A Modern Pioneer’s Gratitude for the Journey
Do we have a destiny? Sometimes it seems so, especially in hindsight. My journey brought me exactly what I needed to get where I am today, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who played a role in my story. Here’s how it unfolded.
It All Started with Math
Since elementary school I loved numbers and excelled in all my math classes. I started college as a math major but quickly changed my major to accounting. My fascination with numbers grew along with a realization of how they can inform us. I graduated with a BSBA with a major in accounting, passed the CPA exam, and was a licensed CPA for over 20 years.
The Seeds Are Planted
When I graduated from college, “fractional” work was relatively unheard of and I had not yet developed the concept of Financial Intelligence. But that concept started to take shape through one of my first jobs at a CPA firm – not because of what anyone told me, but through my own observations and insights I gained through my work.
In that first job, I conducted numerous financial audits for businesses which I discovered provided a great deal of insight into how they were doing overall. Since the audit forms included a section for comments or suggestions, I took the opportunity to pencil in the information I knew could help the client, particularly suggestions for how they could use the numbers to make improvements in both the accounting department and the business operations overall.
I experienced an early “aha” moment that opened my eyes to how few businesses had a good understanding and control of their most important numbers. Those companies that did were the ones who were making a profit. This realization planted the seed and laid a foundation for the concept of Financial Intelligence – which was, at that time, unnamed.
Real World Experience
A few years later, the stealthy hand of “destiny” served up the additional experience and insight I needed to become a fractional Financial Intelligence pioneer.
I had the opportunity to become an owner-partner and CEO of a $20M construction firm, while also acting as CFO. I gained invaluable, real-world, first-hand insight into how the financial aspects of a business touch literally its every corner. This reinforced what I had learned many years earlier – that those who don’t know their numbers simply can’t make informed business decisions, so in a sense are gambling with the outcome and effectiveness of those decisions.
Taking My Own Path
For a short time, I switched gears and became a partner CFO in a firm that promoted fractional CFO services in different markets around the country. When their business model changed about 15 years ago, I realized the situation presented me with an opportunity to do something different with my career. Confident that my services could be of significant value as a fractional CFO, I made the decision to venture out on my own to work with small businesses, focused on what I really enjoyed – the financial aspects of business.
At that time, outsourcing payroll services had begun, but outsourcing a professional service like mine was uncommon. CFOs were not common in general – typically not hired until a business reached an annual revenue of around $50M. Owners often didn’t understand the benefits a CFO could offer or even understand what they did! Demonstrating not only the value of a CFO but the added value of a CFO with CEO experience led to the creation of my Financial Intelligence mission and client services, which is the basis of my work still today.
I found that my pioneering approach to Financial Intelligence and making myself available as a fractional CFO (with a CEO perspective) was welcomed and embraced. That now includes conducting Financial Intelligence webinars and in-person seminars.
What Sets My Work Apart
What differentiates my work from that of traditional CFOs is the ability to connect the dots between financials and all other areas of the business and provide advice far beyond financials. Numbers touch every aspect of business – from operations to your people, production, sales, customer service, and growth. Ultimately, numbers impact the quality of a business owner’s life and that of those who help make the business successful.
As much as the work itself, I value the trusting relationships – many of which have become long-term friendships – that are fostered through this level of involvement in the business. I relish seeing the changes in a business and the owner, as they gain a better understanding of their numbers and confidence in how to interpret and apply them to decision making.
As in days past, I find that many businesses are hitting their growth wall – a time when the expertise of a CFO is essential. My fractional CFO work not only addresses all their needs at this critical time, but for much less expense than adding a CFO to their staff.
Gratitude and the Future
I am grateful for this journey and its opportunities to pursue my own dreams and ideas, the personal and professional growth I’ve experienced, and incredible people that have come across my path and walked it with me. And a wonderful bonus: it brought me back to Denver so that I could spend all these years with my kids. It’s been a joy to serve the businesses of Colorado’s Front Range for more than 13 years.
What does the future look like?
I’ll retire someday, but for now I love helping entrepreneurs face the same financial, accounting, and financial infrastructure needs as 20 years ago. They are experts at delivering products and services yet will always need a financial voice to help them understand the financial consequences of their decisions. And of course, I’ll continue to play golf – a staple in my life – maybe even a little more often!
My goal has always been to be strategic, while also educating and empowering the owner I’m working with to continually improve their Financial Intelligence.
Contact me when you’re ready to overcome that growth wall. I’ll provide you with the benefit of years of financial intelligence you can use to take your company to its next level.
