Not all CFOs are created equal, and one critical differentiator is broad experience working across industries and with different types of businesses. I, like all of my partners at the Florida CFO Group, rely on just such a mix.
These consequential industry experiences coupled with financial sponsorships afford small- and medium-sized business (SMB) clients access to an accumulation of honed skill sets that can be applied across unique company profiles to maximize the mission as a fractional or interim CFO.
My own career experience includes a mix of publicly traded, private enterprise, and family office experiences where I provided insightful financial and trusted strategic counsel to owners and CEOs of SMBs.
I have also worked across dissimilar industry verticals, including automotive manufacturing, energy, aviation, logistics, retail, distribution, financial and professional services. Far from being self-made, I am extremely fortunate to have been mentored by a number of nationally applauded multi-billion-dollar private equity sponsors throughout my career who valued my diverse industry accomplishments.
What are the lessons of these travels?
“Run your business like it’s for sale” is an engrained PE portfolio CFO adage in which everything revolves around maximizing shareholder value. Underlying financial, accounting, and treasury data within almost every business is quite similar, and a universal metric derived from this commonality is free cash flow. Whether scaling operations, organically growing the top line, managing the middle through cost controls, or acquisition integration / accretion, business success is measured by the cash generated. The double entendre “your cash is flowing, know where”, is the holy grail of the CFO mission.
To elevate and evolve the team, business owners and CEOs can expect to receive operations oriented communicative narratives well ahead of financial results, an incredibly strong sense of urgency, humility, and energetic intellectual curiosity leading to an accelerated and thorough understanding of the client’s business.
Do diverse industry experiences build stronger CFOs?
You can bet money on it. Rely on a fractional or interim partnership with the Florida CFO Group.
