What's a "CFO Advisor"?
Sometimes as a founder, you just need someone who's been there before to tell you how it's done.
Having founded 3 companies, I can't tell you how many times I've felt that way.
But there's a big issue with most advisors:
They're giving advice based on their past experiences, not yours.
Because no matter how much you speak with them, they can't know your company as well as you do.
So often, you take the advice, put it into practice, and realize you may have been better off just going it alone.
...That is, unless your advisor is and exited founder AND a CFO.
Because a CFO has the magic ability to look deeply into your data and know precisely what's going on.
This is the insight that caused me to transform my business from a Fractional CFO offering to being more heavily focused on CFO Advisory.
For a long time, was running a purely Fractional CFO firm, working with only 2-3 clients at once, and focusing only on companies who could afford an experienced part-time Strategic CFO.
It was interesting and profitable, but I was very limited in who I could work with.
And I wasn't totally satisfied with the outcomes:
Folks wanted me to stick around forever, or to come on full-time, which isn't the typical flow.
(Typically, you eventually drop your Fractional and hire a full-timer).
But it was because as a FracCFO, I wasn't just doing the financial management thing most FracCFOs do.
Because of my operator background, I spent a lot of time simply advising the CEO.
And from reviews, I realized that the advice was the part they actually loved most.
The feedback I was getting was about how I actually listened,
How I seemed to get it
That the time we spend together was incredibly productive.
And I honestly think it's all about the CFO/CEO combo:
When you work from the numbers, it forces you to work in reality.
To problem-solve for the company that's actually in front of you
(Rather than simply lecturing about past experiences),
And to teach founders to do the same for themselves.
So morphed my focus:
Instead of only offering Fractional CFO work to large startups, I opened up my practice.
I found a way to work with smaller businesses who really just needed what I do best:
Financial guidance, prioritization for growth, clearing blockers, and general startup acceleration
All with the full context of someone who knows your business fully as a CFO,
Who can look at your financial statements and data and immediately deeply understand what's going on
In a way that "the former GTM of X BigCo" just can't.
I carved out 1) a lite offering called CFO Advisory:
1 meeting a week
We spend out time clear WHATEVER is the biggest issue you're facing this week
Has no "expiration date" as you scale
And 2) another coaching offering for those just getting started:
A digital course on the very basics of business finance
4 coaching sessions where we build your financial model together
At your own pace, but doable in a month
Since creating these two offerings, the doors have opened up and my ability to work with companies has just exploded.
I've now been able to help founders from pre-seed, seed, non-profit, $30M+ businesses, businesses with CFOs already in place, intrapreneurs building startups within businesses, businesses buying other businesses, aspiring startup CFOs, and beyond.
It's now become the core of my business; one of my favorite ways to be helpful.
If you or someone you know needs the guidance of an experienced founder, with the high-context capabilities of a CFO, I'm opening up the schedule to accept a couple new clients in Q2.
(I typically offer a 15-minute intro call to vet new clients, but for newsletter subscribers, where I know you're more likely to be a great fit, here's a link to book 30 minutes.)
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