Category: The Accidental CFO
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The Accidental CFO — Building the Plane While It’s Flying
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” I was recently brought in to transform a finance function that “needed serious attention.” The mandate was clear: rebuild the foundation—modernize systems, improve accuracy, and strengthen controls. But at the same time, I was expected to keep delivering strategic insights, supporting growth, and driving enterprise value.…
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The Accidental CFO — Gross Margin: The Cupcake Shop Profit Test 🧁
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” Let’s say you open a cupcake shop. You sell each cupcake for $5 — because obviously, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill cupcakes. They’re small works of art, made with imported vanilla, Himalayan salt, and frosting whipped by hand while listening to motivational podcasts. Now, let’s talk about what it…
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The Accidental CFO — Art Restoration & Leadership
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” This fall, my daughter Eliza began her sophomore year at Scripps College, where she is studying Art Conservation. For her, this means diving deep into the science and craft of restoring and preserving artworks—learning how to study a piece, understand its history, and carefully bring it…
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The Accidental CFO — Private Equity CFO – What They Really Expect
“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…
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The Accidental CFO — How Great CFOs Make CEOs Better
“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” The relationship between a CEO and a CFO is one of the most misunderstood dynamics in business. From the outside, it can look like a constant tug of war, one focused on growth and the other on control. But the best partnerships I’ve seen (and been…
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