a long-term contract. If you’re ever unhappy you can discontinue the relationship – no muss, no fuss.
Our founder and this firm are in this market out of choice rather than out of necessity. That means that you don’t have to worry about being left high and dry in a few months because your part-time CFO was offered a full-time job.

Professionals

Meet Our Professionals Team

Greg Brown

Kyle Nielsen

Greg Brown Bio

Greg brings to our clients a wealth of experience as the CFO of multiple venture capital backed private and early stage public companies, as well as ten years as a venture capital investor. This experience enables him to understand what both internal and external parties need from a CFO.

Greg’s career has been devoted to serving entrepreneurs and the companies that they create as a trusted business partner. Having been the CFO or board member of numerous early stage companies, he is very familiar with the financial and other business issues that start-up and other early stage companies face as they develop.

He has particularly deep understanding of investment transactions of all types, having participated in over $150 million of private and public financings. With experience both an investor and a part of the management team seeking investments, he understands both perspectives and is able to bring that understanding to the table for the benefit of his clients.

Kyle Nielsen Bio

Kyle brings his expertise of helping business leaders connect to their financials, find actionable insights, and drive performance.

His experience building finance teams spans a diverse set of companies and industries. Kyle’s previous roles include global publicly traded companies, private equity and other closely held firms, early-stage ventures, and non-profits; and, he has worked in healthcare, manufacturing & distribution, and professional services. He has also led numerous finance teams through organizational transformations, system implementations, and modernization efforts.

Kyle attended Grand Valley State University (BBA) and Vanderbilt University (MBA) and began his career in the United States Army. He lives in Charlotte and spends his time outside of work with his family.