In this episode, our host Joe Michalowski speaks with Jervis Williams, the CFO of Second Front Systems. Jervis shares his experiences and lessons learned from his journey as a finance professional, particularly during his first 90 days as Second Front's new CFO. He highlights the importance of establishing a solid finance team early on and engaging with stakeholders, including the board, to ensure a smooth onboarding process.Jervis also discusses the benefits of hiring finance professionals early in a startup's lifecycle. He emphasizes the significance of financial discipline and good hygiene within the organization, along with the external benefits of having a dedicated finance person to build confidence with investors and the board. By sharing his own career path, Jervis sheds light on the value of fluidity and adaptability in the world of finance.Lastly, Jervis extends an invitation for fellow finance professionals to connect with him on LinkedIn and offers his insights as a personal advisor. He encourages building a strong network, seeking best practices, and obtaining second and third opinions to enhance one's career in finance. This episode is packed with valuable advice for both aspiring and seasoned finance professionals.Guest at a Glance💡 Name: Jervis Williams💡 Title: CFO💡 Company: Second Front Systems💡 Where to find them: LinkedInAdditional ResourcesContact The Jackson Hole Group to request access or distribution rights to "The First 100 Days"The First 90 Days is a book by Michael Watkins available on Amazon.

Many of today's most innovative companies rely on debt capital to reach their full potential, and debt capital can be the difference between hypergrowth and stagnation.But capital providers and borrowers are stuck with legacy systems, which means slow transactions, disjointed processes, and limited visibility. In this episode of The Role Forward, Jeremy Tsui, the Co-Founder and CEO of Finley, a company that offers software to accelerate the pace of capital, gets into the importance of capital strategy and managing capital. Jeremy and our host Joe Michalowski discuss raising debt versus equity, the process of raising debt, and how you can find a lender.##Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Jeremy Tsui💡 What he does: Jeremy is the co-founder and CEO of Finley.💡 Company: Finley💡 Noteworthy: Jeremy is a Co-Founder and CEO at Finley. He was previously in the Merchant Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, where he made investments in software, real estate, and other companies. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Jeremy was at Oliver Wyman, where he specialized in financial analysis, scenario modeling, and stress testing for major banks. Jeremy also loves side hustles: he has launched a secondhand bike shop, a chain of escape rooms, and an Instagram museum. He graduated from the University of Texas.💡 Where to find Jeremy: LinkedIn l Website

Nick Tarnoff, VP of Finance at SupportLogic, discusses the importance of customer retention and how to improve it. They also explore the challenges of transitioning to a consumption-based pricing model and the significance of humility and expertise in fostering successful business relationships. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of finding a balance between precision and storytelling in finance and accounting.

Ad hoc analysis is a type of analysis that is performed on an as-needed basis without a predefined plan or structure. Ad hoc analysis is often used when there is a need to investigate a particular issue or answer a specific question, and it can be a powerful tool for gaining insights into data quickly and efficiently. But ad hoc analysis can be time-consuming and challenging without automation, especially if you are dealing with large datasets. In this episode of The Role Forward, Joel Blachman, an operations and finance lead at Amper Technologies, gets into the importance of automation tools while doing ad hoc analysis and answering ad hoc requests. Joel and our host Joe Michalowski discuss the ad hoc analysis treadmill, the challenges of responding to last-minute requests, and how Amper Technologies raised their Series A.##Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Joel Blachman💡 What he does: Joel is an operations and finance lead at Amper Technologies.💡 Company: Amper Technologies💡 Noteworthy: Joel has been working as an operations and finance lead at Amper Technologies for four years. While studying industrial engineering at Northwestern University, Joel was part of their startup incubator, The Garage, and worked at different manufacturing technology startups. During a research project, Joel came across Amper Technologies, founded out of The Garage in 2016. He started interning there one summer, stuck around throughout school, and upon graduation, joined full-time in a finance and operations role.💡 Where to find Joel: LinkedIn l Website

Parker Gilbert, Co-Founder and CEO of Numeric, discusses the importance of data cleansing for making informed decisions and the benefits of a strong finance and accounting relationship. They also talk about modernizing the close process, managing accounting data hygiene at high growth companies, the vision of a modern closed process, challenges in accounting, and the importance of strategic thinking and communication.

Investors provide vital funds so that companies can achieve their next level of growth, whether it’s making the next important version of a product or a key hire that will unlock the company’s potential even further. But in a time of economic uncertainty, where we see layoffs, budget freezes, and falling tech industry stock prices, venture capital investors are putting the brakes on aggressive funding for early-stage growth companies. According to a Crunchbase report, in the last quarter of 2022, investments in startup companies in North America fell by 63% compared to the same period a year earlier.In this episode of The Role Forward, Scott Stouffer, the CEO and founder of scaleMatters, gets into fundraising during a recession and why people are hesitant to invest in new companies. Scott and our host Joe Michalowski discuss what makes a company investible and what companies can do to become more efficient with their go-to-market motions.##Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Scott Stouffer💡 What he does: Scott is the CEO and founder of scaleMatters.💡 Company: scaleMatters 💡 Noteworthy: Scott Stouffer is a serial tech entrepreneur, 5x CEO, and 3x founder. He took his first company (Visual Networks) public in 2001 and grew it to a peak market cap of $3 billion. Since 2011, Scott has focused on early and growth-stage tech companies, building quantitative data and process models that uncover waste, inefficiency, and friction in the customer acquisition function.💡 Where to find Scott: LinkedIn 

Edwine Alphonse, the first financial controller at Ramp, brings her extensive expertise in accounting and auditing to share insights on NetSuite implementation. She highlights the crucial need for data cleanliness and provides actionable tips for overcoming common transition challenges, like migrating from QuickBooks Online. The importance of effective communication and reliable implementation partners is emphasized. Additionally, Edwine discusses foundational accounting practices and the evolving strategic role of accountants in supporting business growth.

The finance team is essential for any business — especially as the company grows. And while in recent years the role of the finance team has evolved from a stereotypical back-office scorekeeping function toward a forward-thinking strategic partner, the process of financial transformation and implementation within the business is complex — and sometimes, it can fail.In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Chris Ortega, the CEO of Fresh FP&A, which provides fractional CFO and advisory services that support the strategies, tactics, and tools a business needs to transform and grow its finance function. Chris describes the Fresh FP&A approach, what it means to be fresh in finance, and how to become a strategic partner for department and executive leaders. Joe and Chris also discuss how to scale your finance team, improve the month-end close process, and finance trends to keep in mind for 2023. ##Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Chris Ortega💡 What he does: Chris is the CEO of Fresh FP&A.💡 Company: Fresh FP&A💡 Noteworthy: Chris has over 17 years of experience in accounting, finance, FP&A, and fractional CFO leadership around finance transformation and scale for seed to enterprise companies. In 2022, Chris became the CEO of Fresh FP&A, which provides fractional CFO and advisory services for businesses that allow them to transform and scale their finance organization.💡 Where to find Chris: LinkedIn

There's something special about a career in finance. Because you sit at the intersection of all data in the organization and collaborate with so many different functions, your job in finance can become the perfect stepping stone to a wide variety of career paths. But how do you maneuver your way from day one to where you want to take your career?In this episode of The Role Forward podcast, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Peter Nesbitt, an early-stage startup advisor, investor, and founder who previously rose through the ranks of finance to an executive seat. They talk about Peter's unique career path, tips for taking your own career to the next level, and why empowerment is a superpower.##Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Peter Nesbitt💡 What he does: He's an early-stage startup advisor and investor.💡 Company: N/A💡 Noteworthy: Peter was a full-time COO at Teampay before becoming an independent community founder, angel investor, and operationally-focused executive.💡 Where to find Peter: LinkedIn

Mosaic COO Joe Garafalo talks about the challenges of building financial infrastructure, the ideal customer segment, transitioning from VP of Finance to leading sales and marketing teams, the importance of finance teams resonating with the organization, and the company's revenue model, products, and potential services.