Finance can be a strategic partner and growth catalyst for department and executive leaders. But many organizations still see finance teams as a back-office department, simply delivering financial reports. If companies really want sustainable growth, that mindset needs to change. This episode of The Role Forward revisits the presentation Mosaic CEO and co-founder, Bijan Moallemi, gave at SaaS Metrics Palooza in October 2022. Bijan and our host Joe Michalowski discuss how you can get the most out of financial storytelling vs. financial reporting. They also cover how to take your storytelling to the next level by embracing a customer service mindset across the organization, and understanding and presenting specific metrics that impact the company’s growth at the right time.Learn more about SaaS Metrics PaloozaGuest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Bijan Moallemi💡 What he does: Bijan is the CEO and co-founder of Mosaic.💡 Company: Mosaic💡 Noteworthy: Bijan Moallemi has nearly a decade of experience building and leading finance functions at companies like Qualcomm and Palantir. He knew CFOs deserved access to better tools, so he co-founded Mosaic Finance to build the next generation of finance software for CFOs and their teams. Born out of their own experiences in finance, Bijan and his co-founders have built the Mosaic platform as a tool that combines big data and machine learning to provide powerful predictive reporting capabilities.💡 Where to find Bijan: LinkedIn

Forecasting is essential for every team, and it involves tracking key performance indicators and financial metrics to measure each team's success. But many people don’t discuss best practices, especially when you begin to add headcount into the mix.Our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Brian Weisberg, the CFO at Tidelift, back to The Role Forward podcast. While they work through departmental headcount planning, Joe and Brian also discuss the importance of understanding the business’s goals, why you need to be realistic with expectations, and why companies should invest early in a financial position.Links Referenced in This EpisodeDave Kellogg’s BlogLauren Kelley and Tom Huntington on the R&D Magic NumberGuest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Brian Weisberg💡 What he does: He's the CFO at Tidelift.💡 Company: Tidelift💡 Noteworthy: Brian Weisberg is an experienced finance leader who enjoys working in startup cultures. Before joining Tidelift, he held VP of Finance roles at companies like Code Climate and Anchore.💡 Where to find Brian: LinkedIn | Twitter

No one denies Excel’s contribution to the business world and how it took operations to the next level. However, it’s time to admit that there are use cases that have outgrown spreadsheets and can make the lives of finance professionals easier. Whether spreadsheets will soon become part of the past is a burning topic among finance professionals across various industries. In this episode of The Role Forward, Joe Michalowski chats with Lauren Bahr, the VP of finance at Occupier, a lease management solution that breaks down the silos between finance, real estate, and facilities departments. They discuss the destiny of spreadsheets and Excel, why people still use them despite technological advances, how to keep the finance and accounting professions alive, and why the future of finance lies in automation. Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Lauren Bahr💡 What she does: Lauren is the VP of finance at Occupier.💡 Company: Occupier💡 Noteworthy: Lauren has over 10 years of experience in the finance space, where she started her career in the audit practice at PWC. She then transitioned into a consulting role where she helped emerging growth companies with their month-end financial reporting requirements. Lauren served as the Director of Accounting & Finance at Neocova, and is now the VP of Finance at Occupier.💡 Where to find Lauren: LinkedIn

Technology is always evolving, and over the last few years we’ve seen rapid advancement of third-gen tools. But these third-gen tools are still evolving. In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Paul Barnhurst, the founder of The FP&A Guy. They talk about the gaps in third-gen FP&A tools, why MS Excel is not going anywhere anytime soon, and the four pillars of FP&A tool evaluation that will help you scale your company.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Paul Barnhurst💡 What he does: He's The FP&A Guy.💡 Company: The FP&A Guy💡 Noteworthy: Paul has more than 12 years of finance and FP&A experience across several industries, including U.S. government, cyber security, ecommerce, and more. As the FP&A Guy, Paul offers FP&A writing, training, and consulting services for small and mid-size companies, and is the host of the FP&A Today podcast.💡 Where to find Paul: LinkedIn

For SaaS companies, headcount amounts to 70% of operating expenses. If finance dives straight into the numbers without keeping the company’s short- and long-term goals in mind when headcount planning, it spells imminent disaster with misforecasts and errors that can take months, if not years, to resolve. In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Enrique Esclusa, co-founder of Assemble. Enrique and Joe get into headcount planning and compensation strategies, diving deep into the disadvantages of using spreadsheets and key pain points of workforce planning.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Enrique Esclusa💡 What he does: Enrique is a co-founder of Assemble.💡 Company: Assemble💡 Noteworthy: Enrique was born in Venezuela, raised in Miami, Florida, and has been living between NYC and SF for the past 12+ years. After a 10-year career in finance, spanning investment banking and private equity, Enrique delved into his passion of making pay equity a reality by co-founding Assemble.💡 Where to find Enrique: LinkedIn

Tax compliance is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s often underappreciated and overlooked — until it’s down to the wire for SaaS companies who have received warnings about being audited.Tax compliance needs to be more top of mind for SaaS leaders who want to truly embrace strategic, sustainable growth and expansion. In this episode of The Role Forward podcast, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Daniëlle Keeven, the VP of finance at Paddle. They chat about the importance of tax compliance and subscription legislation for tech companies, how to perform audits effectively, and why collaboration between departments is vital.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Daniëlle Keeven💡 What she does: Daniëlle is the VP of Finance at Paddle.💡 Company: Paddle💡 Noteworthy: Daniëlle is an accomplished global executive with 10+ years of experience in operations, people management, finance, accounting, audit, and compliance within hospitality, gaming, and the tech industry.💡 Where to find Daniëlle: LinkedIn

Finance is often perceived as a back office function. But getting out of the back office to collaborate with other departments within an organization is a prerequisite for business success. In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski chats with Jenny Jao, the head of finance at Sprig, to discuss what it takes to build a financial model collaboratively.Jenny shares what it was like building an operating model from the bottom up and the steps involved in the process. Jenny and Joe also discuss headcount planning, why it’s such a tough part of any operational model, and how Jenny works through it at Sprig.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Jenny Jao💡 What she does: Jenny is the head of finance at Sprig.💡 Company: Sprig💡 Noteworthy: Jenny is a finance professional with over five years of experience at public and private companies. She is on a mission to help businesses improve existing processes and drive better performance. And in 2022, Jenny was recognized as one of Mosaic’s Movers of Strategic Finance.💡 Where to find Jenny: LinkedIn

Organizational transparency is one of many buzzwords in the business world, but it can be a game changer for any company that adopts it. Executive leaders shouldn’t be afraid of being transparent with employees because it can lead to greater motivation, more trust, and improved productivity.However, it can be a struggle to find the sweet spot between sharing and oversharing. And finance leaders can help bridge the gap and make a strategic impact by helping executive and department leaders discover their common language around the numbers and people that make the company’s growth narrative come to life. In this episode of The Role Forward podcast, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Matt Wolf, the CFO of ChartHop. They discuss the benefits of organizational transparency, some potential challenges, and why it ultimately benefits the company in terms of stronger employee retention.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Matt Wolf💡 What he does: Matt is the CFO of ChartHop.💡 Company: ChartHop💡 Noteworthy: Matt Wolf is the CFO at ChartHop, a people analytics company that is creating more connected organizations. Wolf has over a decade’s worth of experience in financial leadership, from startups to global organizations. Prior to his career at ChartHop, Wolf served as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley and the CFO of Roadster. 💡 Where to find Matt: LinkedIn

Starting a company requires an idea and people to help bring it to reality. But a company requires more than a vision, even though it’s fundamental to its success — its needs a well-thought-out business model. For early-stage SaaS startups, creating and implementing a financial model is challenging for a variety of reasons. Which is why Taylor Davidson founded Foresight, a company that offers an extensive library of financial model templates for entrepreneurs.In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski chats with Taylor about the core building blocks of an early-stage SaaS financial model. They also discuss the challenges of implementing an operational model, which part of the model is critical for which stage of the business, and why flexibility and customization are vital elements of model creation as the business grows.Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Taylor Davidson💡 What he does: Taylor is the founder of Foresight.💡 Company: Foresight💡 Noteworthy: Taylor Davidson is the founder of Foresight, a strategic advisory service and financial model template provider for entrepreneurs and investors. Taylor has over two decades of experience, which spans lecturing at Carnegie Mellon University and the Founder Institute to his former directorship of kbs+ Ventures to co-curating Creative Entrepreneurship, a book for startup founders about venture capital and entrepreneurship. Taylor is an angel investor in nearly 100 companies.💡 Where to find Taylor: taylordavidson.com

Building a finance team means investing in processes, tools, and people. But, making all three segments successful can be time-consuming and requires having a CFO ready to look outside the box and build partnerships with every department within an organization. That's easier said than done, but fortunately, there are success stories that prove it is possible.In this episode of The Role Forward, our host Joe Michalowski welcomes Russ Jones, the former CFO of Shopify. The two discuss what it was like growing a finance team in a company such as Shopify, the challenges and lessons learned, and the importance of developing a partnership between finance and other departments.  Guest-at-a-Glance💡 Name: Russell Jones💡 What he does: Russ was the CFO of Shopify from 2011 to 2018💡 Company: Shopify💡 Noteworthy: Throughout his 40-year career, Russell has been on a mission to help finance people evolve. Currently, he is on the advisory board of a prominent Canadian VC and is helping them build their finance community.💡 Where to find Russell: LinkedIn