Author: inersec

Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. I was recently sitting in a go-to-market strategy session where the tension in the room was palpable. Sales wanted a massive discount to land a marquee logo. Marketing was pushing a new freemium tier to drive top-of-funnel volume. And everyone was staring at me, waiting for…

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Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. Years ago, while stepping into a chaotic, PE-backed growth company, I hired a brilliant VP of Finance straight out of a Fortune 500 behemoth. She was an absolute powerhouse of structure, control, and process. But by week three, she was sitting in my office, visibly exhausted…

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Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. Your S-1 filing and your roadshow investor narrative are the single most consequential communications you will make as a first-time public CFO. They permanently establish the financial story of the business, define the performance expectations against which you will be measured for years, and signal to institutional…

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Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. The informal, conversational reporting cadence that works perfectly in a PE-backed environment absolutely does not translate to the public markets. The governance expectations of a public company board are structurally different, and the CFO who does not adapt their communication model before the IPO will spend their…

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Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. One of the most consequential decisions you will make as a first-time public CFO is sizing your finance function for the company you are becoming, not the company you have been. Transitioning to the public markets means every line item is under a microscope. Over-building your team…

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