#175: From Despair to Data: Rebuilding a Life One Metric at a Time

SHOW NOTES:

In this powerful episode, Matt Zaun talks with Natalia Zacharin, founder of Zacharin Consulting—an “accounting firm on steroids.” They unpack how fractional CFOs turn messy books into strategic insight, why AI speeds analysis but never replaces human judgment, and how Natalia rebuilt her life (and business) from $7.10/hour to a multi-million-dollar firm.

In this episode, they cover:

✅ AI in finance (the truth) — great for speed and patterns; still needs humans to classify revenue vs. loans, deposits, and edge cases

✅ A trust case study — “400 calls a month” salesperson with zero sales; the numbers exposed fabricated activity

✅ Survival tactics when you feel stuck — slash to essentials, stack small wins, and re-engage your mind so you’re not trapped in a negative loop

✅ Why founders should sell more often — being in the sales process forces you to listen and shape services people actually want

...and much more!

BIOS:

Natalia Zacharin is the founder & CEO of Zacharin Consulting, a full-service accounting firm with controller-level oversight, dedicated payroll specialists, fractional CFO services, and tax strategy. She and her team help clients improve revenue, profit, and cash clarity to build sellable companies. Zacharin Consulting grew 525% in three years (Inc. 5000) and surpassed $2M in annual revenue with a team of 12+.

Matt Zaun is an award-winning speaker and strategic storytelling expert who helps leaders inspire action and drive results through the power of story. He’s the author of The StoryBank, a practical playbook for using strategic storytelling to build culture, boost sales, strengthen marketing, and become a dynamic public speaker.