In this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou sits down with Jeff Arensman, Controller at Bloomerang, to cover two important topics: building a finance function from scratch and the role of finance in acquisitions.

For Jeff, the two are inextricably linked at Bloomerang. As the first finance hire at the company, his first task was supporting an acquisition that needed to close in just three weeks. He then quickly turned to building a strong foundation for the accounting and finance practice at the company through new processes, tools, and technology. Jeff covers how he spent his time in the first few years at Bloomerang, including how he approached team building, and then turns to his current priorities now four years in at the company (a big NetSuite implementation!).

After sharing how he approached building a function, Jeff does a deep dive into considerations during acquisitions both on the buy and sell side. He details his extensive experience in acquisitions and highlights some of his best practices and learnings - including how important it is to add nuance and context to the models that bankers develop during the due diligence process.

The episode closes with Jeff sharing the deep detective work he had to do to get to the bottom of one of his weirdest company expense moments early in his career.