“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.”

Here’s the thing most people get wrong about private equity.

They don’t just want a CFO who reports the numbers.
They want a CFO who shapes the numbers.

In a PE-backed company, the CFO isn’t just the financial steward — you’re the value architect.
Everything you do ties back to one goal: create enterprise value, fast.

So what do they really expect from you?

Precision and Speed
They expect the books closed on time, no surprises, no “we’re still waiting on that.”
PE firms live on dashboards — not excuses.

Cash as a Religion
Forget GAAP profit for a minute.
PE wants to know where the cash is, where it’s going, and how soon it’s coming back.

Transparency (Even When It Hurts)
Bad news doesn’t get better with time.
They’ll respect a CFO who raises an issue early — not one who hides it until the board call.

Play Offense, Not Just Defense
They expect you to help drive the business — growth, margin expansion, operational efficiency.
Think like an operator, not just an accountant.

Turn Data into Decisions
PE investors crave insight, not spreadsheets.
If you can connect the dots between financial performance and operational levers, you become indispensable.

Build the Machine
Systems, process, talent, and reporting that scale.
Your job isn’t just to keep the lights on — it’s to build the infrastructure that survives diligence and fuels exit readiness.

Exit Mindset from Day One
You’re always working backward from the exit.
That means clean data, predictable results, and a narrative investors can trust.

Private equity CFOs don’t just “manage finance.”
They engineer outcomes.
They understand that every decision today writes tomorrow’s valuation story.

Takeaway:
If you want to thrive under PE ownership, stop thinking like a controller and start thinking like a deal partner.

Question for you:
What’s the hardest expectation you’ve faced (or seen) in a PE-backed environment?

#TheAccidentalCFO #PrivateEquity #CFOLeadership #ValueCreation #inersec