Category: The Accidental CFO

  • The Accidental CFO — Lost in Translation (Corporate Acronym Edition)

    “Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” Behind the buzzwords: what leaders actually need to know. Early in my career, I sat in a meeting where someone enthusiastically declared:“We’ll increase ARR with better NRR, driven by a strong PMO, and of course, we’ll need tight SOX controls.” I nodded like I understood. Inside,…

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  • The Accidental CFO — What Does Success Look Like for a CFO?

    “Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” When I first stepped into a CFO role, I thought success would be easy to define: hit the numbers, keep the books clean, and make sure everyone got paid on time. Simple, right? Not quite. Over the years, I’ve learned that a CFO’s success is far…

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  • The Accidental CFO: Leading When It Matters Most

    “Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” 💡 “In moments of crisis, leadership is not about the numbers—it’s about the people.” Sometimes as a CFO, you find yourself carrying responsibilities you never imagined. In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Astound Commerce had 650 employees and their families based across the country. Overnight, my role…

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  • The Accidental CFO — Integrity Isn’t Optional

    “Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” When people ask me what makes a great CFO, they often expect me to say something about capital strategy, M&A, or scaling operations. Those matter, of course. But the truth is, none of them work without one foundation: integrity. Integrity is not about perfection. It’s about alignment—between…

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  • The Accidental CFO — 3 Mistakes Companies Make with Cash Flow (and How to Avoid Them)

    “Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.” Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. But cash flow? That’s reality. Over the years, I’ve sat in boardrooms where revenue graphs looked like hockey sticks, and profit margins were trending in the right direction. Everyone was smiling—until I had to deliver the uncomfortable truth: “We don’t…

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