Mailbag | CFO Secrets

Career Management

📬 The Decade View: Let's get real about AI

Oct 28, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 The Decade View: Let's get real about AI

And narrowing your focus on the CFO job search

The Board Room

Oct 21, 2025

•

18 min read

📬 Dumpster Fire: Measuring M&A success

And walking up the staircase of financial maturity

The Board Room

📬 Healthy Tension: Handling CEO red flags

Oct 14, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 Healthy Tension: Handling CEO red flags

And to MBA or not to MBA?

Teams & Hiring

📬 Speed Running: Spend approval for scale-ups

Oct 7, 2025

•

17 min read

📬 Speed Running: Spend approval for scale-ups

And when is a "good enough" employee not good enough?

CFO Role

Sep 30, 2025

•

18 min read

📬 VC CFO to PE: Can you make the leap?

And what's with all the PE interest in accounting firms?

CFO Role

📬 Spending Freedom: Managing employee expenses

Sep 23, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Spending Freedom: Managing employee expenses

And rebranding ... what's the point?

Treasury

📬 Employer Due Diligence: Spotting Red Flags

Sep 16, 2025

•

18 min read

📬 Employer Due Diligence: Spotting Red Flags

And how to guard against post deal job insecurity

Teams & Hiring

📬 Legal Troubles: Managing out-of-control lawyer fees

Sep 9, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Legal Troubles: Managing out-of-control lawyer fees

And does a CFO have to be an expert in all finance areas?

M&A

📬 Old vs. New: When To Change Your ERP...

Sep 2, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Old vs. New: When To Change Your ERP...

And do you decentralize capital or are you an "Outsider"?

Mailbag

📬 Deal Structuring: Seeking a Silver Bullet

Aug 26, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Deal Structuring: Seeking a Silver Bullet

And how do you invest "patient" equity?

M&A

📬 Synergy Sync-Up: Designing a Strategic Post-Merger Integration

Aug 19, 2025

•

18 min read

📬 Synergy Sync-Up: Designing a Strategic Post-Merger Integration

And how do you better negotiate your audit fees?

Mailbag

Aug 12, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Mayday: Knowing when to jump ship

And what do you do with risks that can't be quantified?

Mailbag

📬 Breaking Bad News: When, who, and how to handle it

Aug 5, 2025

•

16 min read

📬 Breaking Bad News: When, who, and how to handle it

And can quarterly closes work?

CFO Role

📬 Squad Metrics: Giving credit where it's due

Jul 29, 2025

•

14 min read

📬 Squad Metrics: Giving credit where it's due

And the pyramid of finance foundations

CFO Role

📬 The Pressure Cooker: My philosophy on handling the stress

Jul 22, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 The Pressure Cooker: My philosophy on handling the stress

And a complete framework for monthly business reviews in start ups

CFO Role

📬 Joining the dots: How to connect FP&A with capital allocation

Jul 15, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 Joining the dots: How to connect FP&A with capital allocation

And why audit profession are letting investors down

Mailbag

📬 Put Up or Shut Up: Does the business need your team's input for better decision-making?

Jul 8, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 Put Up or Shut Up: Does the business need your team's input for better decision-making?

And how to keep R&O from turning into a panic session

Mailbag

📬 Flexible Capital: Where is your breaking point?

Jul 1, 2025

•

13 min read

📬 Flexible Capital: Where is your breaking point?

And why your resume doesn't determine your career ceiling

Mailbag

📬 Feeling Vulnerable: Which scenario can bring a whole business crashing down?

Jun 24, 2025

•

13 min read

📬 Feeling Vulnerable: Which scenario can bring a whole business crashing down?

And dealing with a divided board using strategy

CFO Role

📬 Blurred Lines: which costs should be managed locally vs centrally?

Jun 17, 2025

•

14 min read

📬 Blurred Lines: which costs should be managed locally vs centrally?

And knowing when to leave if your ethics are pushed too far

The Board Room

📬 The CFO Tightrope: when your CEO & board want different things

Jun 10, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 The CFO Tightrope: when your CEO & board want different things

And how it feels working with people you REALLY don't like

Mailbag

📬 Getting payback: Does LTV/CAC leave room for manipulation?

Jun 3, 2025

•

14 min read

📬 Getting payback: Does LTV/CAC leave room for manipulation?

And FDD in SMB

Mailbag

📬 Keeping it simple: What does the FP&A playbook look like for an SMB?

May 27, 2025

•

15 min read

📬 Keeping it simple: What does the FP&A playbook look like for an SMB?

And when ripping out an ERP makes sense

Teams & Hiring

📬 Eat What You Kill: How do you incentivize finance teams?

May 20, 2025

•

13 min read

📬 Eat What You Kill: How do you incentivize finance teams?

And a rant on insurance

Mailbag

May 13, 2025

•

13 min read

📬 Big Four: When is it time to move on?

And the "stable" path isn't always the right path

📬 The Decade View: Let's get real about AI

📬 Dumpster Fire: Measuring M&A success

📬 Healthy Tension: Handling CEO red flags

📬 Speed Running: Spend approval for scale-ups

📬 VC CFO to PE: Can you make the leap?

📬 Spending Freedom: Managing employee expenses

📬 Employer Due Diligence: Spotting Red Flags

📬 Legal Troubles: Managing out-of-control lawyer fees

📬 Old vs. New: When To Change Your ERP...

📬 Deal Structuring: Seeking a Silver Bullet

📬 Synergy Sync-Up: Designing a Strategic Post-Merger Integration

📬 Mayday: Knowing when to jump ship

📬 Breaking Bad News: When, who, and how to handle it

📬 Squad Metrics: Giving credit where it's due

📬 The Pressure Cooker: My philosophy on handling the stress

📬 Joining the dots: How to connect FP&A with capital allocation

📬 Put Up or Shut Up: Does the business need your team's input for better decision-making?

📬 Flexible Capital: Where is your breaking point?

📬 Feeling Vulnerable: Which scenario can bring a whole business crashing down?

📬 Blurred Lines: which costs should be managed locally vs centrally?

📬 The CFO Tightrope: when your CEO & board want different things

📬 Getting payback: Does LTV/CAC leave room for manipulation?

📬 Keeping it simple: What does the FP&A playbook look like for an SMB?

📬 Eat What You Kill: How do you incentivize finance teams?

📬 Big Four: When is it time to move on?

Newsletter

Company

Legal