The Roadmap as a Financial Plan: How to Drive Profitability as a CTO—with Farah Chabchoub, CTO at Worklife

In this episode of CTO Insights, Katerina is joined by Farah Chabchoub, CTO at Worklife, to discuss the strategies for transitioning from a growth-driven model to a profitable and sustainable tech company.

Farah shares her experiences aiding late-stage startups in building resilient organizations by transforming the development focus towards financial planning. They delve into topics such as budgeting, aligning with board members, and balancing quick feature delivery with long-term company health.

The conversation also touches on how to manage team dynamics during significant transitions like acquisitions, laying off underperforming projects, and building ambitious yet budget-conscious roadmaps. Sponsored by Adeva, the episode offers valuable insights for engineering leaders facing high-burn environments.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

01:11 Joining Post Series C: Challenges and Fixes

02:27 EBITDA Positive: A CTO's Unique Goal

05:35 First Steps in a New Company

10:20 Aligning Product Roadmap with Financial Plan

16:20 AI and Product Development

17:49 The Cost of Poor Planning

21:57 Managing Team and Stakeholders During Tough Decisions

31:55 Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Growth

34:42 Final Advice for Engineering Leaders

35:46 Conclusion and Farewell

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ctoinsights.adevait.com