“He's been here since he graduated. He helped us build this thing. I just don’t understand how we got here.” That’s what the CEO said—quietly, after a long meeting. The executive in question wasn’t just a hire. He was a foundational member of the team. Loyal. Hardworking. Deeply invested. For years, he showed up, figured […]
We’ve all heard it before: you can’t outrun a bad diet. No matter how many spin classes you sweat through, if you’re pounding milkshakes and mozzarella sticks like it's your full-time job, you’re not going to see real progress. And guess what?Business works the same way. Everyone loves to talk about revenue.Revenue feels exciting. It […]
There are few things that erode trust faster between a business owner and their strategic partner than the dreaded hourly invoice. You know the kind —Surprise charges for vague line items like: "Thought about strategies for cash flow improvement (0.75 hrs)" "Internal discussion on possible client initiatives (1.0 hr)" As a business owner myself, I […]
You’ve seen it before. That certain kind of swagger. The over-the-top confidence. The loud declarations of growth: “We’re doing $100 million this year.”“We just signed a $25 million deal.”“We're the fastest-growing in our space.” Let’s call it what it is: Big Revenue Energy. You know the type. A lot of top-line bravado, with very little […]
Entrepreneurs are built differently. They start with nothing—no playbook, no guarantees, no safety net—and they build something. Through hustle. Grit. And, intuition. They take an idea and will it into a real business. But somewhere between $5M and $50M, everything changes. The systems that worked? Stop working.The instincts that got the business this far? Start […]
Everyone loves a big transaction. The revenue. The market share. And, of course, the press releases. But, closing the deal is just the beginning. And, a successful acquisition isn’t just about getting the deal done—it’s about seamlessly integrating operations, teams, and financial systems to ensure long-term success. So many business owners underestimate this critical phase, […]
The Reality of Leadership: Not Every Decision Will Be Popular Leadership is often glamorized as vision. Strategy. Inspiring teams. But the truth is, one of the hardest parts of leadership is making the decisions no one else wants to make. The decisions that make people uncomfortable. The decisions that create short-term pain for long-term financial […]
Today, they're a $100M company with great market share. Solid margins. And, steady cash flow. Everyone wants a piece. But, less than a decade ago, they were running on sheer momentum with no financial infrastructure to support their growth. At $30M in revenue, they were operating without reliable financials, struggling through a failed ERP implementation, […]
When I recently bought a business, it wasn’t my first rodeo in M&A. But, before this, my acquisition experience was as a CFO inside a business. I had the spreadsheets. The diligence. The bankers. And, the attorneys at my disposal. But when YOU'RE the one buying the business, the game changes. If you’re an entrepreneur […]
Hiring a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) isn’t like hiring a bookkeeper or a controller—it’s more like finding the right life partner. And, if you've ever been on a date, you know that what works for you might not work for someone else. And, vice versa. It's the same story here. There is no one-size-fits-all CFO. […]
