Run the Numbers

In this conversation, Razzak Jallow, the CFO of FloQast, emphasizes that finance teams should view themselves as data curators, enhancing decision-making through effective financial storytelling. He explores the crucial role of a CFO in aligning with the CEO's vision and draws valuable lessons from Apple's execution strategy. Jallow also discusses the unique challenges of finance in remote settings and the importance of communication during corporate transitions. His insights offer a fresh perspective on leveraging data to drive organizational success.

Kyle Poyar, Operating Partner at OpenView, discusses pricing strategies, exploring price elasticity, software companies, service sponsors for CFOs, auto industry evolution, and NetSuite benefits. They also cover pricing models, revenue growth implications, customer retention strategies, and embracing constructive criticism in venture capital.

Dave Kellogg, experienced board member and startup CEO, provides insights on executing great board meetings. He emphasizes the importance of clear presentation of information, templates for reporting metrics, and using NetSuite and Tropic procurement platform. Kellogg also discusses the significance of transparency, surprise, and independence in board meetings, as well as tips for leading a strategic board discussion.

This Thursday, Paul Barnhurst, the renowned "FPandA Guy" on LinkedIn, joins CJ to crack down on all things FP&A tools to create the ultimate FP&A guide. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---X / TWITTER:@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(01:24) Reflections on the FP&A function(02:12) On available tools for FP&A professionals(04:35) Paul on Gen 1 tools(06:31) How did we get to Gen 3 tools(10:35) New FP&A tools x BI(15:19) Are the current tools partially behind in terms of the shift on the CFO role?(17:02) Sponsor - NetSuite(19:04) The challenge of aligning on finance metric definitions(21:44) What tools should a CFO buy?(25:54) The finance tech stack in 10 years(27:58) Paul on the current AI revolution(33:09) SEGMENT: Long-ass lightning round This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Brandon Deer, Chief Strategy Officer of UiPath, joins CJ this week to talk through how UiPath scaled a lightning-fast pace, and the unforeseen sacrifices they had to make in order to move as fast as possible. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics---X / TWITTER:@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(00:14) Mailbag Q and A: What is your #1 model for finance and strategy?(04:01) Mailbag Q and A: How do you convince early stage founders that having good financial and operational hygiene is super important?(08:32) Mailbag Q and A: How do you make resource allocation decisions?(14:29) The UiPath experience on going global(16:40) What UiPath could have done better(19:35) Sponsor: Netsuite(23:05) Making conscious trade-offs when going international(25:38) A guide for founders on the go to market aspects of a company(28:16) War stories leading up to the IPO(31:32) Brandon's foot faults and what he's done to avoid repeating mistakes(34:57) Run in with Jim Cramer This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

We kick off our Thursday operator series with the VP of Sales at Snyk, Ethan Schechter. He and CJ get into how finance and sales can work together to set and achieve revenue goals, how to create a winning culture within your sales team, SPIFFs, PIPs, and much more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics---X / TWITTER:@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(01:09) Start of interview(02:37) How finance and sales can work together to set and achieve revenue goals(05:36) How to create a winning culture within your sales team(11:06) On ramping up and lead times(13:29) Are sales people ever the victim of their own success?(14:55) Sponsor: NetSuite(17:21) On discounts and getting quick wins(21:58) On SPIFFs: when to use them, structure, etc.(27:23) Where should sales ops sit?(30:54) When should you bring in sales enablement?(31:42) How to think about PIPs(36:31) SEGMENT: Long-ass Lightning Round(39:06) SEGMENT: Rep Yo Stack - Sponsored by Tropic(40:58) Craziest things a salesperson has tried to expense This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Sinohe Terrero, CFO of Envoy, sits down with CJ in episode nine of Run the Numbers to discuss why CFOs should actually say "yes" more, and be known as an enabler, not a blocker, to your organization. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics ---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics---X / TWITTER:@sinohe (Sinohe)@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(00:50) SEGMENT: CJ's opening “Off the Books” monologue - the Butter and Knife approach(02:59) Start of interview(03:42) On the CFO as the enabler of the organization(06:11) How to say "yes" more: Butter and Knife framework(09:22) Examples of unblocking / enabling in Sinohe's career(12:17) How to lead your BI team to success(16:00) Sponsor: NetSuite(19:51) Why you should re-define terms in your board deck(23:40) How to prioritize the right questions for your BI team(28:23) How to bucket / segment data within your org(33:30) The story of Envoy and Covid(38:50) Qualities that separate a good CFO from a great CFO(40:39) SEGMENT: Long-ass Lightning Round(44:15) SEGMENT: Rep Yo Stack - Sponsored by Tropic(46:08) Craziest expense attempt Sinohe has seen This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Kurtis Hanni, SMB CFO and writer of Frameworks & Finance, joins CJ for a special listener mailbag episode of Run the Numbers, where they answer questions about career advice, finance leader lies, pricing strategy tricks, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics ---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics---X / TWITTER:@KurtisHanni (Kurtis)@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(03:40) What's the backstory of Run the Numbers?(09:46) What's the biggest lie we tell ourselves as finance leaders?(14:16) Sponsor: NetSuite(17:54) What's the best/worst career advice you've ever received?(24:10) What's the first financial metric to track for your business?(32:46) What's your take on the current economic landscape and how it might impact startups and small businesses?(40:10) How is startup finance different from SMB finance?(46:41) How can you close the books faster? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

Sebastian Duesterhoeft, Partner at Lightspeed Ventures, shares insights on Total Addressable Market (TAM) in investment decisions, challenges with high-valued unicorns, models for TAM quantification, expanding TAM through strategic product growth, customer expansion metrics, and balancing quantitative with qualitative perspectives in business decisions.

On episode seven of Run the Numbers, Olivier Adler (CFO of Shippo, and former CFO of eero) and CJ dive deep into the world of acquisitions, and go a layer deeper than what you find online through Olivier's previous experience as CFO of a company acquired by Amazon. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics ---SPONSORS:NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budgets and bottom line. By combining approval workflows, supplier management, and pricing benchmarks all in one place, Tropic makes savings opportunities easy to find and act on. 🌴 Visit www.tropicapp.io/metrics to learn how. ---RECOMMENDED PODCAST:The HR industry is at a crossroads. What will it take to construct the next generation of incredible businesses – and where can people leaders have the most business impact? Hosts Nolan Church and Kelli Dragovich have been through it all, the highs and the lows – IPOs, layoffs, executive turnover, board meetings, culture changes, and more. With a lineup of industry vets and experts, Nolan and Kelli break down the nitty-gritty details, trade offs, and dynamics of constructing high performing companies. Through unfiltered conversations that can only happen between seasoned practitioners, Kelli and Nolan dive deep into the kind of leadership-level strategy that often happens behind closed doors. Check out the first episode with the architect of Netflix’s culture deck Patty McCord.https://link.chtbl.com/hrheretics---X / TWITTER:@OliAdler (Olivier)@cjgustafson222 (CJ)@TurpentineMedia (Turpentine)---TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Episode Preview(01:15) SEGMENT: CJ's opening “Off the Books” monologue - Listener mailbag on annual planning(05:00) Update on CJ's car saga(06:52) Start of interview: the story of eero(08:12) How the sale to Amazon happened(11:48) Highs and lows of Olivier's journey at eero(13:46) Sponsor: NetSuite(15:09) When incumbents start competing with start-ups(17:09) M&A advice for CFOs(21:05) The year after acquisition at Amazon(25:38) Olivier's current experience as CFO of Shippo(27:14) Olivier's current experience as CFO of Shippo(31:20) Advice for first-time CFOs(35:43) Time management tips for CFOs(36:17) SEGMENT: Long-ass Lightning Round(38:52) SEGMENT: Rep Yo Stack - Sponsored by Tropic(40:16) Craziest thing someone has tried to expense This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com