The CFO role has evolved dramatically, especially for venture and growth-stage companies where traditional MBA theory meets harsh startup realities. In this episode of CFO Weekly, Rick Smith, a five-time CFO and founder of Bonfire Advisory, joins Megan Weis to share hard-earned lessons from his new book and decades of experience building financial operations from the ground up.
Rick Smith is a seasoned financial executive who has served as CFO for five different companies across industries, including SaaS, health tech, education technology, and retail. With experience scaling businesses from $20M to $300M in revenue, Rick founded Bonfire Advisory to provide fractional CFO services to Series A and B companies. His new book, "Demystifying the Role of the CFO in Venture and Growth Stage Companies," offers practical guidance for finance leaders navigating the unique challenges of high-growth environments.
What You'll Learn:
- Why early-stage CFO work is harder than large company finance roles
- How to build scalable financial systems before you desperately need them
- The critical difference between theoretical MBA knowledge and practical CFO skills
- Why most acquisitions fail and how to beat the odds in M&A deals
- How to navigate complex revenue recognition in different industries (SaaS vs. healthcare)
- The "boring but crucial" aspects that can make or break your company during a sale
Learn more about Rick:
- Rick Smith on LinkedIn
- Bonfire Advisory on LinkedIn
- Demystifying the Role of the CFO: in Venture and Growth Stage Companies in Amazon
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Previous guests include:
Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified,
Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata,
Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples,
Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE,
Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest &
William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzie
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