the bench
Meet our trusted bench of CFOs and specialists, on call to offer outsourced support and solutions to your unique business challenges.
meet Melissa Wait
Melissa is a Fractional CFO with over 15 years of experience scaling high-growth consumer brands. Formerly SVP of Finance & Operations at Partake Foods, she has supported multiple growth-stage companies through Propeller Industries and held in-house finance leadership roles at NotCo, Siggi’s Dairy, and Hope Foods.
She specializes in working cross-functionally to build 3–5 year strategic plans, create budgets that drive clarity and accountability, and improve EBITDA. Melissa is equally comfortable operating at a high level—leading investor relations, fundraising, and acquisition strategy—as she is getting into the weeds to implement scalable, cross-functional processes.
Specialties: CPG Companies, Food & Beverage
Billing: For monthly support -flate rate and for projects - hourly.
Typical rates: $5,000 - $10,000 (typically 20-45 hours/month)
Favorite type of client: “I love working with Founders and Leadership teams in fast-growing or new companies where I can be a thought partner across the team. I have a preference towards food & beverage brands.”
Some of Melissa’s favorite clients: Mike's Hot Honey, Partake, & Haven's Kitchen
Something personal about Melissa: “Last year, I visited 14 different countries.”