Insights from the front lines
Tax strategy, cash flow, scaling, and the real challenges of running a service business, from a CFO who has been in your shoes.
The Expansion Path That Protects Margin
A service firm adding offers faster than it can see the economics does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
Tax Planning Starts Before the Deadline
A founder who treats tax as a filing-season event does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
The One Number That Needs Context: Profit
An owner asking whether a profitable month means the business is safe to spend does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
Model the Downside Before Approving the Upside
A leadership team evaluating an investment from the best-case revenue story does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
When the Founder Is the Bottleneck—and When That Is Fine
A founder deciding which dependencies are strategic and which are quietly limiting the company does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
The Decision Journal Every Scaling CEO Should Keep
A CEO making repeated high-stakes calls without a record of the assumptions behind them does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
How to Disagree With Your CFO Without Ignoring the Numbers
A CEO and finance leader who see the same facts but recommend different actions does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
Revenue Goals Without Resource Maps Are Wishes
A leadership team whose annual target is not connected to people, delivery, margin, or cash does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
Three Questions to Ask Before the Next Hire
A founder considering a hire because the team feels stretched does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
What a CEO Should Bring to a Monthly Finance Meeting
A CEO who wants the monthly finance meeting to drive action instead of reciting results does not need another abstract finance lesson. The issue is what the business can see early enough to change.
A Dashboard Is Not a Decision
Business owners do not need more reports. They need better visibility.
The CEO Sets the Destination. The CFO Marks the Icebergs.
I use a nautical description for the relationship between a CEO and a CFO because it makes the division of responsibility obvious.