Category: The Accidental CFO
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The Accidental CFO — Part 2: The Startup CFO — Builder, Translator, SometimesTherapist
Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. If the middle market and public-company CFO roles are about refinement, the startup CFO role is raw creation. I’ve stepped into venture-backed environments where the company had tremendous product vision but very little financial structure. It’s not unusual. Startups grow around opportunity, not process. When the…
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The Accidental CFO — Part 1: Three CFOs, Three Worlds — How the Role Changes By Stage
Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. If there’s one universal truth about the CFO role, it’s this: the title may stay the same, but the job absolutely does not. Over nearly three decades across startups, PE-backed middle-market businesses, and multi-billion-dollar global enterprises, I’ve learned that a CFO’s world is completely shaped by…
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The Accidental CFO — What I’m Most Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance. Thanksgiving has a way of forcing even the busiest leaders to hit pause—if only for a moment. And every year, when I finally stop running from meeting to meeting, board deck to board deck, and crisis to crisis, I’m reminded of just how much there is…
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗙𝗢 — Free Cash Flow: Your Netflix Money
𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. One of the most misunderstood financial metrics—by boards and founders alike—is free cash flow (FCF). It sounds technical, but it’s really this: FCF is your Netflix money. Think about your personal finances. Each month you pay the must-haves: rent or mortgage, groceries, utilities, insurance. In business, that’s payroll, COGS, hosting, vendor payments—everything required just…
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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗙𝗢: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗙𝗢𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿 (𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗳 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗲)
𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. One big misconception, especially in high-growth companies, is that the CFO owns every number the business produces. Revenue stalls? Finance. Margins compress? Finance again. Product not converting? Surely the CFO can “model something.” After nearly three decades in the seat, much of it by accident, here’s the truth: CFOs create financial clarity, not financial…
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