Category: The Accidental CFO
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The Accidental CFO — Part 1: The CFO’s Inner Circle — The Relationship with Sales
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” I used to be the “Department of No.” Then I realized I was killing my own company. This is Part 1 of my “Inner Circle” series. When I first stumbled into the CFO role, I thought my job was to guard the bank account. Sales rep wants
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The Accidental CFO — The CFO’s Inner Circle
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” The CFO office is often the loneliest room in the building. When I first became “The Accidental CFO,” I thought my job was to sit in a room, stare at spreadsheets, and be the impartial scorekeeper. I thought keeping my distance made me objective. In reality,
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The Accidental CFO — The “Accidental” Advantage: Why Non-Finance Backgrounds Shine in the CFO Seat
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” For years, I felt like the odd one out. In a sea of CPAs and Big Four veterans, I didn’t fit the mold. I didn’t spend my early career exclusively modeling spreadsheets. I was an “Accidental” finance leader. I used to view this as a handicap
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The Accidental CFO — Resolutions Are for Gyms; Forecasts Are for CFOs
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” It is January 20th. Statistically, most New Year’s resolutions are already broken. The gym is quieter. The kale smoothies have been replaced by the usual morning coffee. Resolutions fail because they are rigid declarations made in a vacuum. Yet, businesses fall into the same trap. We
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The Accidental CFO — Instinct vs. Judgment
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” A reader recently left a comment on my last post that stopped me in my tracks: “Ambiguity doesn’t disappear with better data, it only shifts.” They pointed out that when a leader fails to provide clarity on direction and trade-offs, a “pressure gap” forms. And in that
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