Quick answer
To build a finance function for a DTC brand, start by consolidating your data into one source of truth, then build a connected financial model, automate the manual work, and hire (or upskill) for strategic judgment rather than data entry. The goal is a lean team, amplified by tools, that spends its time on decisions instead of spreadsheet maintenance.
Start with the data, not the headcount
The instinct is to hire first. The better first move is to consolidate: get Shopify, Amazon, ad platforms, and the GL into one place. Most finance dysfunction in a DTC brand is really data fragmentation, an analyst spending 80 percent of their time pulling and cleaning rather than analyzing. Fix that and one person goes a long way.
The build sequence
- Consolidate data. One source of truth across channels and the GL.
- Build a connected model. P&L, cash, and unit economics that tie together.
- Automate the manual work. Data loading, reforecasting, and reporting.
- Add strategic judgment. Hire or develop for analysis, not data entry.
Rule of thumb. Do not hire to do manual work a tool can do. Hire for the judgment a tool cannot, and let one strong person plus the right platform cover the rest.
Lean by design
A modern DTC finance function is deliberately lean. The model is that one exceptional person with the right platform replaces three without it, which is roughly $200K in avoided headcount per FTE. Trevi kept its team lean and avoided hiring by consolidating data and automating reporting. Mad Rabbit runs its finance function on one accountant plus Drivepoint. Build for leverage, not size.
Where Drivepoint fits. Drivepoint is the AI finance platform built exclusively for consumer brands. It consolidates Shopify, Amazon, retail partners, and your GL into one live model in Excel, then answers what-if questions in minutes. Customers improve EBITDA margins by 6.7 points on average in their first year, and one exceptional finance person with Drivepoint replaces three without it.