Where Financial Rigor Meets Shop-Floor Reality

Fast-growing companies eventually hit a wall.

It’s not because they lack a great product or a driven sales team—it’s because their internal infrastructure begins to redline under the weight of their own success.

When a business stretches past the $2M, $5M, or $20M mark, the spreadsheets break, real-time cash visibility fades, and the systems that got you here suddenly can't get you there.

Spreadheets breaking
Cash visibility fading
Bottlenecks appearing
Data becoming unreliable
Systems not scaling
Justin Barton
headshot of Justin Barton, founder of Summit Ledger Ops
Justin Barton wearing a grey suit.

I founded Summit Ledger Ops to solve exactly that.

As a corporate strategist and fractional executive, I help founder-led companies dismantle the "complexity ceiling" and build the institutional-grade financial and operational systems required to sustain rapid, profitable growth.

Justin Barton

Justin Barton wearing a grey suit.
Justin Barton wearing a grey suit.

Book a free consultation

Book a free consultation

The Journey

From Ground Zero to $37 Million

My approach isn't built on academic theories or generic consulting templates; it was forged over a twelve-year career in the trenches of the nutrition and mineral ingredient manufacturing industry.

I had the unique opportunity to help build an organization from its first employee up to a $37M market leader. Along the way, I wore nearly every executive hat required to scale a complex business

01
The Beginning

Office Manager

Joined a growing nutrition and mineral ingredient manufacturer as its first employee, helping build foundational systems and processes from the ground up.

02
Growth Stage

VP of Finance

Led financial operations through rapid expansion, building the forecasting, reporting, and operational controls needed to scale effectively.

03
Transformation

Merger & Acquisition

Played a key role in navigating hypergrowth, a company merger, and a private equity acquisition while maintaining delicate financial and operational books.

04
Leadership

Site Director

Oversaw both financial and operational performance, helping grow the organization into a $37M market leader.

"I know exactly what a company looks like at $1M, what breaks at $10M, and what it takes to protect margins at $30M+."

Lessons Earned in the Trenches

Zero → Market Leader

Built an organization from startup to $37M market leader.

Zero → Market Leader

Built an organization from startup to $37M market leader.

From Chaos to Clarity

Built the systems and playbooks that transform operational complexity into scalable growth.

From Chaos to Clarity

Built the systems and playbooks that transform operational complexity into scalable growth.

The Reality of Scaling

Experienced firsthand what businesses need at $1M, $10M, and $30M+.

The Reality of Scaling

Experienced firsthand what businesses need at $1M, $10M, and $30M+.

Growth Through Change

Helped lead the business through hypergrowth, a merger, and private equity acquisition.

Growth Through Change

Helped lead the business through hypergrowth, a merger, and private equity acquisition.

Beyond Generic Consulting

Solutions shaped by 12 years of operational leadership, not theoretical frameworks.

Beyond Generic Consulting

Solutions shaped by 12 years of operational leadership, not theoretical frameworks.

Founder-Level Perspective

Understands the pressure, uncertainty, and sleepless nights that come with building a business.

Founder-Level Perspective

Understands the pressure, uncertainty, and sleepless nights that come with building a business.

Bilingual in Business

Fluent in Finance

I translate messy, unreconciled ledgers into clear corporate clarity. From building dynamic 13-week cash flow forecasts to managing post-acquisition book cleanups, I ensure your leadership team has "one version of the truth" to make high-stakes tax, hiring, and capital decisions.

Fluent in Finance

I translate messy, unreconciled ledgers into clear corporate clarity. From building dynamic 13-week cash flow forecasts to managing post-acquisition book cleanups, I ensure your leadership team has "one version of the truth" to make high-stakes tax, hiring, and capital decisions.

Fluent in Operations

I understand inventory management, cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) accuracy, and labor models. I specialize in optimizing modern software suites—including Sage X, Fishbowl, and QuickBooks Enterprise—to automate manual bottlenecks, eliminate shadow spreadsheets, and increase throughput.

Fluent in Operations

I understand inventory management, cost-of-goods-sold (COGS) accuracy, and labor models. I specialize in optimizing modern software suites—including Sage X, Fishbowl, and QuickBooks Enterprise—to automate manual bottlenecks, eliminate shadow spreadsheets, and increase throughput.

Because I bridge this gap, every system I design for your business is architected with a dual goal:

  1. 1.

    Making your daily operations smoother

    Making your daily operations smoother.

  2. 2.

    Directly driving your profitability and enterprise value.

    Directly driving your profitability and enterprise value.

headshot of Justin Barton, founder of Summit Ledger Ops
Justin Barton
Fractional Executive
Fractional Executive

Your Partner in Scaling

At Summit Ledger Ops, I don’t just hand you a diagnostic report and walk away. I embed myself as a trusted, fractional extension of your leadership team.

Whether we are executing a rapid financial cleanup, restructuring a broken ERP, or mapping out a 3-year exit strategy, I am fully aligned with your vision.

CFO-level leadership without full-time overhead
CFO-level leadership without full-time overhead
ERP rescue and operational turnarounds
ERP rescue and operational turnarounds
ERP rescue and operational turnarounds
Inventory, COGS, and margin optimization
Inventory, COGS, and margin optimization
Inventory, COGS, and margin optimization
Exit planning built for long-term value
Exit planning built for long-term value
Exit planning built for long-term value

Stop Fighting Your Systems.
Start Scaling Your Business.

Free 30-Min Call
24-Hour Response

Book a consulation

Stop Fighting Your Systems.
Start Scaling Your Business.

Free 30-Min Call
24-Hour Response

Book a consulation