Podcasts about cfos

In this eye-opening episode of Count Me In, host Adam Larson sits down with fraud expert Rich Brody for a candid conversation about white collar and red collar crimes—no jargon, just real talk. Rich breaks down what actually counts as white collar crime, why society often overlooks its victims, and what happens when these crimes turn violent. From legendary cases like Madoff and Murdoch to the surprising ways technology has changed the game, this episode covers the impact of fraud in today's world. Plus, Rich shares practical tips for protecting yourself and your organization. If you're curious about the under-the-radar crimes that really shake up people's lives, this episode is a must-listen. BILL is a leading financial operations platform for startups to established brands. Headquartered in San Jose, California, we're a trusted partner of leading US financial institutions, accounting firms, and accounting software providers. We empower business owners, CFOs, controllers, and accountants to save time and take control of their payables, receivables, spend, and expense management. For more information, visit bill.com.

In this episode,Caswell Samms III, Executive Vice President and CFO of Nemours Children's Health, discusses financial priorities for 2026, including purposeful growth, Medicaid reimbursement pressures, and strategic investments in maternal care and virtual health. He also shares how CFOs must lead with agility, clinical insight, and mission focus in an uncertain healthcare landscape.

(0:00) Guest intros: Jasons introduces Bob Sternfels (McKinsey) and Hemant Taneja (General Catalyst) (2:52) The pace of innovation and why VC's are buying hospitals (9:30) CFOs vs CIOs and unlocking growth (20:46) The job market and why graduates aren't getting hired (27:33) Why education is broken (40:03) Tech time capsule Follow Hemant Taneja: https://x.com/htaneja Follow Bob Sternfels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-sternfels Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect

Pick the headline that best describes the story:VenezuelaTrump's Hint to Oil Executives Weeks Before Maduro Ouster: ‘Get Ready'Maduro overthrow could help these U.S. oil companies recover assets seized by VenezuelaTrump makes it clear shocking Venezuelan regime change is largely about oil: ‘They stole our oil … We're going to make a lot of money'US oil giants mum after Trump says they'll spend billions in VenezuelaUS oil companies gain after capture of Venezuela's MaduroA group of about 20 US investors is already planning a trip to Venezuela in MarchMaduro falls, Bitcoin rises: The 1,671% surge that hit before Wall Street woke upAI-generated content spreads after Maduro's removal — blurring fact and fictionElonElon Musk's X faces probes in Europe, India, Malaysia after Grok generated explicit images of women and childrenElon Musk's X faces regulatory probes in Europe, India and Malaysia after its Grok chatbot began generating deepfake explicit images, some depicting child sex abuse.Elon Musk After His Grok AI Did Disgusting Things to Literal Children: “Way Funnier” Elon Musk's Grok AI faces government backlash after it was used to create sexualized images of women and minorsMusk's xAI faces backlash after Grok generates sexualized images of children on XWoman felt 'dehumanised' after Musk's Grok AI used to digitally remove her clothesElon Musk plans 'high-volume production' of Neuralink brain chips and says he wants to automate the surgical procedureTesla Loses EV Crown to BYD After Second Annual Sales DropAIChildrenTech Giants Pushing AI Into Schools Is a Huge, Ethically Bankrupt Experiment on Innocent Children That Will Likely End in DisasterChildren Falling Apart as They Become Addicted to AIOpenAI's child exploitation reports increased sharply this yearPsychosisDoctors Say AI Use Is Almost Certainly Linked to Developing PsychosisWoman Suffers AI Psychosis After Obsessively Generating AI Images of HerselfMan Describes How ChatGPT Led Him Straight Into PsychosisAI Godfather Warns That It's Starting to Show Signs of Self-PreservationDisturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit AllegesOpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT “Prioritize” Advertisers in ConversationBillionairesThe world's richest people just had their best year yetAI boom adds more than half a trillion dollars to wealth of US tech barons in 2025There are more self-made billionaires under 30 than ever before—11 of them have made the ultra-wealthy club in the last 3 months thanks to AIJamie Dimon made $770 million last year. 2026 could be even better for banksEasing rules and a rebound in dealmaking are reshaping the landscape for U.S. banks, with bigger profits likely aheadThreat of California Billionaire Tax Draws Criticism From UltrawealthyBill Ackman slams California wealth tax as ‘expropriation' of private propertyBill Ackman Blasts Ro Khanna For Defending Billionaire Tax: 'Lost His Way'Peter Thiel and Larry Page are preparing to flee California in case the state passes a billionaire wealth tax, report saysTech billionaires threaten to flee California over proposed 5% wealth taxBari Weiss yanking a 60 Minutes story is censorship by oligarchy Speed Round Dumb or Good Rating (1-10)Dumb2 former Hinge execs are building an app to make it easier to plan hangouts with your friends 10Boeing (BA) CEO “is a Nonsense Guy,” Says Jim Cramer 2Some men may downplay climate change risks to avoid appearing feminine 0New research provides evidence that men who are concerned about maintaining a traditional masculine image may be less likely to express concern about climate change. The findings suggest that acknowledging environmental problems is psychologically linked to traits such as warmth and compassion. These traits are stereotypically associated with femininity in many cultures. Consequently, men who feel pressure to prove their manhood may avoid environmentalist attitudes to protect their gender identity. The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.CEO of local public company to step down after nearly 10 years 9Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, ‘don't go to Harvard.' You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out 6OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he is ‘envious' of Gen Z college dropouts who have the ‘mental space' and time to build new startups 9This 22-year-old college dropout with an AI powered YouTube empire makes $700,000 a year and works just 2 hours a day 1Trump Mobile says its first-ever smartphone is delayed, and the government shutdown is to blame 3The college-to-office path is dead: CEO of the world's biggest recruiter says Gen Z grads need to consider trade jobs with no degree required 4ChatGPT gets ‘anxiety' from violent user inputs, so researchers are teaching the chatbot mindfulness techniques to ‘soothe' it 7Good?Minimum wage just went up in 19 states—workers in one state are getting a $2 an hour raise 8Judge says Trump administration must continue funding consumer watchdog Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 5Angry town halls nationwide find a new villain: the data center driving up your electricity bill while fueling job-killing AI 8Bernie Sanders and Ron DeSantis speak out against data center boom. It's a bad sign for AI industry 9Mitt Romney says the U.S. is on a cliff—and taxing the rich is now necessary ‘given the magnitude of our national debt' 7Microsoft CEO Begs Users to Stop Calling It “Slop” 10Man Operating Robot Accidentally Makes It Kick Him Directly in the Nutsack 9MATT1WE MISSED THE PREDICTIONS:Crypto: Tom Lee Predicts $250K Ethereum Price as BitMine Adds to $13 Billion Stash, Grayscale Predicts Bitcoin Will Reach New All-Time High by March 2026Stocks: Every Wall Street Analyst Now Predicts a Stock Rally in 2026 - EVERY!AI: ‘Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton predicts 2026 will see the technology get even better and gain the ability to ‘replace many other jobs', Amazon's Alexa chief predicts an end to doom scrolling: the next generation is ‘going to just think differently', In 2026 CFOs predict AI transformation, not just efficiency gainsAs millions of Gen Zers face unemployment, CEOs of Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald's say opportunity is still there—if you have the right mindset - I PREDICT NOT HAVING A JOB IS YOUR OWN FAULTOily oil: Oil experts predict slight rise in gas prices as global tensions mountBlowhards: Elon Musk predicts double-digit US growth by 2026, Treasury Secretary predicts historic merger could make 2026 a ‘very good year' Trump advisor predicts Miami will dethrone NYC as financial capital under new progressive mayorOpenAI's CEO Sam Altman says in 10 years' time college graduates will be working ‘some completely new, exciting, super well-paid' job in space

Kick off 2026 the right way with the first Count Me In episode of the year! Adam Larson sits down with Tim Naddy, VP of Finance for the famous Savannah Bananas, professor, and passionate accounting advocate, for a lively conversation that blends humor, real talk, and fresh perspective on what it means to build a career in accounting. From stories about melting copy machines during internships to reimagining how the next generation of accountants should be prepared, Tim shares why traditional education isn't enough for today's workforce, breaks down the challenges of first-year shock, and highlights the importance of mentorship and hands-on experience. Hear how Tim is bringing creativity, energy, and storytelling into accounting education and why these skills are more essential than ever. Whether you're a seasoned pro, new to the field, or just want a peek into what it takes to keep the wild Savannah Bananas thriving, this episode is the perfect way to set an inspired tone for the new year. Dive into a conversation that will motivate, inform, and maybe even make you laugh as you start 2026! BILL is a leading financial operations platform for startups to established brands. Headquartered in San Jose, California, we're a trusted partner of leading US financial institutions, accounting firms, and accounting software providers. We empower business owners, CFOs, controllers, and accountants to save time and take control of their payables, receivables, spend, and expense management. For more information, visit bill.com.

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Gordon Coyle, a 40-year commercial insurance veteran, to demystify one of the most anxiety-inducing topics for founders and CFOs: business insurance. Drawing on decades of experience with startups, scaleups, and regulated industries, Gordon breaks down what leaders need to know about D&O, E&O, cyber, and general liability, why investor pressure is rising, and where “cheap and easy” online policies fail when real risk hits. Through real-world examples, they explore how claims arise, how defense costs erode limits, why cyber insurance is as much about response as reimbursement, and how to balance budget, risk tolerance, and peer benchmarks—treating insurance as a critical layer of protection, not a box-checking exercise.—SPONSORS:Abacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you're scaling on an ERP that wasn't built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjTabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run—LINKS:Gordon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordoncoyle/The Coyle Group: https://thecoylegroup.com/CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:The Coyle Group - Business Insurancehttps://www.youtube.com/@TheCoyleGroupNY—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:53 Sponsors — Abacum | Brex | Metronome00:05:39 Interview Begins with Gordon Coyle00:06:23 Gordon Coyle & The Coyle Group00:07:21 Explaining Insurance on YouTube00:08:40 Turning Education into Inbound Leads00:09:40 Content as a Pull Strategy00:10:53 Insurance Complexity for Tech Founders00:13:28 Why Investors Require D&O Insurance00:14:09 What D&O Covers and Why It Matters00:15:50 Sponsors — RightRev | Rillet | Tabs00:20:19 Who D&O Covers and Rising Investor Pressure00:22:37 D&O Limits and Cost Tradeoffs00:23:21 Panic Calls and Late D&O Purchases00:24:39 How Defense Costs Erode Coverage00:25:31 Common D&O Claims and Employment Risk00:27:08 D&O vs E&O Explained00:29:12 Cyber Insurance and Social Engineering00:31:59 AI's Impact on Cyber Risk00:33:50 Real-World Ransomware Stories00:34:17 Cyber Insurance as Money and Response00:35:29 Business Email Compromise Scams00:39:43 Why Tech Still Needs General Liability00:41:16 What a BOP Covers00:42:32 Convenience vs Proper Coverage00:44:29 Surprising General Liability Claims00:46:45 Insurance Costs for Startups00:47:36 Higher Costs in High-Risk Industries00:48:26 Balancing Budget, Risk, and Coverage00:50:39 PEOs, Workers' Comp, and EPLI00:54:39 Choosing the Right Insurance Partner00:56:42 End Credits#RunTheNumbersPodcast #StartupFinance #BusinessInsurance #RiskManagement #CyberRisk 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

The CPG Guys are joined by Chris Riegel CEO of STRATACACHE  with retail solutions that allow them to be partners in creating an in-store evolution, fitting into retail existing ecosystem by connecting different technologies to truly drive a frictionless store visit. This episode is sponsored by STRATACACHEFind Chris Riegel on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-riegel-6931a28/Find STRATACACHE on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratacache/Find STRATACACHE online here: https://www.stratacache.com/en/Chris answers these questions:You are hosting a full day focused on retail media inside the physical store—a deliberate choice given how much attention off-site and digital retail media still get. What convinced you that the store deserved its own moment right now? Is it fair to say the industry is moving from speculation to proof? What triggered that shift?We'll have voices from BCG, McKinsey, EMARKETER, and Solomon Partners in the room. When consultants, analysts, and investors all start telling a similar story, what does that signal to you?One of the themes we'll explore during the day is the idea that the traditional funnel has collapsed and influence now happens closer to the moment of purchase. Why is the store uniquely resilient in that new influence model?Why do you think shoppers still trust in-store media more than online media? Is that trust something retailers can scale without breaking it?We'll hear during the day that agentic AI is compressing margins in digital retail media. Help connect the dots for our audience—why does that dynamic actually elevate the strategic value of physical stores?If AI makes digital media more efficient but less differentiated, does the store become one of the few environments where context still matters more than targeting?Why is that shift so foundational to unlocking real retail media scale in stores?We'll have IAB and measurement leaders talking about standards. From your perspective, how important is measurement alignment to making in-store media credible to brands and CFOs?What separates retailers who are moving from pilots to platforms from those who are still stuck in experimentation?We'll also explore how the store is becoming a fully expressive media environment—not just screens, but experience. For brands listening, what does “store-native creative” really demand of them?What outdated thinking do you hope gets challenged during this event? Is the biggest barrier today technology, standards, or internal politics?Looking ahead to 2026, what will define success for retailers who fully embrace in-store media versus those who don't?CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj's Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/DISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in thi CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

[Original air date: June 19, 2025]In this episode, Alex Immerman, partner at Andreessen Horowitz, joins CJ to discuss the CFO role and how it's changing in the era of AI. He explains what the components of a company's AI agenda the CFO should own, how and where it should be leveraged in an organization, and why, if you're preparing to go public, AI needs to be mentioned in your S-1. He breaks down how the financial landscape differs greatly between AI-native SaaS companies and traditional B2B SaaS companies in terms of retention curves and gross margins, and how this relates to the ever-important LTV to CAC metric. As someone who has worked with prominent CFOs and interviewed many for a16z's portfolio companies, Alex also describes the qualities of a great CFO, and shares his favorite interview question, before discussing CFOs, CEO, and board dynamics.—LINKS:Alex Immerman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/immermanAndreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:a16z's Alex Immerman on the Evolving Role of the CFO in the Age of AIhttps://youtu.be/JIvHp-mlnzsSo You're Looking for a “Strategic” CFO? Bloomerang's Steve Isom on What That Really Meanshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgHOtvG1Ces—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:46 AI Margins Improve Dramatically00:02:29 What Separates Great CFOs00:03:29 Founder Mindset Drives Performance00:05:31 Founder Intensity and Margin Expansion00:06:57 Backing Unproven Bets Thoughtfully00:08:29 Interviewing CFOs for Backbone00:09:55 When CFOs Push Back on Strategy00:11:25 CFO Trust With Boards and Investors00:11:50 How CFOs Engage Investors When Hiring00:14:44 Building Strong CFO Investor Relationships00:16:18 Sharing Bad News Early00:17:21 CEO Vision Versus CFO Validation00:20:57 How AI Is Changing the CFO Role00:23:56 Incumbents Versus AI-Native Finance Tools00:26:24 CFOs Driving Internal AI Adoption00:28:07 AI Impact on Customer Support Efficiency00:29:26 Internal Leverage From AI Automation00:31:29 Why Investors Care About LTV to CAC00:34:00 LTV to CAC Across Business Models00:36:26 Retention Curves Matter More Than Growth00:38:16 Evaluating AI Gross Margins Long Term00:40:04 Recipe for AI Margin Expansion00:43:01 What Makes a Public-Ready CFO00:44:47 Beating Guidance Drives IPO Performance00:46:56 Growth Versus Profitability Has Rebalanced#RunTheNumbersPodcast #CFOLeadership #FintechInvesting #AISaaS #VentureCapital 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

Amanda Watts helps service professionals stop doing the work and start advising around it. Through her company, The Business Advisor Academy, she helps advisors, consultants, accountants, and CFOs escape the time-for-money trap and build lean, profitable, and scalable businesses. Her approach turns expertise into structured, high-value offers that attract premium clients, command premium prices, and create the freedom to focus on strategy and growth. With her Scalable Six™ framework, Amanda teaches clients to design businesses built for freedom, not just revenue. Her 500:200:10 model — £500K in revenue, £200K take-home, and 10 hours per week of client delivery — proves that success comes from systems, not stress. Every element — from positioning and pricing to promotion — works together like a finely tuned engine to maximize profit and independence. Amanda is also the host of The Business Advisor Podcast and author of the forthcoming book Built for Freedom, sharing stories and strategies from entrepreneurs who've designed businesses that serve their lives — not the other way around. During the show we discuss: The inspiration behind helping service professionals shift from doing the work to advising on it. The philosophy behind building a business that's truly Built for Freedom. Turning expertise into structured, high-value, scalable offers. How the Scalable Six™ framework creates freedom-first businesses. Defining ideal positioning that connects emotionally and commands premium pricing. Why positioning and pricing are critical in crowded markets—and where most get it wrong. Productizing and packaging expertise for repeatable, scalable success. Leveraging intellectual property to create long-term impact and authority. Designing a business that serves your life—not the other way around. Resources: https://amandacwatts.com/  businessadvisoracademy.com

As one year closes and another begins, most of us are wired to look forward—to new goals, fresh plans, and the next chapter. But this special episode of CFO Thought Leader invites you to do something slightly different: look back. Not to financial milestones or career titles, but to the moments that quietly shape who we become long before anyone hands us a business card.In this episode, three CFOs take us back to the earliest chapters of their lives—stories of family, displacement, discipline, sacrifice, and unexpected kindness. You'll hear how a father's insistence on “trying,” a mother's balancing act between career and family, and a landlord's life-altering act of generosity became the invisible architecture behind leadership, resilience, and purpose. None of these moments appear on a résumé. Yet each one echoes through boardrooms, decision-making, and how these leaders show up for others.As we release this episode on New Year's Eve, it feels like the right reminder: progress isn't only measured by what we build next, but by what shaped us along the way. Before the spreadsheets, before the titles, before the outcomes—there were people, moments, and values that set everything in motion.We hope these stories give you pause, perspective, and perhaps a renewed appreciation for the beginnings that make all the difference.

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper sit down with Sasha Orloff, CEO of Puzzle, to discuss the future of accounting and how AI is poised to transform the finance industry. Sasha Orloff shares his journey from founding LendUp and Mission Lane to building Puzzle, an innovative accounting software platform designed to solve the industry's most pressing challenges. Sasha Orloff is the CEO of Puzzle, a modern accounting software platform focused on building the future of finance. Before Puzzle, Sasha Orloff founded LendUp and Mission Lane, which both scaled to hundreds of millions in revenue. He has a deep background in finance, technology, and AI, and his insights are helping to shape the next wave of innovation in the industry.In this episode, you will discover:The challenges of traditional accounting systems and outdated softwareHow AI and predictive analytics can streamline financial tasks and improve decisionsThe need for an evolving general ledger and the role of blockchain in enhancing transparencyHow AI reduces errors and provides more accurate insights for finance professionalsThe future of accounting and how AI will enable faster, smarter decision-makingSasha Orloff explains how Puzzle is addressing the foundational issues with traditional accounting software by focusing on trust, transparency, and flexibility. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of building the right data infrastructure to enable AI-driven insights in finance.Join hosts Glenn and Paul as they unravel the complexities of AI in finance.Follow Sasha:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashaorloff/Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/puzzlefin/Follow Glenn:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiiiFollow Paul:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguyFollow QFlow.AI:Website - https://bit.ly/4i1EkjgFuture Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai. Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.In Today's Episode:[01:00] - Meet Sasha Orloff[03:30] - The Problem with Traditional Accounting Software[06:00] - The Future of the General Ledger and Data Transparency[10:30] - How AI Enhances Finance and Accounting Tasks[12:45] - Blockchain's Role in Financial Trust[17:30] - The Role of AI in Business Decision-Making[20:00] - How Puzzle is Revolutionizing...

Todd Westra is a leadership alignment expert, founder of the Growth and Scaling Podcast, and creator of the Growth Readiness Framework. Renowned for guiding CEOs, COOs, and CFOs to align strategy and execution, Todd helps mid-sized organizations unlock smarter, sustainable growth. With a deep understanding of leadership dynamics and operational challenges, Todd partners with firms at inflection points, unraveling misalignment and cultivating clarity. His process-driven approach empowers teams, clarifies decision-making, and transforms companies from stagnation to forward momentum enabling leaders and their organizations to reach ambitious new milestones. In this episode of Marketer of the Day, Todd Westra joins Robert Plank to uncover the crucial role of leadership alignment in business growth and scaling. Todd shares actionable insights from his journey as a founder, consultant, and podcast host, illustrating how divergent leadership visions can quietly stall progress even in successful, well-funded teams. He describes his signature alignment exercises and deep-dive assessments, revealing how honest conversations, data-driven strategies, and a willingness to detach from old patterns can create breakthrough results. Through lively discussion and memorable stories, Todd demonstrates how to move a company from launch mode through realignment, toward true operational excellence. Listeners will learn why self-awareness, role clarity, and robust feedback loops are essential for building sustainable growth, strong exits, and lasting team harmony. Quotes: "Most growth is stifled not because they have a bad idea, not because they don't have market fit, but because the leadership is not aligned on which path they're going down." "If you want to be market leaders, if you want a strong exit, you've got to align, and then it works out better for everybody." "No success can compensate for failure in the home." Resources: Connect with Todd Westra on LinkedIn Is YOUR Company Growth Ready?

Welcome back to the Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Podcast. AI agents are your next customers. Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX:https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ https://youtu.be/vEdq8rpBM3I In this data-rich keynote, Jay McBain deconstructs the tectonic shifts reshaping the $5.3 trillion global technology industry, arguing that we are entering a new 20-year cycle where traditional direct sales models are obsolete. McBain explains why 96% of the industry is now surrounded by partners and how successful companies must pivot from “flywheels and theory” to a granular strategy focused on the seven specific partners present in every deal. From the explosion of agentic AI and the $163 billion marketplace revolution to the specific mechanics of multiplier economics, this discussion provides a roadmap for navigating the “decade of the ecosystem” where influence, trust, and integration—not just product—determine winners and losers. Key Takeaways Half of today's Fortune 500 companies will likely vanish in the next 20 years due to the shift toward AI and ecosystem-led models. Every B2B deal now involves an average of seven trusted partners who influence the decision before a vendor even knows a deal exists. Microsoft has outpaced AWS growth for 26 consecutive quarters largely because of a superior partner-led geographic strategy. Marketplaces are projected to grow to $163 billion by 2030, with nearly 60% of deals involving partner funding or private offers. The “Multiplier Effect” is the new ROI, where partners can make up to $8.45 for every dollar of vendor product sold. Future dominance relies on five key pillars: Platform, Service Partnerships, Channel Partnerships, Alliances, and Go-to-Market orchestration. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Keywords: Jay McBain, Canalys, partner ecosystem, channel chief, agentic AI, marketplace growth, multiplier economics, B2B sales trends, tech industry forecast, service partnerships, strategic alliances, Microsoft vs AWS, distribution transformation, managed services growth, SaaS platforms, customer journey mapping, 28 moments of truth, future of reselling, technology spending 2025, ecosystem orchestration, partner multipliers. T Transcript: Jay McBain WORKFILE FOR TRANSCRIPT [00:00:00] Vince Menzione: Just up from, did you Puerto Rico last night? Puerto Rico, yes. Puerto Rico. He dodged the hurricane. Um, you all know him. Uh, let him introduce himself for those of you who don’t, but just thrilled to have on the stage, again, somebody who knows more about what’s going on in, in the, and has the pulse on this industry probably than just about anybody I know personally. [00:00:21] Vince Menzione: J Jay McBain. Jay, great to see you my friend. Alright, thank you. We have to come all the way. We live, we live uh, about 20 minutes from each other. We have to come all the way to Reston, Virginia to see each other, right? That’s right. Very good. Well, uh, that’s all over to you, sir. Thank you. [00:00:35] Jay McBain: Alright, well thank you so much. [00:00:36] Jay McBain: I went from 85 degrees yesterday to 45 today, but I was able to dodge that, uh, that hurricane, uh, that we kind of had to fly through the northern edge of, uh, wanna talk today about our industry, about the ultimate partner. I’m gonna try to frame up the ultimate partner as I walk through the data and the latest research that, uh, that we’ve been doing in the market. [00:00:56] Jay McBain: But I wanted to start here ’cause our industry moves in 20 year cycles, and if you look at the Fortune 500 and dial back 20 years from today, 52% of them no longer exist. As we step into the next 20 year AI era, half of the companies that we know and love today are not gonna exist. So we look at this, and by the way, if you’re not in the Fortune 500 and you don’t have deep pockets to buy your way outta problems, 71% of tech companies fail over the course of 10 years. [00:01:30] Jay McBain: Those are statistics from the US government. So I start to look at our industry and you know, you may look at the, you know, mainframe era from the sixties and seventies, mini computers, August the 12th, 1981, that first IBM, PC with Microsoft dos, version one, you know, triggered. A new 20 year era of client server. [00:01:51] Jay McBain: It was the time and I worked at IBM for 17 years, but there was a time where Bill Gates flew into Boca Raton, Florida and met with the IBM team and did that, you know, fancy licensing agreement. But after, you know, 20 years of being the most valuable company in the world and 13 years of antitrust and getting broken up, almost like at and TIBM almost didn’t make payroll. [00:02:14] Jay McBain: 13 years after meeting Bill Gates. Yeah, that’s how quickly things change in these eras. In 1999, a small company outta San Francisco called salesforce.com got its start. About 10 years later, Jeff Bezos asked a question in a boardroom, could we rent out our excess capacity and would other companies buy it? [00:02:35] Jay McBain: Which, you know, most people in the room laughed at ’em at the time. But it created a 20 year cloud era when our friends, our neighbors, our family. Saw Chachi PT for the first time in March of 2023. They saw the deep fakes, they saw the poetry, they saw the music. They came to us as tech people and said, did we just light up Skynet? [00:02:58] Jay McBain: And that consumer trend has triggered this next 20 years. I could walk through the richest people in the world through those trends. I could walk through the most valuable companies. It all aligns. ’cause by the way, Apple’s no longer at the top. Nvidia is at the top, Microsoft. Second, things change really quickly. [00:03:17] Jay McBain: So in that course of time, you start to look at our industry and as people are talking about a six and a half or $7 trillion build out of ai, that’s open AI and Microsoft numbers, that is bigger than our industry that’s taken over 50 years to build. This year, we’re gonna finish the year at $5.3 trillion. [00:03:36] Jay McBain: That’s from the smallest flower shop to the biggest bank. Biggest governments that Caresoft would, uh, serve biggest customer in the world is actually the federal government of the us. But you look at this pie chart and you look at the changes that we’re gonna go through over the next 20 years, there’s about a trillion dollars in hardware. [00:03:54] Jay McBain: There’s about a trillion dollars in software. If you look forward through all of the merging trends, quantum computing, humanoid robots, all the things that are coming that dollar to dollar software to hardware will continue to exist all the way through. We see services making up almost two thirds of this pie. [00:04:13] Jay McBain: Yesterday I was in a telco conference with at and t and Verizon and T-Mobile and some of the biggest wireless players and IT services, which happen to be growing faster than products. At the moment, there is more work to be done wrapping around the deal than the actual products that the customer is buying. [00:04:32] Jay McBain: So in an industry that’s growing at 7%. On top of the world economy that’s grown at 2.2. This is the fastest growing industry, and it will be at least for the next 10 years, if not 2070 0.1% of this entire $5 trillion gets transacted through partners. While what we’re talking to today about the ultimate partner, 96% of this industry is surrounded by partners in one way or another. [00:05:01] Jay McBain: They’re there before the deal. They’re there at the deal. They’re there after the deal. Two thirds of our industry is now subscription consumption based. So every 30 days forever, and a customer for life becomes everything. So if every deal in medium, mid-market, and higher has seven partners, according to McKinsey, who are those seven people trying to get into the deal? [00:05:25] Jay McBain: While there’s millions of companies that have come into tech over the last 10 to 20 years. Digital agencies, accountants, legal firms, everybody’s come in. The 250,000 SaaS companies, a million emerging tech companies, there’s a big fight to be one of those seven trusted people at the table. So millions of companies and tens of millions of people our competing for these slots. [00:05:49] Jay McBain: So one of the pieces of research I’m most proud of, uh, in my analyst career is this. And this took over two years to build. It’s a lot of logos. Not this PowerPoint slide, but the actual data. Thousands of people hours. Because guess what? When you look at partners from the top down, the top 1000 partners, by capability and capacity, not by resale. [00:06:15] Jay McBain: It’s not a ranking of CDW and insight and resale numbers. It is the surrounding. Consulting, design, architecture, implementations, integrations, managed services, all the pieces that’s gonna make the next 20 years run. So when you start to look at this, 98% of these companies are private, so very difficult to get to those numbers and, uh, a ton of research and help from AI and other things to get this. [00:06:41] Jay McBain: But this is it. And if you look at this list, there’s a thousand logos out of the million companies. There’s a thousand logos that drive two thirds of all tech services in the world. $1.07 trillion gets delivered by a thousand companies, but here’s where it gets fun. Those companies in the middle, in blue, the 30 of them deliver more tech services than the next 970. [00:07:08] Jay McBain: Combined the 970 combined in white deliver more tech services. Then the next million combined. So if you think we live in an 80 20 rule or maybe a 99, a 95 5 rule, or a 99 1 rule, we actually live in a 99.9 0.1 parallel principle. These companies spread around the world evenly split across the uh, different regions. [00:07:35] Jay McBain: South Africa, Latin America, they’re all over. They split. They split among types. All of the Venn diagram I just showed from GSIs to VARs to MSPs, to agencies and other types of companies. But this is a really rich list and it’s public. So every company in the world now, if you’re looking at Transactable data, if you’re looking at quantifiable data that you can go put your revenue numbers against, it represents 70 to 80% of every company in this room’s Tam. [00:08:08] Jay McBain: In one piece of research. So what do you do below that? How do you cover a million companies that you can’t afford to put a channel account manager? You can’t afford to write programs directly for well after the top down analysis and all the wallet share and you know exactly where the lowest hanging fruit is for most of your tam. [00:08:28] Jay McBain: The available markets. The obtainable markets. You gotta start from the community level grassroots up. So you need to ask the question for the million companies and the maybe a hundred thousand companies out there, partner companies that are surrounding your customer. These are the seven partners that surround your customer. [00:08:48] Jay McBain: What do they read, where do they go, and who do they follow? Interestingly enough, our industry globally equates to only a thousand watering holes, a thousand companies at the top, a thousand places at the bottom. 35% of this audience we’re talking. Millions of people here love events and there’s 352 of them like this one that they love to go to. [00:09:13] Jay McBain: They love the hallway chats, they love the hotel lobby bar, you know, in a time reminded by the pandemic. They love to be in person. It’s the number one way they’re influenced. So if you don’t have a solid event strategy and you don’t have a community team out giving out socks every week, your competitors might beat you. [00:09:31] Jay McBain: 12% of this audience loves podcasts. It’s the Joe Rogan effect of our industry. And while you know, you may not think the 121 podcasts out there are important, well, you’re missing 12% of your audience. It’s over a million people. If you’re not on a weekly podcast in one of these podcasts in the world, there’s still people that read one of the 106 magazines in the world. [00:09:55] Jay McBain: There are people that love peer groups, associations, they wanna be part of this. There’s 15 different ways people are influenced. And a solid grassroots strategy is how you make this happen. In the last 10 years, we’ve created a number of billionaires. Bottom up. They never had to go talk to la large enterprise. [00:10:15] Jay McBain: They never had to go build out a mid-market strategy. They just went and give away socks and new community marketing. And this has created, I could rip through a bunch of names that became unicorns just in the last couple of years, bottoms up. You go back to your board walking into next year, top down, bottom up. [00:10:34] Jay McBain: You’ve covered a hundred percent of your tam, and now you’ve covered it with names, faces, and places. You haven’t covered it with a flywheel or a theory. And for 44 years, we have gone to our board every fourth quarter with flywheels and theory. Trust me, partners are important. The channel is key to us. [00:10:57] Jay McBain: Well, let’s talk at the point of this granularity, and now we’re getting supported by technology 261 entrepreneurs. Many of them in the room actually here that are driving this ability to succeed with seven partners in every deal to exchange data to be able to exchange telemetry of these prospects to be able to see twice or three times in terms of pipeline of your target addressable market. [00:11:26] Jay McBain: All these ai, um, technologies, agentic technologies are coming into this. It’s all about data. It’s all about quantifiable names, faces, and places. Now none of us should be walking around with flywheels, so let’s flip the flywheels. No. Uh, so we also look at, and I sold PCs for 17 years and that was in the high times of 40% margins for partners. [00:11:55] Jay McBain: But one interesting thing when you study the p and l for broad base of partners around the world, it’s changed pretty significantly in this last 20 year era. What the cloud era did is dropped hardware from what used to be 84% plus the break fix and things that wrap around it of the p and l to now 16% of every partner in the world. [00:12:16] Jay McBain: 84% of their p and l is now software and services. And if you look at profitability, it’s worse. It’s actually 87% is profitability wise. They’ve completely shifted in terms of where they go. Now we look at other parts of our market. I could go through every part of the pie of the slide, but we’re watching each of the companies, and if you can see here, this is what we want to talk about in terms of ultimate partner. [00:12:43] Jay McBain: Microsoft has outgrown AWS for 26 straight quarters. They don’t have a better product. They don’t have a better price, they don’t have better promotion. It’s all place. And I’ll explain why you guess here in the light green line. Exactly. The day that Google went a hundred percent all in partner, every deal, even if a deal didn’t have a partner, one of the 4% of deals that didn’t have a partner, they injected a partner. [00:13:09] Jay McBain: You can see on the left side exactly where they did it. They got to the point of a hundred percent partner driven. Rebuilt their programs, rebuilt their marketplace. Their marketplace is actually larger than Microsoft’s, and they grew faster than Microsoft. A couple of those quarters. It is a partner driven future, and now I have Oracle, which I just walked by as I walked from the hotel. [00:13:31] Jay McBain: Oracle with their RPOs will start to join. Maybe the list of three hyperscalers becomes the list of four in future slides, but that’s a growth slide. Market share is different. AWS early and commanding lead. And it plays out, uh, plays out this way. But we’re at an interesting moment and I stood up six years ago talking about the decade of the ecosystem after we went through a decade of sales starting in 1999 when we all thought we were born to be salespeople. [00:14:02] Jay McBain: We managed territories with our gut. The sales tech stack would have it different, that sales was a science, and we ended the decade 2009, looking at sales very differently in 2009. I remember being at cocktail parties where CMOs would be joking around that 50% of their marketing dollars were wasted. They just didn’t know which 50%. [00:14:23] Jay McBain: And I’ll tell you, that was really funny. In 2009 till every 58-year-old CMO got replaced by a 38-year-old growth hacker who walked in with 15,348 SaaS companies in their MarTech and ad tech stack to solve the problem, every nickel of marketing by 2019 was tracked. Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, HubSpot, driving this industry. [00:14:50] Jay McBain: Now, we stood up and said the 28 moments that come before a sale are pretty much all partner driven. In the best case scenario, a vendor might see four of the moments. They might come to your website, maybe they read an ebook, maybe they have a salesperson or a demo that comes in. That’s four outta 28 moments. [00:15:10] Jay McBain: The other 24 are done by partners. Yeah, in the worst case scenario and the majority scenario, you don’t see any of the moments. All 28 happen and you lose a deal without knowing there ever was a deal. So this is it. We need to partner in these moments and we need to inject partners into sales and marketing, like no time before, and this was the time to do it. [00:15:33] Jay McBain: And we got some feedback in the Salesforce state of sales report, which doesn’t involve any partnerships or, or. Channel Chiefs or anything else. This is 5,500 of the biggest CROs in the world that obviously use Salesforce. 89% of salespeople today use partners every day. For the 11% who don’t, 58% plan two within a year. [00:15:57] Jay McBain: If you add those two numbers together, that’s magically the 96% number. They recognize that every deal has partners in it. In 2024, last year, half of the salespeople in the world, every industry, every country. Miss their numbers. For the minority who made their numbers, 84 point percent pointed to partners as the reason why they made their numbers. [00:16:21] Jay McBain: It was the cheat code for sales, so that modern salesperson that knows how to orchestrate a deal, orchestrate the 28 moments with the seven partners and get to that final spot is the winning formula. HubSpot’s number in separate research was 84% in marketing. So we’re starting to see partners in here. We don’t have to shout from the mountaintops. [00:16:44] Jay McBain: These communities like ultimate Partner are working and we’re getting this to the highest levels in the board. And I’ll say that, you know, when 20 years from now half of the companies we know and love fail after we’re done writing the book and blaming the CEO for inventing the thing that ended up killing them, blaming the board for fiduciary responsibility and letting it happen. [00:17:06] Jay McBain: What are the other chapters of the book? And I think it’s all in one slide. We are in this platform economy and the. [00:17:31] Jay McBain: So your battery’s fine. Check, check, check, check. Alright, I’ll, I’ll just hold this in case, but the companies that execute on all five of these areas, well. Not only today become the trillion dollar valued companies, but they become the companies of tomorrow. These will be the fastest growing companies at every level. [00:17:50] Jay McBain: Not only running a platform business, but participating in other platforms. So this is how it breaks out, and there are people at very senior levels, at very big companies that have this now posted in the office of the CEO winning on integrations is everything. We just went through a demographic shift this year where 51% of our buyers are born after 1982. [00:18:15] Jay McBain: Millennials are the number one buyer of the $5 trillion. Their number one buying criteria is not service. Support your price, your brand reputation, it’s integrations. The buy a product, 80% is good as the next one if it works better in their environment. 79% of us won’t buy a car unless it has CarPlay or Android Auto. [00:18:34] Jay McBain: This is an integration world. The company with the most integrations win. Second, there are seven partners that surround the customer. Highly trusted partners. We’re talking, coaching the customer’s, kids soccer team, having a cottage together up at the lake. You know, best men, bate of honors at weddings type of relationships. [00:18:57] Jay McBain: You can’t maybe have all seven, but how does Microsoft beat AWS? They might have had two, three, or four of them saying nice things about them instead of the competition. Winning in service partnerships and channel partnerships changes by category. If you’re selling MarTech, only 10% of it today is resold, so you build more on service partnerships. [00:19:18] Jay McBain: If you’re in cybersecurity today, 91.6% of it is resold. Transacted through partners. So you build a lot of channel partnerships, plus the service partnerships, whatever the mix is in your category, you have to have two or three of those seven people. Saying nice things about you at every stage of the customer journey. [00:19:38] Jay McBain: Now move over to alliances. We have already built the platforms at the hyperscale level. We’ve built the platforms within SaaS, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday, Marketo, NetSuite, HubSpot. Every buyer has a set of platforms that they buy. We’ve now built them in cybersecurity this year out of 6,500 as high as cyber companies, the top five are starting to separate. [00:20:02] Jay McBain: We built it in distribution, which I’ll show in a minute. We’re building it in Telco. This is a platform economy and alliances win and you have alliances with your competitors ’cause you compete in the morning, but you’re best friends by the afternoon. Winning in other platforms is just as important as driving your own. [00:20:20] Jay McBain: And probably the most important part of this is go to market. That sales, that marketing, the 28 moments, the every 30 days forever become all a partner strategy. So there’s still CEOs out there that believe platform is a UI or UX on a bunch of disparate products and things you’ve acquired. There’s still CFOs out there that Think platform is a pricing model, a bundle model of just getting everything under one, you know, subscription price or consumption price. [00:20:51] Jay McBain: And it’s not, platforms are synonymous with partnerships. This is the way forward and there’s no conversation around ai. That doesn’t involve Nvidia over there, an open AI over here and a hyperscaler over there and a SaaS company over here. The seven layer stack wins every single time, and the companies that get this will be the ones that survive this cycle. [00:21:16] Jay McBain: Now, flipping over to marketplaces. So we had written research that, um, about five years ago that marketplaces were going to grow at 82% compounded. Yeah, probably one of the most accurate predictions we ever made, because it happened, we, we predicted that, uh, we were gonna get up to about $85 billion. Well, now we’ve extended that to 2030, so we’re gonna get up to $163 billion, and the thing that we’re watching is in green. [00:21:46] Jay McBain: If 96% of these deals are partner assisted in some way, how is the economics of partnering going to work? We predicted that 50% of deals by 2027. Would be partner funded in some way. Private offers multi-partner offers distributor sellers of record, and now that extends to 59% by 2030, the most senior leader of the biggest marketplace AWS, just said to us they’re gonna probably make these numbers on their own. [00:22:14] Jay McBain: And he asked what their two competitors are doing. So he’s telling us that we under called this. Now when you look at each of the press releases, and this is the AWS Billion Dollar Club. Every one of the companies on the left have issued a press release that they’re in the billion dollar club. Some of them are in the multi-billions, but I want you to double click on this press release. [00:22:35] Jay McBain: I’m quoted in here somewhere, but as CrowdStrike is building the marketplace at 91% compounded, they’re almost doubling their revenue every single year. They’re growing the partner funding, in this case, distributor funding by 3548%. Almost triple digit growth in marketplace is translating into almost quadruple digit growth in funding. [00:23:01] Jay McBain: And you see that over and over again as, as Splunk hit three, uh, billion dollars. The same. Salesforce hit $2 billion on AWS in Ulti, 18 months. They joined in October 20, 23, and 18 months later, they’re already at $2 billion. But now you’re seeing at Salesforce, which by the way. Grew up to $40 billion in revenue direct, almost not a nickel in resell. [00:23:28] Jay McBain: Made it really difficult for VARs and managed service providers to work with Salesforce because they couldn’t understand how to add services to something they didn’t book the revenue for. While $40 billion companies now seeing 70% of their deals come through partners. So this is just the world that we’re in. [00:23:44] Jay McBain: It doesn’t matter who you are and what industry you’re in, this takes place. But now we’re starting to see for the first time. Partners join the billion dollar club. So you wonder about partnering and all this funding and everything that’s working through Now you’re seeing press releases and companies that are redoing their LinkedIn branding about joining this illustrious club without a product to sell and all the services that wrap around it. [00:24:10] Jay McBain: So the opening session on Microsoft was interesting because there’s been a number of changes that Microsoft has done just in the last 30 days. One is they cut distribution by two thirds going from 180 distributors to 62. They cut out any small partner lower than a thousand dollars, and that doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s over a hundred thousand partners that get deed tightening the long tail. [00:24:38] Jay McBain: They we’re the first to really put a global point system in place three years ago. They went to the new commerce experience. If you remember, all kinds of changes being led by. The biggest company for the channel. And so when we’re studying marketplaces, we’re not just studying the three hyperscalers, we’re studying what TD Cynic is doing with Stream One Ingram’s doing with Advant Advantage Aerosphere. [00:25:01] Jay McBain: Also, we’re watching what PAX eight, who by the way, is the 365 bestseller for Microsoft in the world. They are the cybersecurity leader for Microsoft in the world and the copilot. Leader in the world for Microsoft and Partner of the Year for Microsoft. So we’re watching what the cloud platforms are doing, watching what the Telco are doing, which is 25 cents out of every dollar, if you remember that pie chart, watching what the biggest resellers are converting themselves into. [00:25:30] Jay McBain: Vince just mentioned, you know, SHI in the changes there watching the managed services market and the leaders there, what they’re doing in terms of how this industry’s moving forward. By the way, managed services at $608 billion this year. Is one and a half times larger than the SaaS industry overall. [00:25:48] Jay McBain: It’s also one and a half times larger than all the hyperscalers combined. Oracle, Alibaba, IBM, all the way down. This is a massive market and it makes up 15 to 20 cents of every dollar the customer spend. We’re watching that industry hit a trillion dollars by the end of the decade, and we’re watching 150 different marketplace development platforms, the distribution of our industry, which today is 70.1% indirect. [00:26:13] Jay McBain: We’re starting to see that number, uh, solidify in terms of marketplaces as well. Watching distributors go from that linear warehouse in a bank to this orchestration model, watching some of the biggest players as the world comes around, platforms, it tightens around the place. So Caresoft, uh, from from here is the sixth biggest distributor in the world. [00:26:40] Jay McBain: Just shows you how big the. You know, biggest client in the world is that they serve. But understand that we’re publishing the distributor 500 list, but it’ll be the same thing. That little group in blue in the middle today, you know, drives almost two thirds of the market. So what happens in all this next stage in terms of where the dollars change hands. [00:27:07] Jay McBain: And the economics of partnering themselves are going through the most radical shift that we’ve seen ever. So back to the nineties, and, and for those of you that have been channel chiefs and running programs, we went to work every day. You know, everything’s on fire. We’re trying to check hundred boxes, trying to make our program 10% better than our competitors. [00:27:30] Jay McBain: Hey, we gotta fix our deal registration program today, and our incentives are outta whack or training programs or. You know, not where they need to be. Our certification, you know, this was the life of, uh, of a channel chief. Everybody thought we were just out drinking in the Caribbean with our best partners, but we were under the weight of this. [00:27:49] Jay McBain: But something interesting has happened is that we turned around and put the customer at the middle of our programs to say that those 28 moments in green before the sale are really, really important. And the seven partners who participate are really important. Understanding. The customer’s gonna buy a seven layer stack. [00:28:09] Jay McBain: They’re gonna buy it With these seven partners, the procurement stage is much different. The growth of marketplaces, the growth of direct in some of these areas, and then long term every 30 days forever in a managed service, implementations, integrations, how you upsell, cross-sell, enrich a deal changes. So how would you build a program that’s wrapped around the customer instead of the vendor? [00:28:35] Jay McBain: And we’re starting to hear our partners shout back to us. These are global surveys, big numbers, but over half of our partners, regardless of type, are selling consulting to their customer. Over half are designing architecting deals. A third of them are trying to be system integrators showing up at those implementation integration moments. [00:28:55] Jay McBain: Two thirds of them are doing managed services, but the shocking one here is 44% of our partners, regardless of type, are coding. They’re building agents and they’re out helping their customer at that level. So this is the modern partner that says, don’t typecast me. You may have thought of me in your program. [00:29:14] Jay McBain: You might have me slotted as a var. Well, I do 3.2 things, and if I don’t get access to those resources, if you don’t walk me to that room, I’m not gonna do them with you. You may have me as a managed service provider that’s only in the morning. By the afternoon I’m coding, and by the next morning I’m implementing and consulting. [00:29:33] Jay McBain: So again, a partner’s not a partner. That Venn diagram is a very loose one now, as every partner on there is doing 3.2 different business models. And again, they’re telling us for 43 years, they said, I want more leads this year it changed. For the first time, I want to be recognized and incentivized as more than just a cash register for you. [00:29:57] Jay McBain: I want you to recognize when I’m consulting, when I’m designing, when you’re winning deals, because of my wonderful services, by the way, we asked the follow up question, well, where should we spend our money with you? And they overwhelmingly say, in the consulting stage, you win and lose deals. Not at moment 28. [00:30:18] Jay McBain: We’re not buying a pack of gum at the gas station. This is a considered purchase. You win deals from moment 12 through 16 and I’m gonna show you a picture of that later, and they say, you better be spending your money there, or you’re not gonna win your fair share or more than your fair share of deals. [00:30:36] Jay McBain: The shocking thing about this is that Microsoft, when they went to the point system, lifted two thirds of all the money, tens of billions of dollars, and put it post-sale, and we were all scratching our heads going. Well, if the partners are asking for it there, and it seems like to beat your biggest competitors, you want to win there. [00:30:54] Jay McBain: Why would you spend the money on renewal? Well, they went to Wall Street and Goldman Sachs and the people who lift trillions of dollars of pension funds and said, if we renew deals at 108%, we become a cash machine for you. And we think that’s more valuable than a company coming out with a new cell phone in September and selling a lot of them by Christmas every year. [00:31:18] Jay McBain: The industry. And by the way, wall Street responded, Microsoft has been more valuable than Apple since. So we talk in this now multiplier language, and these are reports that we write, uh, at AMIA at canals. But talking about the partner opportunity in that customer cycle, the $6 and 40 cents you can make for every dollar of consumption, or the $7 and 5 cents you can make the $8 and 45 cents you can make. [00:31:46] Jay McBain: There’s over 24 companies speaking at this level now, and guess what? It’s not just cloud or software companies. Hardware companies are starting to speak in this language, and on January 25th, Cisco, you know, probably second to Microsoft in terms of trust built with the channel globally is moving to a full point system. [00:32:09] Jay McBain: So these are the changes that happen fast. But your QBR with your partners now less about drinking beers at the hotel lobby bar and talking dollar by dollar where these opportunities are. So if you’re doing 3.2 of these things, let’s build out a, uh, a play where you can make $3 for every dollar that we make. [00:32:28] Jay McBain: And you make that profitably. You make it in sticky, highly retained business, and that’s the model. ’cause if you make $3 for every dollar. We make, you’re gonna win Partner of the year, and if you win partner of the year, that piece of glass that you win on stage, by the time you get back to your table, you’re gonna have three offers to buy your business. [00:32:51] Jay McBain: CDW just bought a w. S’s Partner of the Year. Insight bought Google’s eight time partner of the year. Presidio bought ServiceNow’s, partner of the year over and over and over again. So I’m at Octane, I’m at CrowdStrike, I’m at all these events in Vegas every week. I’m watching these partners of the year. [00:33:05] Jay McBain: And I’m watching as the big resellers. I’m watching as the GSIs and the m and a folks are surrounding their table after, and they’re selling their businesses for SaaS level valuations. Not the one-to-one service valuation. They’re getting multiples because this is the new future of our industry. This is platform economics. [00:33:25] Jay McBain: This is winning and platforms for partners. Now, like Vince, I spent 20 minutes without talking about ai, but we have to talk about ai. So the next 20 years as it plays out is gonna play out in phases. And the first thing you know to get it out of the way. The first two years since that March of 23, has been underwhelming, to say the least. [00:33:47] Jay McBain: It’s been disappointing. All the companies that should have won the biggest in AI have been the most disappointing. It’s underperformed the s and p by a considerable amount in terms of where we are. And it goes back to this. We always overestimate the first two years, but we underestimate the first 10. [00:34:07] Jay McBain: If you wanna be the point in time person and go look at that 1983 PC or the 1995 internet or that 2007 iPhone or that whatever point in time you wanna look at, or if you want to talk about hallucinations or where chat chip ET version five is version, as opposed to where it’s going to be as it improves every six months here on in. [00:34:30] Jay McBain: But the fact of the matter is, it’s been a consumer trend. Nvidia got to be the most valuable company in the world. OpenAI was the first company to 2 billion users, uh, in that amount of speed. It’s the fastest growing product ever in history, and it’s been a consumer win this trillions of dollars to get it thrown around in the press releases. [00:34:49] Jay McBain: They’re going out every day, you know, open ai, signing up somebody new or Nvidia, investing in somebody new almost every single day in hundreds of billions of dollars. It is all happening really on the consumer side. So we got a little bit worried and said, is that 96% of surround gonna work in ag agentic ai? [00:35:10] Jay McBain: So we went and asked, and the good news is 88% of end customers are using partners to work through their ag agentic strategy. Even though they’re moving slow, they’re actually using partners. But what’s interesting from a partner perspective, and this is new research that out till 2030. This is the number one services opportunity in the entire tech or telco industry. [00:35:34] Jay McBain: 35.3% compounded growth ending at $267 billion in services. Companies are rebuilding themselves, building out practices, and getting on this train and figuring out which vendors they should hook their caboose to as those trains leave the station. But it kind of plays out like this. So in the next three to five years, we’re in this generative, moving into agentic phase. [00:36:01] Jay McBain: Every partner thinks internally first, the sales and marketing. They’re thinking about their invoicing and billing. They’re thinking about their service tickets. They’re thinking about creating a business that’s 10% better than their competitors, taking that knowledge into their customers and drive in business. [00:36:17] Jay McBain: But we understand that ag agentic AI, as it’s going to play out is not a product. A couple of years ago, we thought maybe a copilot or an agent force or something was going to be the product that everybody needed to buy, and it’s not a product, it’s gonna show up as a feature. So you go back in the history of feature ads and it’s gonna show up in software. [00:36:38] Jay McBain: So if you’re calling in SMB, maybe you’re calling on a restaurant. The restaurant isn’t gonna call OpenAI or call Microsoft or call Nvidia directly. They’re running their restaurant. And they may have chosen a platform like Toast Square, Clover, whatever iPads people are running around with, runs on a platform that does everything in their business, does staffing, does food ordering, works with Uber Eats, does everything end to end? [00:37:08] Jay McBain: They’re gonna wait to one of those platforms, dries out agent AI for them, and can run the restaurant more effectively, less human capital and more consistently, but they wait for the SaaS platform as you get larger. A hundred, 150 people. You have vice presidents. Each of those vice presidents already have a SaaS stack. [00:37:28] Jay McBain: I talked about Salesforce, ServiceNow, Workday, et cetera. They’ve already built that seven layer model and in some cases it’s 70 layers. But the fact is, is they’re gonna wait for those SaaS layers to deliver ag agentic to them. So this is how it’s gonna play out for the next three and a half, three to five years. [00:37:45] Jay McBain: And partners are realizing that many of them were slow to pick up SaaS ’cause they didn’t resell it. Well now to win in this next three to half, three to five years, you’re gonna have to play in this environment. When you start looking out from here, the next generation, you know, kind of five through 15 years gets interesting in more of a physical sense. [00:38:06] Jay McBain: Where I was yesterday talking about every IOT device that now is internet access, starts to get access to large language models. Every little sensor, every camera, everything that’s out there starts to get smart. But there’s a point. The first trillionaire, I believe, will be created here. Elon’s already halfway there. [00:38:24] Jay McBain: Um, but when Bill Gates thought there was gonna be a PC in every home, and IBM thought they were gonna sell 10,000 to hobbyists, that created the richest person in the world for 20 years, there will be a humanoid in every home. There’s gonna be a point in time that you’re out having drinks with your friends, and somebody’s gonna say, the early adopter of your friends is gonna say. [00:38:46] Jay McBain: I haven’t done the dishes in six weeks. I haven’t done the laundry. I haven’t made my bed. I haven’t mowed the lawn. When they say that, you’re gonna say, well, how? And they’re gonna say, well, this year I didn’t buy a new car, but I went to the car dealership and I bought this. So we’re very close to the dexterity needed. [00:39:05] Jay McBain: We’ve got the large language models. Now. The chat, GPT version 10 by then is going to make an insane, and every house is gonna have one of the. [00:39:17] Jay McBain: This is the promise of ai. It’s not humanoid robots, it’s not agents. It’s this. 99% of the world’s business data has not been trained or tuned into models yet. Again, this is the slow moving business. If you want to think about the 99% of business data, every flight we’ve all taken in this room sits on a saber system that was put in place in 1964. [00:39:43] Jay McBain: Every banking transaction, we’ve all made, every withdrawal, every deposit sits on an IBM mainframe put in place in the sixties or seventies. 83% of this data sits in cold storage at the edge. It’s not ready to be moved. It’s not cleansed, it’s not, um, indexed. It’s not in any format or sitting on any infrastructure that a large language model will be able to gobble up the data. [00:40:10] Jay McBain: None of the workflows, none of the programming on top of that data is yet ready. So this is your 10 to 20 year arc of this era that chat bot today when they cancel your flight is cute. It’s empathetic, it feels bad for you, or at least it seems to, but it can’t do anything. It can’t book you the Marriott and get you an Uber and then a 5:00 AM flight the next morning. [00:40:34] Jay McBain: It can’t do any of that. But more importantly, it doesn’t know who you are. I’ve got 53 years of flights under my belt and they, I’m the person that get me within six hours of my kids and get me a one-way Hertz rental. You know, if there’s bad weather in Miami, get me to Tampa, get me a Hertz, I’m driving home, I’m gonna make it home. [00:40:56] Jay McBain: I’m not the 5:00 AM get me a hotel person. They would know that if they picked up the flights that I’ve taken in the past. Each of us are different. When you get access to the business data and you become ag agentic, everything changes. Every industry changes because of this around the customers. When you ask about this 35% growth, working on that data, working in traditional consulting and design and implementation, working in the $7 trillion of infrastructure, storage, compute, networking, that’s gonna be around, this is a massive opportunity. [00:41:30] Jay McBain: Services are gonna continue to outgrow products. Probably for the next five to 10 years because of this, and I’m gonna finish here. So we talked a lot about quantifying names, faces, places, and I think where we failed the most as ultimate partners is underneath the tam, which every one of our CEOs knows to the decimal point underneath the TAM that our board thinks they’re chasing. [00:41:59] Jay McBain: We’ve done a very poor job. Of talking about the available markets and obtainable markets underneath it, we, we’ve shown them theory. We’ve shown them a bunch of, you know, really smart stuff, and PowerPoint slides up the wazoo, but we’ve never quantified it for them. If they wanna win, if they want to get access, if they want to double their pipeline, triple their pipeline, if they wanna start winning more deals, if they wanna win deals that are three times larger, they close two times faster. [00:42:31] Jay McBain: And they renew 15% larger. They have to get into the available and obtainable markets. So just in the last couple weeks I spoke at Cribble, I spoke at Octane, I spoke at CrowdStrike Falcon. All three of those companies at the CEO level, main stage use those exact three numbers, three x, two x, 15%. That’s the language of platforms, and they’re investing millions and millions and millions of dollars on teams. [00:42:59] Jay McBain: To go build out the Sam Andal in name spaces and places. So you’ve heard me talk about these 28 moments a lot. They’re the ones that you spend when you buy a car. Some people spend one moment and they drive to the Cadillac dealership. ’cause Larry’s been, you know, taking care of the family for 50 years. [00:43:18] Jay McBain: Some people spend 50 moments like I do, watching every YouTube video and every, you know, thing on the internet. I clear the internet cover to cover. But the fact is, is every deal averages around these 28 moments. Your customer, there’s 13 members of the buying committee today. There’s seven partners and they’re buying seven things. [00:43:37] Jay McBain: There’s 27 things orchestrating inside these 28 moments. And where and how they all take place is a story of partnering. So a couple of years ago, canals. Latin for channel was acquired by amia, which is a part of Informa Tech Target, which is majority owned by Informa. All that being said, there’s hundreds of magazines that we have. [00:44:00] Jay McBain: There’s hundreds of events that we run. If somebody’s buying cybersecurity, they probably went to Black Hat or they probably went to GI Tech. One of these events we run, or one of the magazines. So we pick up these signals, these buyer intent signals as a company. Why did they wanna, um, buy a, uh, a Canals, which was a, you know, a small analyst firm around channels? [00:44:22] Jay McBain: They understood this as well. The 28 moments look a lot like this when marketers and salespeople are busy filling in the spots of every deal. And by the way, this is a real deal. AstraZeneca came in to spend millions of dollars on ASAP transformation, and you can start to see as the customer got smart. [00:44:45] Jay McBain: The eBooks, they read the podcasts, they listened to the events they went to. You start to see how this played out over the long term. But the thing we’ve never had in our industry is the light blue boxes. This deal was won and lost in December. In this particular case, NTT software won and Yash came in and sold the customer five projects. [00:45:07] Jay McBain: The millions of dollars that were going to be spent were solved here. The design and architecture work was all done here. A couple of ISVs You see in light blue came in right at the end, deal was closed in April. You see the six month cycle. But what if you could fill in every one of the 28 boxes in every single customer prospect that your sales and marketing team have? [00:45:30] Jay McBain: But here’s the brilliance of this. Those light blue boxes didn’t win the deals there. They won the deals months before that. So when NTT and Software one walked into this deal. They probably won the deal back in October and they had to go through the redlining. They had to go through the contracting, they had to go through all the stuff and the Gantt chart to get started. [00:45:54] Jay McBain: But while your CMO is getting all excited about somebody reading an ebook and triggering an MQL that the sales team doesn’t want, ’cause it’s not qualified, it’s not sales qualified, you walk in and say, no, no. This is a multimillion deal, dollar deal. It’s AstraZeneca. I know the five partners that are coming in in December to solidify the seven layers, and you’re walking in at the same time as the CMOs bragging about an ebook. [00:46:21] Jay McBain: This changes everything. If we could get to this level of data about every dollar of our tam, we not only outgrow our competitors, we become the platforms of the next generation. Partnering and ultimate partnering is all here. And this is what we’re doing in this room. This is what we’re doing over these couple of days, and this is what, uh, the mission that Vince is leading. [00:46:43] Jay McBain: Thank you so much. [00:46:47] Vince Menzione: Woo. Day in the house. Good to see you my friend. Good to see you. Oh, we’re gonna spend a couple minutes. Um, I’m put you in the second seat. We’re gonna put, we’re gonna make it sit fireside for a minute. Uh, that was intense. It was pretty incredible actually, Jay. And so I’m, I think I wanna open it up ’cause we only have a few minutes just to, any questions? [00:47:06] Vince Menzione: I’m sure people are just digesting. We already have one up here. See, [00:47:09] Question: Jay knows I’m [00:47:10] Vince Menzione: a question. I love it. We, I don’t think we have any I can grab a mic, a roving mic. I could be a roving mic person. Hold on. We can do this. This is not on. [00:47:25] Vince Menzione: Test, test. Yes it is. Yeah. [00:47:26] Question: Theresa Carriol dared me to ask a question and I say, you don’t have to dare me. You know, I’m going to Anyway. Um, so Jay, of the point of view that with all of the new AI players that strategic alliances is again having a moment, and I was curious your point of view on what you’re seeing around this emergence and trend of strategic alliances and strategic alliance management. [00:47:52] Question: As compared to channel management. And what are you seeing in terms of large vendors like AWS investing in that strategic alliance role versus that channel role training, enablement, measurement, all that good stuff? [00:48:06] Jay McBain: Yeah, it’s, it’s a great question. So when I told the story about toast at the restaurant or Square or Clover, they’re not call, they’re not gonna call open AI or Nvidia themselves either. [00:48:17] Jay McBain: When you look out at the 250,000 ISVs. That make up this AI stack, there is the layers that happen there. So the Alliance with AWS, the alliance they have with Microsoft or Google is going to be how they generate agent AI in their platforms. So when I talk about a seven layer stack, the average deal being seven layers, AI is gonna drive this to nine, and then 11, then probably 13. [00:48:44] Jay McBain: So in terms of how alliances work, I had it up there as one of the five core strategies, and I think it’s pretty even. You can have the best alliances in the world, but if the seven partners trusted by the customer don’t know what that alliance is and the benefits to the customer and never mention it, it’s all for Naugh. [00:49:00] Jay McBain: If you’re go-to market, you’re co-selling, your co-marketing strategies are not built around that alliance. It’s all for naught. If the integration and the co-innovation, the co-development, the all the co-creation work that’s done inside these alliances isn’t translated to customer outcomes, it’s all for naugh. [00:49:17] Jay McBain: These are all five parallel swim lanes. All five are absolutely critically needed. And I think they’re all five pretty equally weighted in terms of needing each other. Yes. To be successful in the era of platforms. Yeah. [00:49:32] Vince Menzione: And the problem is they’re all stove pipe today. If, if at all. Yeah. Maintained, right. [00:49:36] Vince Menzione: Alliances is an example. Channels and other example. They don’t talk to one another. Judge any, we’ve got a mic up here if anybody else has. Yep. We have some questions here, Jacqueline. [00:49:51] Question: So when we’re developing our channel programs, any advice on, you know, what’s the shift that we should make six months from now, a year from now? The historical has been bronze, silver, gold, right? And you’ve got your deal registration, but what’s the future look like? [00:50:05] Jay McBain: Yeah, so I mean, the programs are, are changing to, to the point where the customer should be in the middle and realizing the seven partners you need to win the deal. [00:50:15] Jay McBain: And depending on what category of product you’re in, security, how much you rely on resell, 91.6%. You know, the channel partners are gonna be critical where the customer spends the money. And if you’re adding friction to that process, you’re adding friction in terms of your growth. So you know, if you’re in cybersecurity, you have to have a pretty wide open reseller model. [00:50:39] Jay McBain: You have to have a wide open distribution model, and you have to make sure you’re there at that point of sale. While at the same time, considering the other six partners at moment 12 who are in either saying nice things about you or not, the customer might even be starting with you. ’cause there is actually one thing that I didn’t mention when I showed the 28 moments filled in. [00:51:00] Jay McBain: You’ll notice that the customer went to AWS twice direct. AWS lost the deal. Microsoft won the deal software. One is Microsoft’s biggest reseller in the world. They just acquired crayon. NTT who, who loves both had their Microsoft team go in. [00:51:18] Question: Mm. [00:51:19] Jay McBain: So I think that they went to AWS thinking it was A-W-S-S-A-P, you know, kind of starting this seven layer stack. [00:51:25] Jay McBain: I think they finished those, you know, critical moments in the middle looking at it. And then they went back to AWS kind of going probably WWTF. Yeah. What we thought was happening isn’t actually the outcome that was painted by our most trusted people. So, you know, to answer your question, listen to your partners. [00:51:43] Jay McBain: They want to be recognized for the other things they’re doing. You can’t be spending a hundred percent of the dollars at the point of sale. You gotta have a point of system that recognizes the point of sale, maybe even gold, silver, bronze, but recognizing that you’re paying for these other moments as well. [00:51:57] Jay McBain: Paying for alliances, paying for integrations and everything else, uh, in the cyber stack. And, um, you know, recognizing also the top 1000. So if I took your tam. And I overlaid those thousand logos. I would be walking into 2026 the best I could of showing my company logo by logo, where 80% of our TAM sits as wallet share, not by revenue. [00:52:25] Jay McBain: Remember, a million dollar partner is not a million dollar partner. One of them sells 1.2 million in our category. We should buy them a baseball cap and have ’em sit in the front row of our event. One of them sells $10 million and only sells our stuff if the customer asks. So my company should be looking at that $9 million opportunity and making sure my programs are writing the checks and my coverage. [00:52:48] Jay McBain: My capacity and capability planning is getting obsessed over that $9 million. My farmers can go over there, my hunters can go over here, and I should be submitting a list of a thousand sorted in descending order of opportunity. Of where my company can write program dollars into. [00:53:07] Vince Menzione: Great answer. All right. I, I do wanna be cognizant of time and the, all the other sessions we have. [00:53:14] Vince Menzione: So we’ll just take one other question if there are any here and if not, we’ll let I know. Jay, you’re gonna be mingling around for a little while before your flight. I’m [00:53:21] Jay McBain: here the whole day. [00:53:22] Vince Menzione: You, you’re the whole day. I see that Jay’s here the whole day. So if you have any other questions and, and, uh, sharing the deck is that. [00:53:29] Vince Menzione: Yep. Alright. We have permission to share the deck with the each of you as well. [00:53:34] Jay McBain: Alright, well thank you very much everyone. Jay. Great to have you.

Chris May, VP of Security and Growth at Advantage Technology, joins Pathmonk Presents to break down how cybersecurity directly impacts business growth in regulated industries. With decades of hands-on experience, Chris explains why healthcare systems, law firms, financial institutions, and defense contractors are prime targets for cybercrime. He shares how Advantage Technology positions itself as a managed security services provider built on senior engineering talent, not entry-level staffing models. The conversation explores why educating CEOs and CFOs is critical, how storytelling and website education drive inbound demand, and why cybersecurity is no longer optional for any business with sensitive data and a bank account.

Mostly Growth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlyGrowthMostly Growth on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-growth/id1842238102Mostly Growth on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KDtaLaXx1obFp5PUhZ6V3In this year-end episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman reflect on what it actually takes to build a modern media business around newsletters and podcasts. They unpack CJ's first year going full-time, comparing creative intuition versus metric-driven operating styles, and discuss what content truly drives growth. The conversation also covers distribution dynamics, the emotional reality of unsubscribes and burnout, and closes with a candid look at monetization, team building, and the tradeoffs between simplicity and scale.—SPONSORS:Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com—LINKS:Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/deep-research-for-gtmhttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/2025-state-of-b2b-gtm-reporthttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-state-of-the-agentic-financial-stackhttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/the-great-ai-arr-illusionhttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-2025-tech-stack-reporthttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/download-the-annual-planning-biblehttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-sell-annual-planshttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/get-recommended-by-chatgpthttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/gtm-vibecoding-ideashttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-use-ai-agents-for-marketing—RELATED EPISODES:We get roasted for swag and drop some GTM goldhttps://youtu.be/uubf_8al95wDo vanity plates bring serious business?https://youtu.be/Cm1rubFb-kgPricing in the Real World: Babies, Bots, and Billinghttps://youtu.be/T1cjFSZR0k0—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:52 Sponsors — Pulley | Metronome00:04:12 Action Figure Swag and Year-in-Review Setup00:05:47 Going Full-Time and the First-Year Reality Check00:07:24 Writing Schedules, Creative Work, and Time Optimization00:09:16 Writing Speed, Craft, and the Myth That Time Equals Quality00:10:51 Perfectionism vs. Throughput in Newsletter Writing00:13:03 Creator Burnout, Motivation, and Engagement Anxiety00:14:08 Playing the Long Game vs. Obsessing Over Metrics00:15:42 Best Work of the Year and High-Leverage Content Bets00:17:55 Big Research Reports as Career-Defining Projects00:19:19 When Memes Outperform Deep Work00:19:52 LinkedIn Algorithms vs. Content Quality00:20:51 Writing for the Feed vs. Writing to Think00:22:03 Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles for Credibility00:23:47 Subscriber Growth, Audience Quality, and Churn Reality00:27:20 Reports and Research as Growth Engines00:28:37 Tactical “How-To” Content That Actually Converts00:30:21 Tactical Value Beats Sounding Smart00:30:40 Building a Team and Scaling Beyond a Solopreneur00:32:05 Simplicity vs. Scale in Early Business Decisions00:35:37 Avoiding Boredom and Shiny Object Syndrome00:37:12 Balancing Writing, Consulting, and Energy00:37:54 Making the Leap Financially as a Creator00:39:01 Subscriptions vs. Advertising as the Real Business Model#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #IndependentCreator #NewsletterBusiness #YearInReview 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

BONUS: Breaking Through The Organizational Immune System - Why Software-Native Organizations Are Still Rare With Vasco Duarte In this BONUS episode, we explore the organizational barriers that prevent companies from becoming truly software-native. Despite having proof that agile, iterative approaches work at scale—from Spotify to Amazon to Etsy—most organizations still struggle to adopt these practices. We reveal the root cause behind this resistance and expose four critical barriers that form what we call "The Organizational Immune System." This isn't about resistance to change; it's about embedded structures, incentives, and mental models that actively reject beneficial transformation. The Root Cause: Project Management as an Incompatible Mindset "Project management as a mental model is fundamentally incompatible with software development. And will continue to be, because 'project management' as an art needs to support industries that are not software-native." The fundamental problem isn't about tools or practices—it's about how we think about work itself. Project management operates on assumptions that simply don't hold true for software development. It assumes you can know the scope upfront, plan everything in advance, and execute according to that plan. But software is fundamentally different. A significant portion of the work only becomes visible once you start building. You discover that the "simple" feature requires refactoring three other systems. You learn that users actually need something different than what they asked for. This isn't poor planning—it's the nature of software. Project management treats discovery as failure ("we missed requirements"), while software-native thinking treats discovery as progress ("we learned something critical"). As Vasco points out in his NoEstimates work, what project management calls "scope creep" should really be labeled "value discovery" in software—because we're discovering more value to add. Discovery vs. Execution: Why Software Needs Different Success Metrics "Software hypotheses need to be tested in hours or days, not weeks, and certainly not months. You can't wait until the end of a 12-month project to find out your core assumption was wrong." The timing mismatch between project management and software development creates fundamental problems. Project management optimizes for plan execution with feedback loops that are months or years long, with clear distinctions between teams doing requirements, design, building, and testing. But software needs to probe and validate assumptions in hours or days. Questions like "Will users actually use this feature?" or "Does this architecture handle the load?" can't wait for the end of a 12-month project. When we finally discover our core assumption was wrong, we need to fully replan—not just "change the plan." Software-native organizations optimize for learning speed, while project management optimizes for plan adherence. These are opposing and mutually exclusive definitions of success. The Language Gap: Why Software Needs Its Own Vocabulary "When you force software into project management language, you lose the ability to manage what actually matters. You end up tracking task completion while missing that you're building the wrong thing." The vocabulary we use shapes how we think about problems and solutions. Project management talks about tasks, milestones, percent complete, resource allocation, and critical path. Software needs to talk about user value, technical debt, architectural runway, learning velocity, deployment frequency, and lead time. These aren't just different words—they represent fundamentally different ways of thinking about work. When organizations force software teams to speak in project management terms, they lose the ability to discuss and manage what actually creates value in software development. The Scholarship Crisis: An Industry-Wide Knowledge Gap "Agile software development represents the first worldwide trend in scholarship around software delivery. But most organizational investment still goes into project management scholarship and training." There's extensive scholarship in IT, but almost none about delivery processes until recently. The agile movement represents the first major wave of people studying what actually works for building software, rather than adapting thinking from manufacturing or construction. Yet most organizational investment continues to flow into project management certifications like PMI and Prince2, and traditional MBA programs—all teaching an approach with fundamental problems when applied to software. This creates an industry-wide challenge: when CFOs, executives, and business partners all think in project management terms, they literally cannot understand why software needs to work differently. The mental model mismatch isn't just a team problem—it's affecting everyone in the organization and the broader industry. Budget Cycles: The Project Funding Trap "You commit to a scope at the start, when you know the least about what you need to build. The budget runs out exactly when you're starting to understand what users actually need." Project thinking drives project funding: organizations approve a fixed budget (say $2M over 9 months) to deliver specific features. This seems rational and gives finance predictability, but it's completely misaligned with how software creates value. Teams commit to scope when they know the least about what needs building. The budget expires just when they're starting to understand what users actually need. When the "project" ends, the team disbands, taking all their accumulated knowledge with them. Next year, the cycle starts over with a new project, new team, and zero retained context. Meanwhile, the software itself needs continuous evolution, but the funding structure treats it as a series of temporary initiatives with hard stops. The Alternative: Incremental Funding and Real-Time Signals "Instead of approving $2M for 9 months, approve smaller increments—maybe $200K for 6 weeks. Then decide whether to continue based on what you've learned." Software-native organizations fund teams working on products, not projects. This means incremental funding decisions based on learning rather than upfront commitments. Instead of detailed estimates that pretend to predict the future, they use lightweight signals from the NoEstimates approach to detect problems early: Are we delivering value regularly? Are we learning? Are users responding positively? These signals provide more useful information than any Gantt chart. Portfolio managers shift from being "task police" asking "are you on schedule?" to investment curators asking "are we seeing the value we expected? Should we invest more, pivot, or stop?" This mirrors how venture capital works—and software is inherently more like VC than construction. Amazon exemplifies this approach, giving teams continuous funding as long as they're delivering value and learning, with no arbitrary end date to the investment. The Business/IT Separation: A Structural Disaster "'The business' doesn't understand software—and often doesn't want to. They think in terms of features and deadlines, not capabilities and evolution." Project thinking reinforces organizational separation: "the business" defines requirements, "IT" implements them, and project managers coordinate the handoff. This seems logical with clear specialization and defined responsibilities. But it creates a disaster. The business writes requirements documents without understanding what's technically possible or what users actually need. IT receives them, estimates, and builds—but the requirements are usually wrong. By the time IT delivers, the business need has changed, or the software works but doesn't solve the real problem. Sometimes worst of all, it works exactly as specified but nobody wants it. This isn't a communication problem—it's a structural problem created by project thinking. Product Thinking: Starting with Behavior Change "Instead of 'build a new reporting dashboard,' the goal is 'reduce time finance team spends preparing monthly reports from 40 hours to 4 hours.'" Software-native organizations eliminate the business/IT separation by creating product teams focused on outcomes. Using approaches like Impact Mapping, they start with behavior change instead of features. The goal becomes a measurable change in business behavior or performance, not a list of requirements. Teams measure business outcomes, not task completion—tracking whether finance actually spends less time on reports. If the first version doesn't achieve that outcome, they iterate. The "requirement" isn't sacred; the outcome is. "Business" and "IT" collaborate on goals rather than handing off requirements. They're on the same team, working toward the same measurable outcome with no walls to throw things over. Spotify's squad model popularized this approach, with each squad including product managers, designers, and engineers all focused on the same part of the product, all owning the outcome together. Risk Management Theater: The Appearance of Control "Here's the real risk in software: delivering software that nobody wants, and having to maintain it forever." Project thinking creates elaborate risk management processes—steering committees, gate reviews, sign-offs, extensive documentation, and governance frameworks. These create the appearance of managing risk and make everyone feel professional and in control. But paradoxically, the very practices meant to manage risk end up increasing the risk of catastrophic failure. This mirrors Chesterton's Fence paradox. The real risk in software isn't about following the plan—it's delivering software nobody wants and having to maintain it forever. Every line of code becomes a maintenance burden. If it's not delivering value, you're paying the cost forever or paying additional cost to remove it later. Traditional risk management theater doesn't protect against this at all. Gates and approvals just slow you down without validating whether users will actually use what you're building or whether the software creates business value. Agile as Risk Management: Fast Learning Loops "Software-native organizations don't see 'governance' and 'agility' as a tradeoff. Agility IS governance. Fast learning loops ARE how you manage risk." Software-native organizations recognize that agile and product thinking ARE risk management. The fastest way to reduce risk is delivering quickly—getting software in front of real users in production with real data solving real problems, not in demos or staging environments. Teams validate expected value by measuring whether software achieves intended outcomes. Did finance really reduce their reporting time? Did users actually engage with the feature? When something isn't working, teams change it quickly. When it is working, they double down. Either way, they're managing risk through rapid learning. Eric Ries's Lean Startup methodology isn't just for startups—it's fundamentally a software-native management practice. Build-Measure-Learn isn't a nice-to-have; it's how you avoid the catastrophic risk of building the wrong thing. The Risk Management Contrast: Theater vs. Reality "Which approach actually manages risk? The second one validates assumptions quickly and cheaply. The first one maximizes your exposure to building the wrong thing." The contrast between approaches is stark. Risk management theater involves six months of requirements gathering and design, multiple approval gates that claim to prevent risk but actually accumulate it, comprehensive test plans, and a big-bang launch after 12 months. Teams then discover users don't want it—and now they're maintaining unwanted software forever. The agile risk management approach takes two weeks to build a minimal viable feature, ships to a subset of users, measures actual behavior, learns it's not quite right, iterates in another two weeks, validates value before scaling, and only maintains software that's proven valuable. The second approach validates assumptions quickly and cheaply. The first maximizes exposure to building the wrong thing. The Immune System in Action: How Barriers Reinforce Each Other "When you try to 'implement agile' without addressing these structural barriers, the organization's immune system rejects it. Teams might adopt standups and sprints, but nothing fundamental changes." These barriers work together as an immune system defending the status quo. It starts with the project management mindset—the fundamental belief that software is like construction, that we can plan it all upfront, that "done" is a meaningful state. That mindset creates funding models that allocate budgets to temporary projects instead of continuous products, organizational structures that separate "business" from "IT" and treat software as a cost center, and risk management theater that optimizes for appearing in control rather than actually learning. Each barrier reinforces the others. The funding model makes it hard to keep stable product teams. The business/IT separation makes it hard to validate value quickly. The risk theater slows down learning loops. The whole system resists change—even beneficial change—because each part depends on the others. This is why so many "agile transformations" fail: they treat the symptoms (team practices) without addressing the disease (organizational structures built on project thinking). Breaking Free: Seeing the System Clearly "Once you see the system clearly, you can transform it. You now know the root cause, how it manifests, and what the alternatives look like." Understanding these barriers is empowering. It's not that people are stupid or resistant to change—organizations have structural barriers built on a fundamental mental model mismatch. But once you see the system clearly, transformation becomes possible. You now understand the root cause (project management mindset), how it manifests in your organization (funding models, business/IT separation, risk theater), and what the alternatives look like through real examples from companies successfully operating as software-native organizations. The path forward requires addressing the disease, not just the symptoms—transforming the fundamental structures and mental models that shape how your organization approaches software. Recommended Further Reading Vasco's article on 5 examples of software disasters that show we are in the middle of another software crisis NoEstimates movement: Vasco Duarte's work and book Impact Mapping: Gojko Adzic's framework Lean Startup: Eric Ries, "The Lean Startup" Outcome-based funding model Spotify squad model: Henrik Kniberg's materials Chesterton's fence paradox About Vasco Duarte Vasco Duarte is a thought leader in the Agile space, co-founder of Agile Finland, and host of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, which has over 10 million downloads. Author of NoEstimates: How To Measure Project Progress Without Estimating, Vasco is a sought-after speaker and consultant helping organizations embrace Agile practices to achieve business success. You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn.

In this best of episode, Derek Streat, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of DexCare here to discuss unlocking capacity, growth strategies for CFOs, and COOs in healthcare.

“I think the next stage of American capitalism includes co-opetition." - Dutch RojasOn the last episode of Self-Funded with Spencer in 2025, Dutch Rojas joins the show to expose the financial "arbitrage" that he believes is destroying independent medical practices in America. Dutch explains how current CMS incentives allow hospitals to buy independent clinics and immediately charge 165% more for the exact same services, which is a practice that is crushing employers and patients alike.In this episode, Dutch lays out his bold vision for "Co-opetition”, a new playbook where independent practices, manufacturers, and even churches band together to leverage their collective buying power. We discuss why the traditional "HR-led" model of buying benefits is failing, why CFOs need to take the wheel, and his dream of creating a true "Healthcare Commodities Exchange" to normalize pricing.We also get personal about his journey from the Netherlands to the U.S., the importance of social media for building influence in DC, and why he believes the next 10 years will be defined by those who can master media.Tune in for a fascinating look at the future of independent medicine.Chapters:(00:00:00) What is "Co-opetition" in Healthcare? (00:01:00) How Hospital Arbitrage Kills Private Practices (00:06:40) Why Independent Doctors Don't Work Together (Yet) (00:14:00) The 165% Markup(00:29:40) The Dream of a Healthcare Commodities Exchange (00:41:00) Why HR Shouldn't Make Healthcare Decisions (00:49:00) Aggregating Buying Power: Churches & Manufacturers (00:57:00) The 4-Stage Plan to Fix HealthcareKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

On this episode, Pete and Julie welcome Sue Danino, a seasoned CFO and shared-services executive who has spent her career at the intersection of finance, payroll, and enterprise transformation. Sue dishes on how CFOs truly view payroll's strategic value - from controllership and cash-flow forecasting to risk, compliance, and data-driven decision-making. Together, the trio explores payroll's wedge between HR and Finance, and how that tension can be turned into partnership, influence, and better business outcomes. Sue shares candid stories from leading large, complex organizations through M&A, global payroll consolidation, and multi-provider landscapes, highlighting why payroll must be at the table early for any acquisition, restructuring, or technology investment. The conversation explores the rise of automation and AI inside finance functions, the growing importance of real-time integrations, and why documentation, governance, and cross-functional relationships matter more than ever. Connect with Sue: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suedanino/  https://www.focuscfo.com/fractional-cfo-team/sue-danino  Connect with the show: LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 X: @HRPayroll2_0  BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0

“I think the next stage of American capitalism includes co-opetition." - Dutch RojasOn the last episode of Self-Funded with Spencer in 2025, Dutch Rojas joins the show to expose the financial "arbitrage" that he believes is destroying independent medical practices in America. Dutch explains how current CMS incentives allow hospitals to buy independent clinics and immediately charge 165% more for the exact same services, which is a practice that is crushing employers and patients alike.In this episode, Dutch lays out his bold vision for "Co-opetition”, a new playbook where independent practices, manufacturers, and even churches band together to leverage their collective buying power. We discuss why the traditional "HR-led" model of buying benefits is failing, why CFOs need to take the wheel, and his dream of creating a true "Healthcare Commodities Exchange" to normalize pricing.We also get personal about his journey from the Netherlands to the U.S., the importance of social media for building influence in DC, and why he believes the next 10 years will be defined by those who can master media.Tune in for a fascinating look at the future of independent medicine.Chapters:(00:00:00) What is "Co-opetition" in Healthcare? (00:01:00) How Hospital Arbitrage Kills Private Practices (00:06:40) Why Independent Doctors Don't Work Together (Yet) (00:14:00) The 165% Markup(00:29:40) The Dream of a Healthcare Commodities Exchange (00:41:00) Why HR Shouldn't Make Healthcare Decisions (00:49:00) Aggregating Buying Power: Churches & Manufacturers (00:57:00) The 4-Stage Plan to Fix HealthcareKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Five-time CFO Rick Smith has led finance at companies including inVentiv Health Communications, Exos, Parchment, Solera Health before founding Bonfire advisory. He is also the author o fDemystifying the Role of the CFO in Venture and Growth Stage Companies, a no-nonsense approach to the topic. Reviews for the book include: “This book is a must-read if you want to understand how to scale a company as a CFO” and “Should be required reading for CEOs and PE people along with CFOs.” In this episode Smith provides his take on being a CFO and his long background in FP&A, providing insights on: The path from FP&A to CFO (without a CPA) Why I like being CFO at SMBs (sub $50m) Being a dreamer, artist and buildingFP&A  Audits vs QOEs  The unspoken challenges working with PE firms FP&A and M&A – what you need to know  Link to the book: Demystifying the Role of the CFO in Venture and Growth Stage Companies

In this podcast episode, Nari Viswanathan, Senior Director of Supply Chain Strategy at Coupa Software, discusses the evolving landscape of supply chain management, particularly in the context of direct materials and procurement. He emphasizes the need for collaboration between CFOs and CPOs to address the challenges posed by global volatility, risks, and costs. The conversation explores the importance of understanding financial metrics, the role of AI in transforming procurement workflows, and the necessity of creating unified dashboards for better visibility into financial outcomes. Nari also highlights the importance of regularly reviewing supply chain costs and the limitations of traditional ERP systems in managing supply chain complexities.

When did AI stop being a fun experiment… and start becoming table stakes for running a business? In just a year, AI has gone from "interesting" to essential. But while nearly every company is talking about it, only a fraction are actually seeing real returns. In this episode of 10 Minute Tech Talks, you'll hear from Justine Kasznica and Chris Farmakis of Babst Calland on why AI adoption has exploded, what's driving CFOs a little crazy right now, and how the companies getting it right are separating themselves from the pack. This is the moment AI stopped being optional, and became core to how business gets done. So here's the takeaway: AI is officially mainstream, but success is far from guaranteed. Some companies are unlocking massive efficiency gains. Others are burning money and wondering what went wrong. In our next episode, we'll dig into why so many AI initiatives fail, and what leaders must do differently if they want real ROI instead of expensive experiments. If you're asking yourself, "Okay, so how do we actually do this right?" — you'll want to catch Part Two. Produced by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, this is a podcast for tech and manufacturing  entrepreneurs exploring the tech ecosystem, from cyber security and AI to SaaS, robotics, and life sciences, featuring insights to satisfy the tech curious.

What does it really take to build a fintech company that quietly fixes one of the most frustrating problems SMEs face every day? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier, the Founder and CEO of iBanFirst, for a candid conversation about entrepreneurship, timing, and why cross-border payments have remained broken for so long.  Pierre-Antoine's story begins in London, where his early career as an FX trader felt like a compromise at the time, yet quietly gave him a front-row seat to inefficiencies most people accepted as normal. That experience would later shape two companies and a very clear point of view on how money should move across borders. Pierre-Antoine walks through his first venture, Combeast.com, one of France's earliest FX brokerages for retail investors, and what he learned from selling it to Saxo Bank and staying on to run Western European operations. That chapter matters, because it exposed the gap between how sophisticated FX markets really are and how poorly SMEs are served when FX and payments are bundled together inside traditional banks. Out of that frustration, IbanFirst was born in 2016 with a simple idea: treat cross-border payments as a specialist discipline, not a side feature. Today, IbanFirst serves more than 10,000 clients across Europe and processes over €2 billion in transactions every month. We dig into why growth has continued while many fintechs have slowed, from a product designed to be used daily, to proactive sales, to a new generation of CFOs and CEOs who expect the same clarity and speed at work that they get from consumer fintech tools.  Pierre-Antoine explains how real-time FX rates, payment tracking using SWIFT GPI, and multi-entity account management change the day-to-day reality for SMEs trading internationally. We also talk about Brexit, and how being rooted in continental Europe created an unexpected opening. Pierre-Antoine shares why expanding into the UK, including the acquisition of Cornhill, made sense, and why London's payments ecosystem still stands apart in scale and depth. Along the way, he is refreshingly open about the heavy investment required in compliance, trust, and regulation, and why nearly a third of IbanFirst's team focuses on operations and oversight. Looking ahead, Pierre-Antoine lays out a bold vision for the SME payments market, predicting a future where specialists replace banks in much the same way fintech reshaped consumer money transfers. As cross-border trade grows and currency volatility becomes a daily concern, his perspective raises an interesting question for anyone running an international business today:  if specialists already exist, why keep relying on systems that were never designed for how SMEs actually operate? Useful Links: Connect with Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier Learn more about iBanFirst, Tech Talks Daily is sponsored by Denodo

Mostly Growth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlyGrowthMostly Growth on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-growth/id1842238102Mostly Growth on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KDtaLaXx1obFp5PUhZ6V3In this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman unpack a wide-ranging set of predictions and observations about where go-to-market strategy, AI, and pricing models are headed next. They discuss why what ChatGPT says about your product may become a core marketing KPI, the resurgence of direct mail and physical touchpoints in an AI-saturated world, and why “almost as good as a human” is a dangerous positioning for AI-driven products. The conversation also explores AI monetization paths through advertising, the risk of an AI infrastructure timing mismatch leading to a broader financial pullback, and what historical parallels like railroads and the Sears catalog can teach us about today's buildout. The episode closes with real-world pricing lessons, from energy-as-a-service solar subscriptions to the surprisingly massive standalone economics of Apple's AirPods, tying together how distribution, perception, and monetization shape durable growth.—SPONSORS:Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com—LINKS:Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/—RELATED EPISODES:996 Culture, Exploding AI Bills & SaaS Chaoshttps://youtu.be/qhrxDL0gsRoThe Layer-Cake Playbook for Vertical SaaS Growth | with Roland Ligtenberghttps://youtu.be/yPxWvhPISKoOpenAI's Impossible Math: $500B or Bust?https://youtu.be/L6PLnvjcnpkFrom Birding Apps to Billion-Dollar Bundles: The Future of SaaS Growthhttps://youtu.be/mzITrIP70OkWhere Did All the Middle Managers Go?https://youtu.be/LvN7RzmApPU—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:40 Sponsors — Pulley, Metronome00:04:00 Welcome Back And Consumer Friction00:05:29 Insurance Middlemen Frustrations00:07:07 Explaining Newsletter Businesses00:07:58 Family Perceptions Of Work00:09:05 GTM And Growth Predictions00:10:19 Trust And Objectivity In ChatGPT00:12:01 ChatGPT As Marketing KPI00:14:14 Direct Mail Marketing Comeback00:15:56 Tech Buying Media Assets00:17:52 Fake Subscribers And Email Lore00:19:03 AI Quality Over Automation00:22:11 AI Healthcare And Ad Models00:24:40 Advertising Fuels AI Economics00:25:40 AI Boom Versus Bust Timing00:27:49 Infrastructure Before Killer Apps00:30:21 Railroad Economics And Real Estate00:30:46 Solar Subscriptions And Pricing00:32:50 AirPods As Recurring Revenue00:34:57 Show Outro And Credits#MostlyGrowthPodcast #GrowthMarketing #AITrends #GoToMarket #StartupStrategy 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

On this thought-provoking episode of the Stuck In My Mind Podcast titled “The CFO Whisperer on Authentic Leadership and Navigating Change in High Stakes Environments,” host Wize El Jefe sits down with renowned leadership advisor Kenneth Merritt, a figure known for guiding CFOs and financial executives through the complexities of transformation, growth, and leadership for nearly three decades. The conversation takes listeners far beyond the usual leadership buzzwords, tackling the realities of authentic connection, adaptability, and the evolving demands placed on executives in today's business climate. From the first moments, listeners are invited to think deeply about what it truly means to lead—not just in theory, but in the kinetic, unpredictable markets that define our era. Kenneth Merritt shares candidly about the pivotal moments in his career that shattered his early notions about traditional leadership playbooks. He recounts witnessing layoffs early in his career, serving as a wake-up call about the volatility of the corporate world and the importance of agility. Further, mergers, acquisitions, and shifting economic conditions taught him that leadership is less about static rules and more about reading and meeting the moment, no matter the cost. As the conversation unfolds, Wize El Jefe draws out Kenneth Merritt's insights on what truly shapes a leader. It's not just technical prowess or knowing the right answer; it's about understanding people, building trust, and fostering authentic relationships. Especially for financial leaders, this means going beyond the spreadsheets and transactions to become a trusted advisor and a catalyst for change. Kenneth Merritt emphasizes that trust and relationship-building only become more critical the higher one rises on the corporate ladder. The ability to guide others depends heavily on interpersonal skills, transparency, and the readiness to bring people along—even when decisions are tough or unpopular. Listeners will appreciate Kenneth Merritt's vulnerability as he shares mistakes he made early on. He admits to once believing that having the “right answer” was enough, only to later realize the necessity of persuasion, empathy, and selling a vision. Leadership requires buy-in, not just intellectual correctness. In practical terms, Kenneth Merritt describes his leadership identity as embodying “gravitas”—the balance between confidence, capability, and understanding of expectations. He shares that gravitas isn't innate or automatic; it's developed through self-awareness, continual learning, and alignment between what a situation demands and what a leader can deliver. The episode dives deeply into the realities of the AI-driven world and the future of work. Kenneth Merritt and Wize El Jefe discuss how executives often remain behind the curve, not because of technology itself but due to a disconnect between AI providers, decision makers, and those who use the technology daily. The lesson: leaders must continually ask questions, demand real-world utility, and integrate AI as a tool—rather than as a buzzword or afterthought. Offering a blueprint for transformational leadership, Kenneth Merritt outlines three essential behaviors: acceptance of necessary change, clear definition of target outcomes, and the assembling of high-caliber teams, tools, and processes. In his view, change isn't incremental, but quantum—requiring leaders to genuinely step outside comfort zones. Authenticity, particularly in finance, is examined in a fresh light. Kenneth Merritt breaks down relationship-building into three types of conversations: sharing the story of performance, candidly communicating risks and failures, and, most importantly, forging real, everyday connections that promote a sense of partnership well beyond financial analysis. These subtle, human actions form the bedrock of trust in environments where skepticism and caution typically reign. The episode also tackles the future of finance and executive leadership. Kenneth Merritt predicts volatility and rapid change will only escalate in coming years, requiring finance professionals to develop agile teams and systems capable of handling shifting economies, competitive pressures, and constant disruption. The wisdom here is clear—resilience and adaptation are no longer optional, but essential parts of an executive's toolkit. Personal growth and wellness get heartfelt attention in the latter half of the conversation. Both Wize El Jefe and Kenneth Merritt share their own journeys of health, mindset, and spirituality, underlining how well-being and professional success are irrevocably intertwined. The advice is straightforward: personal alignment, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, empowers leaders to show up at their best, at work and in life. For those aspiring to executive leadership, Kenneth Merritt shares concrete guidance. Performance is paramount, but so is a commitment to ongoing learning. He cautions against stagnation and advises leaders to treat their growth like building physical strength—exercising new skills daily, honing executive presence, and cultivating gravitas over time. Finally, Kenneth Merritt reflects on the legacy he's building through Merit Advisory Group—a commitment to value creation, partnership, and leaving clients and colleagues in a better place than before. He champions the power of relationships, continuous development, and giving back, both professionally and personally. This episode is a must-listen for leaders at any level, especially those navigating change, seeking authentic impact, or planning for the unpredictable future. It offers practical advice, real-world stories, and a call to embrace the human side of business, all while reminding us that true leadership involves leading oneself first. Tune in for expert wisdom, personal stories, and actionable insights on how to future-proof your leadership, build trust, and drive meaningful change—inside and outside the boardroom.

In episode #338 of SaaS Metrics School, Ben explains how to quickly sanity-check your sales and marketing forecast for the upcoming year using one high-signal SaaS metric: the Cost of ARR. As founders and CFOs finalize budgets, Ben shows how mismatches between projected bookings and planned go-to-market spend can reveal unrealistic assumptions before they turn into missed targets. Using simple examples, Ben walks through how the Cost of ARR connects sales and marketing spend, net new ARR bookings, and historical performance—making it one of the most effective tools for validating SaaS and AI company forecasts during budget season. What You'll Learn How to use the Cost of ARR to validate your sales and marketing budget The relationship between sales and marketing spend and net new ARR bookings How to identify unrealistic growth assumptions in your forecast The difference between blended the Cost of ARR, Cost of New ARR, and Cost of Expansion ARR Why historical performance should anchor forward-looking forecasts How benchmarking by ACV and sales motion improves forecast accuracy Why It Matters Sales and marketing forecasts often fail because spend and bookings assumptions are disconnected Cost of ARR provides a mechanical reality check before committing to a budget Overly aggressive ARR targets can be identified early and corrected Underspending on go-to-market becomes visible when bookings expectations are too conservative Benchmarking against peers helps validate whether forecast assumptions are realistic Strong financial modeling and forecasting discipline improves board and investor confidence Resources Mentioned Cost of ARR metric framework: https://www.thesaascfo.com/saas-cac-ratio/ Benchmarking data from Ray Rike at Benchmarkit.ai Concepts from SaaS FP&A forecasting and go-to-market efficiency analysis: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/the-saas-metrics-foundation

In this episode of the Thread Podcast, Justin Vandehey interviews Benjamin Roach, Director of Revenue Operations at Optio Incentives, to explore what it takes to build RevOps in the equity compensation and incentives space. Ben shares his “traditional” path from sales into RevOps, why he deliberately took a step back into a junior ops role, and how getting technical became a career unlock.They dig into the complexities of selling and operating in equity management—where revenue can include ARR, transactional fees, and services, and where buyers span CFOs, CHROs, legal, and finance. Ben also shares his point of view on AI: where it can help participants and admins get fast answers, and why data quality and human oversight still matter. The episode closes with career advice for aspiring RevOps leaders and how to learn the craft.Key topics coveredWhy Ben moved from sales → RevOps (and why he “took a step back” to level up)Equity compensation complexity: strike price, taxes, vesting, global complianceHow Optio's GTM motion sells “trusted partner + tech,” not just softwareMeasuring growth in equity management beyond traditional ARRAI in equity management: where it's useful today and where it's riskyCareer advice: become technical, stay curious, build a broader toolbeltMemorable moments / quotable lines“Stock options… were unknown to me. You get handed them and think, maybe one day I'll make money.”“AI is only as good as your data models.”“Don't be scared to take a step backwards.”“RevOps wears so many hats—you need a lot of tools on your toolbelt.”Chapters (suggested)00:00 – Welcome + Ben's intro 01:00 – From sales to RevOps (and why he took a step back) 02:10 – Why the equity/incentives space pulled him in 03:30 – Aligning finance, HR, and revenue metrics 04:45 – Why revenue isn't just ARR in equity management 05:30 – Simplifying a complex story for CFOs/CHROs/legal 06:55 – Global compliance + product readiness constraints 09:00 – AI in equity: what it can and can't do (yet) 11:05 – Career advice for aspiring RevOps leaders 13:45 – Plug: Optio + how to connect with Ben

How can you unlock creativity to thrive in leadership and life?   In this episode of Women of Color Rise, I speak with Dr. Natalie Nixon—creativity strategist, author of The Creativity Leap and Move, Think, Rest, and CEO of Figure 8 Thinking. Recognized on the Thinkers50 Radar and named one of the Top 50 keynote speakers by Real Leaders, Natalie helps executives and organizations harness creativity as a strategic advantage.   A proud African American woman and Gen Xer, Natalie grew up on the East Coast in a family that modeled discipline, faith, imagination, and rest. From her father's example of Sabbath practice to her mother's encouragement of daydreaming, Natalie learned early that curiosity and movement fuel innovation and resilience.   She shares lessons for leaders: Embrace creativity everywhere. It's not just for artists—engineers, CFOs, and educators all thrive when they pair wonder with rigor. Build curiosity into culture. Ask better "what if" questions to unlock new possibilities. Honor natural rhythms. Movement and rest sharpen thinking and prevent burnout. Connect ROI to creativity. Collaboration and curiosity drive productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Trust intuition. Imagination and foresight are as powerful as logic in leadership. Natalie's story shows that by moving, thinking, and resting with intention, leaders can reimagine what's possible and create lasting impact.   Order Natalie's book Move Think Rest here.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://analizawolf.com/episode-117-move-think-rest-to-promote-creativity-with-natalie-nixon  

In this episode of The Pursuit Power Half Hour, Brent sits down with two seasoned CFOs, Steve DeSantis and Dave Ristow, to explore how the role of finance leadership has rapidly expanded across professional services. They discuss how CFOs are now expected to shape strategic direction, unify systems and data, strengthen delivery operations, and build tech stacks that can sustain long-term growth. Key topics covered include:How the CFO role has evolved from traditional financial oversight to strategic operatorThe challenges of rapid growth and how unified tools (PSA, ERP, BI) restore clarity and control.How CFOs partner with operations and delivery leaders Signs it's time to evolve your tech stackAdvice for CFOs on owning the enterprise tech stack, preparing for AI-enabled operations, and building companies that can scale through multiple stages of investment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Mark Mascarenhas. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate listeners—especially entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring millionaires—on financial planning, wealth management, and risk mitigation strategies. It emphasizes the importance of discipline, clarity, and professional guidance in achieving financial success and sustaining wealth across generations. Key Takeaways Financial Planning is Foundational A written financial plan is the first step before any investment portfolio is built. Success is defined individually—financial, health, or lifestyle goals. Diversification & Risk Management Digital assets like Bitcoin should only make up 2–3% of a portfolio for high-net-worth clients with high risk tolerance. Fear and greed drive markets; advisors help clients maintain discipline. Long-Term Care & Insurance Planning for long-term care is essential, typically starting in your 50s. Term life insurance early locks in health; whole life policies provide stability and living benefits. Tax Strategy Use tax-loss harvesting, asset location strategies, and estate planning to minimize tax burdens. Estate planning focuses on transferring wealth tax-efficiently to future generations. Millionaire Mindset Millionaires are clear, disciplined, optimistic, and collaborative. 74% of millionaires work with financial advisors vs. 34% of the general population. Power of Compounding Compounding interest is the cornerstone of wealth accumulation—requires patience and discipline. Avoid lifestyle creep and impulsive spending, especially for younger millionaires and influencers. Fiduciary Responsibility Advisors act in the client’s best interest; success is mutual. Trust and transparency are critical in client-advisor relationships. Notable Quotes On Risk & Bitcoin:“You could potentially double your money, but you could also potentially lose 70% of it.” On Financial Planning:“Every dollar needs a job description.” On Millionaire Mindset:“Successful people view us as CFOs—they’re the CEOs.” On Compounding:“If you could win 72% of the time, would you play that game? Yes. That’s the stock market.” On Retirement Success:“Living the same or better lifestyle in retirement than you do today while working.” On Fiduciary Role:“We make more money when the client makes more money.” #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Mark Mascarenhas. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate listeners—especially entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring millionaires—on financial planning, wealth management, and risk mitigation strategies. It emphasizes the importance of discipline, clarity, and professional guidance in achieving financial success and sustaining wealth across generations. Key Takeaways Financial Planning is Foundational A written financial plan is the first step before any investment portfolio is built. Success is defined individually—financial, health, or lifestyle goals. Diversification & Risk Management Digital assets like Bitcoin should only make up 2–3% of a portfolio for high-net-worth clients with high risk tolerance. Fear and greed drive markets; advisors help clients maintain discipline. Long-Term Care & Insurance Planning for long-term care is essential, typically starting in your 50s. Term life insurance early locks in health; whole life policies provide stability and living benefits. Tax Strategy Use tax-loss harvesting, asset location strategies, and estate planning to minimize tax burdens. Estate planning focuses on transferring wealth tax-efficiently to future generations. Millionaire Mindset Millionaires are clear, disciplined, optimistic, and collaborative. 74% of millionaires work with financial advisors vs. 34% of the general population. Power of Compounding Compounding interest is the cornerstone of wealth accumulation—requires patience and discipline. Avoid lifestyle creep and impulsive spending, especially for younger millionaires and influencers. Fiduciary Responsibility Advisors act in the client’s best interest; success is mutual. Trust and transparency are critical in client-advisor relationships. Notable Quotes On Risk & Bitcoin:“You could potentially double your money, but you could also potentially lose 70% of it.” On Financial Planning:“Every dollar needs a job description.” On Millionaire Mindset:“Successful people view us as CFOs—they’re the CEOs.” On Compounding:“If you could win 72% of the time, would you play that game? Yes. That’s the stock market.” On Retirement Success:“Living the same or better lifestyle in retirement than you do today while working.” On Fiduciary Role:“We make more money when the client makes more money.” #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Mark Mascarenhas. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate listeners—especially entrepreneurs, small business owners, and aspiring millionaires—on financial planning, wealth management, and risk mitigation strategies. It emphasizes the importance of discipline, clarity, and professional guidance in achieving financial success and sustaining wealth across generations. Key Takeaways Financial Planning is Foundational A written financial plan is the first step before any investment portfolio is built. Success is defined individually—financial, health, or lifestyle goals. Diversification & Risk Management Digital assets like Bitcoin should only make up 2–3% of a portfolio for high-net-worth clients with high risk tolerance. Fear and greed drive markets; advisors help clients maintain discipline. Long-Term Care & Insurance Planning for long-term care is essential, typically starting in your 50s. Term life insurance early locks in health; whole life policies provide stability and living benefits. Tax Strategy Use tax-loss harvesting, asset location strategies, and estate planning to minimize tax burdens. Estate planning focuses on transferring wealth tax-efficiently to future generations. Millionaire Mindset Millionaires are clear, disciplined, optimistic, and collaborative. 74% of millionaires work with financial advisors vs. 34% of the general population. Power of Compounding Compounding interest is the cornerstone of wealth accumulation—requires patience and discipline. Avoid lifestyle creep and impulsive spending, especially for younger millionaires and influencers. Fiduciary Responsibility Advisors act in the client’s best interest; success is mutual. Trust and transparency are critical in client-advisor relationships. Notable Quotes On Risk & Bitcoin:“You could potentially double your money, but you could also potentially lose 70% of it.” On Financial Planning:“Every dollar needs a job description.” On Millionaire Mindset:“Successful people view us as CFOs—they’re the CEOs.” On Compounding:“If you could win 72% of the time, would you play that game? Yes. That’s the stock market.” On Retirement Success:“Living the same or better lifestyle in retirement than you do today while working.” On Fiduciary Role:“We make more money when the client makes more money.” #SHMS #BEST #STRAWSteve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As organizations race to adopt AI, many discover an uncomfortable truth: ambition often outpaces readiness. In this episode of the ITSPmagazine Brand Story Podcast, host Sean Martin speaks with Julian Hamood, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at TrustedTech, about what it really takes to operationalize AI without amplifying risk, chaos, or misinformation.Julian shares that most organizations are eager to activate tools like AI agents and copilots, yet few have addressed the underlying condition of their environments. Unstructured data sprawl, fragmented cloud architectures, and legacy systems create blind spots that AI does not fix. Instead, AI accelerates whatever already exists, good or bad.A central theme of the conversation is readiness. Julian explains that AI success depends on disciplined data classification, permission hygiene, and governance before automation begins. Without that groundwork, organizations risk exposing sensitive financial, HR, or executive data to unintended audiences simply because an AI system can surface it.The discussion also explores the operational reality beneath the surface. Most environments are a patchwork of Azure, AWS, on-prem infrastructure, SaaS platforms, and custom applications, often shaped by multiple IT leaders over time. When AI is layered onto this complexity without architectural clarity, inaccurate outputs and flawed business decisions quickly follow.Sean and Julian also examine how AI initiatives often emerge from unexpected places. Legal teams, business units, and individual contributors now build their own AI workflows using low-code and no-code tools, frequently outside formal IT oversight. At the same time, founders and CFOs push for rapid AI adoption while resisting the investment required to clean and secure the foundation.The episode highlights why AI programs are never one-and-done projects. Ongoing maintenance, data validation, and security oversight are essential as inputs change and systems evolve. Julian emphasizes that organizations must treat AI as a permanent capability on the roadmap, not a short-term experiment.Ultimately, the conversation frames AI not as a shortcut, but as a force multiplier. When paired with disciplined architecture and trusted guidance, AI enables scale, speed, and confidence. Without that discipline, it simply magnifies existing problems.Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.GUESTJulian Hamood, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at TrustedTech | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-hamood/Are you interested in telling your story?▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full▶︎ Spotlight Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight▶︎ Highlight Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlightKeywords: sean martin, julian hamood, trusted tech, ai readiness, data governance, ai security, enterprise ai, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand story podcast, brand spotlight Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Moving from individual contributor to leader isn't about authority, confidence, or even strategy. It's about alignment — and most leaders underestimate how brutal, complex, and consequential that shift really is.In this episode of The Business of Alignment, AJ breaks down what actually changes when you stop leading yourself and start leading others. Not just direct reports — but energy, trust, decision velocity, partner relationships, board confidence, brand perception, and long-term outcomes you may never immediately see.This is a candid, unfiltered look at leadership reality:• Why one missed conversation can unravel years of trust• How lack of transparency creates hesitation, attrition, and stalled decision-making• What it really means to “peer around the corner” as a leader• Why alignment is not a soft skill — it's a risk management disciplineFor CEOs, CHROs, CFOs, COOs, and senior leaders navigating scale, complexity, and pressure in 2025 and beyond, this episode introduces a practical mental framework to evaluate decisions before they ripple across people, partners, customers, and the business itself.Alignment isn't optional. It's the difference between momentum and quiet chaos.

Financial consolidation has long been treated as a “back-office necessity,” but in today's complex, data-dense businesses, it's becoming a strategic engine. Craig Schiff, Founder and CEO of BPM Partners joins Melissa to unpack the evolution of consolidation, why it's resurging in importance, and how AI is reshaping both FP&A and controllership. Craig shares what companies are getting wrong, why consolidation and planning belong together and the trends he's seeing as organizations move from legacy systems, Excel-heavy processes and fragmented tools toward unified performance management. He also explains the critical connection between actuals, planning accuracy and strategic speed, and why more CFOs now lead with consolidation at the center of their data strategy. Discussed in This Episode:  Critical features of modern financial close and consolidation software Building a unified finance tech stack AI in performance management: What CFOs need to know The future of close and consolidationFor CFO insights, episode show notes and exclusive blog content, visit thecfoshowpodcast.com.

Marketing's leadership gap is widening across Fortune 500 companies. Kathryn Rathje, partner at McKinsey, reveals why only 66% of Fortune 500 companies retained CMOs last year and how marketing budgets dropped to 7.7% of revenue. She explains how CMOs can rebuild credibility by aligning metrics with CEO priorities, establishing clear ROI definitions with CFOs, and implementing full-funnel marketing measurement systems that connect brand investments to revenue outcomes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marketing's leadership gap is widening across Fortune 500 companies. Kathryn Rathje, partner at McKinsey, reveals why only 66% of Fortune 500 companies retained CMOs last year and how marketing budgets dropped to 7.7% of revenue. She explains how CMOs can rebuild credibility by aligning metrics with CEO priorities, establishing clear ROI definitions with CFOs, and implementing full-funnel marketing measurement systems that connect brand investments to revenue outcomes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Disclaimer: This is a podswap episode from The Growth Minded CFO, hosted by Lauren Pearl and Alex Lewis, featuring Kate Gulliver, CFO and CEO of Wayfair.The path to becoming a CFO today is rarely a straight line. Finance leaders are increasingly coming from diverse backgrounds, bringing a broad range of skills to the role. After all, the best CFOs don't just manage numbers; they shape strategy, foster talent, and drive innovation across an organization.In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, hosts Lauren and Alex sit down with Kate Gulliver, CFO and CAO of Wayfair. It's an insightful conversation about leadership, adaptability, and impact. Kate shares her journey from investor relations to overseeing finance, legal, talent, and corporate communication—offering a rare look at the evolution of a top executive.She reflects on the challenges of stepping into new roles, the power of an entrepreneurial mindset in a high-growth company, and the lessons learned from integrating finance with people strategy. Kate also opens up about balancing a demanding career with motherhood and the importance of fostering an inclusive, authentic workplace.In this Episode:[00:58] - Meet Kate Gulliver: Wayfair's Multifaceted Leader[01:53] - Journey Through Wayfair: From IPO to CFO[06:55] - Transitioning to Talent: A Leap of Faith[10:28] - Learning and Leading in Talent Management[16:08] - The CFO Perspective: Integrating Talent and Finance[17:11] - Navigating the CFO Role: Insights and Reflections[18:50] - The Importance of Cross-Departmental Communication[21:30] - Wayfair's Latest Launch: Wayfair Verified[24:49] - Operationalizing New Ideas at Wayfair[29:59] - Balancing Work and Life[33:23] - The Importance of Authenticity at WorkConnect with Kate:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-gulliver-3b242762/Connect with Alex:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexlouisy/

Discover 5 dividend-paying stocks where CEOs and CFOs are buying shares with their own money—including $5 million in purchases at one company in a single week. When executives put their personal cash into their own stock, especially when the CFO oversees all the finances, it's worth paying attention. This video breaks down Blue Owl Capital (OWL), TriplePoint Venture Growth (TPVG), Hershey (HSY), Energizer (ENR), and Dorchester Minerals (DMLP)—all with recent insider buying activity. Not financial advice, but a great starting point for your own research into these dividend stocks. Check out the ⁠⁠YouTube video⁠⁠!Dapper Dividends Recommendation Tracker SpreadsheetCheck out my current portfolio on

Mostly Growth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlyGrowthMostly Growth on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-growth/id1842238102Mostly Growth on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KDtaLaXx1obFp5PUhZ6V3In this episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson and Kyle Poyar explore the hidden mechanics behind focus, competition, and value creation across both consumer culture and B2B SaaS. They unpack why point-solution companies like Untuckit and Raising Cane's can outperform diversified rivals, examine how competition actually strengthens category demand, and break down the gray zone of mid-market venture exits where founder incentives and investor expectations diverge. The conversation ranges from private equity roll-ups to the realities of cold-calling returning as a top-performing growth channel, to pricing transparency, algorithmic price discrimination, and how everyday behaviors—from mall Santas to $12 club water—reflect deeper strategic forces. It's a fast, practical look at how operators can stay focused, understand market pressure, and avoid chasing the wrong game.—SPONSORS:Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com—LINKS:Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/—RELATED EPISODES:Building AI-Native Software With No Rules | Christopher O'Donnellhttps://youtu.be/Fr1027kZyC0SaaS Founder or Pop Star? CJ Gets Schooledhttps://youtu.be/LMZq_DwVmkYThe Layer-Cake Playbook for Vertical SaaS Growth | with Roland Ligtenberghttps://youtu.be/yPxWvhPISKoThe One Use Case for Venture Debt That Most Founders Never Think Abouthttps://youtu.be/XxH_Y9OH_i0—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:42 Sponsors – Pulley | Metronome00:04:02 Mall Fashion & Nostalgia00:05:50 The Modern Mall Santa Reinvented00:06:52 Untuckit & the Platform vs. Point Solution Debate00:08:31 The Power of Category Focus00:09:56 Obsession, Craft, and the Raising Cane's Lesson00:10:46 Germany's “Hidden Champions”00:12:44 Competition: When to Care and When Not To00:14:05 OpenAI, Gemini & the “Code Red” Mindset00:15:34 Competition to Category Education00:17:00 Pricing Pages as Competitive Battlegrounds00:18:05 VC Deck Theater & Competitive Grids00:18:54 Rise of B2B Newsletter Advertising00:19:48 Awkward Exits: The Venture “Gray Zone”00:21:46 Founder Life-Changing Exits vs. VC Math00:23:04 Why Secondaries Exist (and When They Help)00:24:58 Why $100–500M Is the Most Common SaaS Exit Range00:26:14 Structural Misalignment in Venture Exits00:27:20 How Much Secondary Is Too Much?00:30:25 Business Blunders: Justin Bieber the PM00:31:54 Voice Notes, Etiquette, and Chaos00:33:23 Cold Calling Makes a Comeback00:35:50 Catherine Jhung Still Cold Calls CFOs00:37:44 Algorithm Pricing Labels & Data-Driven Pricing00:41:11 Why Clubs Charge $12 for Water00:42:40 Closing Credits#MostlyGrowthPodcast #keepitsimple #focuswins #businessstrategy #operatorsmindset 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

In this episode of The Metrics Brothers, Ray “Growth” Rike and Dave “CAC” Kellogg take on one of the biggest challenges facing modern SaaS and AI-Native companies: how to measure NRR and expansion when pricing isn't fixed anymore.With the rise of usage-based, user-based-but-variable, and outcome-based pricing, the traditional world of ARR - long the backbone of SaaS metrics has been turned on its head. Contracts no longer tell the story. Spend does.Dave breaks down how to rethink ARR proxies using quarterly or monthly revenue (“implied ARR”) and why longer intervals help smooth volatility, especially for “humpback” or highly seasonal customers whose spend fluctuates dramatically month-to-month.Ray digs into what NRR was originally designed to measure and why many teams misinterpret it—especially in variable-pricing environments where a backward-looking metric can't serve as a forward-looking forecast. The brothers explain why sequential expansion, usage behavior, and real spend patterns now matter far more than traditional ARR bridges.Key topics include:Why ARR no longer maps cleanly to revenue in a variable pricing worldHow to calculate implied ARR using quarterly or monthly software revenueWhy NRR must be interpreted differently—and why survivor bias still mattersHow volatility and seasonality distort short-interval metricsWhy usage is the real leading indicator, not invoicesHow to rethink “expansion ARR” when base + variable spend changes continuouslyPacked with examples, including sinusoidal customers, misleading GRR math, and the dangers of splitting base versus variable revenue, this episode gives operators and investors a practical framework for measuring customer growth when pricing is anything but predictable.A must-listen for CFOs, RevOps leaders, and anyone trying to modernize SaaS metrics for the AI era.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An amazing panel discussion from a recent ACT-IAC CX SUMMIT, focuses on the synergy between financial management and service delivery. Moderated by Steven Boberski, with experts Clarence Crawford, Thomas Coleman, and Sarah Cunningham. They explore the role of CFOs in enhancing customer experience, strategic advising, and leveraging technology, like AI, for efficiency. They also discuss challenges like unfunded mandates and the evolving role of CFOs in the federal government. The episode highlights the importance of collaboration and creative problem-solving in achieving agency goals.Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to never miss an episode! For more from ACT-IAC, follow us on LinkedIn or visit http://www.actiac.org.Learn more about membership at https://www.actiac.org/join.Donate to ACT-IAC at https://actiac.org/donate. Intro/Outro Music: See a Brighter Day/Gloria TellsCourtesy of Epidemic Sound(Episodes 1-159: Intro/Outro Music: Focal Point/Young CommunityCourtesy of Epidemic Sound)

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Glenn Snyder and Rosemary Linden to talk about the important role of FP&A in today's business world. They share stories from their careers, including lessons learned from failures, unique requests they've received, and their experiences navigating the complex world of finance.Glenn Snyder brings years of experience in finance and FP&A, focusing on budgeting, strategy, and improving financial processes. Rosemary Linden is the founder and president of Momentum CFO, where she provides fractional CFO services and FP&A consulting. With over 25 years in the industry, she recently won CFO of the Year from the San Diego Business Journal and is passionate about mentoring women in finance.Expect to Learn:How clarity, influence, and foresight define great FP&A workThe importance of empathy and communication in leadership rolesReal-world lessons from career failures and how to bounce backBest practices for budgeting and data governanceHow to make sure your financial forecasting is both transparent and trustworthyHere are a few quotes from the episode:“FP&A is all about helping leaders make better, faster decisions.” – Glenn Snyder“The way you say things can matter just as much as what you say in FP&A.” – Rosemary LindenGlenn and Rosemary shared valuable insights on the strategic role of FP&A, the importance of empathy in leadership, and how to learn from failures. Their stories and advice will help anyone in finance make a greater impact within their organization. Tune in for more practical tips on navigating the world of FP&A!Campfire: AI-First ERP:Campfire is the AI-first ERP that powers next-gen finance and accounting teams. With integrated solutions for the general ledger, revenue automation, close management, and more, all in one unified platform.Explore Campfire today: https://campfire.ai/?utm_source=fpaguy_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=100225_fpaguyFollow Rosemary Linden:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosemarylinden/Company - https://www.linkedin.com/company/momentumcfo/Follow Glenn:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenntsnyder/Earn Your CPE Credit For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FP&A Certificate, take the quiz on Earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.In Today's Episode:[02:04] – What makes great FP&A[07:00] – Glenn's career failure and lesson[11:06] – Rosemary on empathy and tone in FP&A[19:09] – Managing failure[26:00] – Unusual FP&A requests[38:40] – Streamlining budgeting and setting targets[45:30] – Importance of data governance[49:40] – FP&A's role in raising capital[54:35] – Final thoughts on FP&A's impact

As AI reshapes the modern business landscape, one truth is becoming unmistakable: the partnership between CFOs and CIOs has never been more essential. In this episode of CPM Customer Success, we explore why Finance and IT are being pulled into tighter alignment, and how the organizations that embrace this collaboration are setting themselves up for speed, clarity, and long-term strategic advantage. We look at: Why CFOs and CIOs increasingly overlap in decisions around data, automation, forecasting, and governance How AI exposes gaps in cross-functional alignment, and accelerates the need for shared vision The role OneStream's expert ecosystem plays in creating a common language between Finance and IT A real-world customer example where better collaboration cut a 10-day consolidation issue down to just 3 days Why ongoing guidance matters after implementation, and how Nova Advisory's SMART Services help organizations sustain momentum with proactive, expert support Whether you're a CFO looking to modernize your close, a CIO responsible for data integrity, or a finance leader navigating AI-driven transformation, this episode offers a grounded, practical view of what strong collaboration looks like, and why it's becoming a defining factor in enterprise success.

Welcome back to another episode of The Richer Geek Podcast. Today we are joined by Chris Hervochon, CPA, CVA, a numbers-driven advisor who helps growth-minded entrepreneurs make smarter financial decisions. Chris shares how good accounting goes far beyond tax season, why advisory-based CPAs can save you tens of thousands, and the real difference between bookkeeping, controllers, and fractional CFOs. He also breaks down how to prepare your business for a future sale and the hidden risks most founders never check. If you're ready to run your business like the asset it should be, this episode will help you get there. In this episode, we chat about… Chris shares how his career went from accounting to pro golf and eventually to running his own CPA firm. He explains why traditional CPAs focus on volume and often can't offer real advisory or proactive support. Breakdown of the differences between bookkeeping, controllers, and fractional CFOs. Discussion on how upcoming tax law changes may impact business owners in the next few months. Chris talks about what makes a business valuable and how owners can reduce risk to increase that value. Key Takeaways: A strategic CPA gives advice year-round, not just during tax season. Growing businesses need consistent check-ins, quarterly at minimum, monthly if possible. Your finance function should stay within 1–3% of your revenue to stay effective. Entity structure and tax planning are major sources of missed savings for entrepreneurs. Buyers pay for stable, low-risk cash flow, not a business that depends on the owner.   Resources from Chris LinkedIn  | Better Numbers Resources from Mike and Nichole Check out our latest project here: Barcelona Hotel Fund LinkedIn  | Gateway Private Equity Group | Nic's guide

In this episode of The Lending Brief (sponsored by Allocore), former SBA CFO and Associate Administrator Kate Aaby joins to unpack what it really takes to manage and modernize one of the federal government's largest loan portfolios. Drawing on experience at OMB, in the private sector, and on the front lines of pandemic lending, Kate reflects on lessons learned from moving $1 trillion in assistance to small businesses, and what's still holding federal credit programs back.She discusses why performance and risk management should be inseparable, how fragmented eligibility systems erode trust, and why true modernization will require CFOs, CIOs, and program leaders to work together across agency lines. The conversation explores the need for shared platforms, better data transparency, and a cultural shift toward collaboration, all to better serve borrowers and safeguard taxpayer dollars.Want more from The Lending Brief? Check out The Lending Brief Newsletter

Most owners in the trades do not have a revenue problem. They have a profit problem. Ben Hansen, the Profit Doctor, joins me to break down why you are working harder than ever with nothing to show for it and how to fix it.   In this episode, I sit down with Ben Hansen, the Profit Doctor, to dig into why so many blue collar entrepreneurs are incredible operators and terrible CFOs for their own company. We talk about the gap between turning wrenches and understanding your numbers, why most bookkeepers and CPAs are not setting you up to win, and what to do if your revenue is climbing but your profit is stuck.   Ben walks through his 4-part profit prescription, the difference between profit, revenue, and cash, how to think about pricing in the trades, and why you should stop doing the jobs that always lose you money. We also get into profititis, the 50–20 rule, and how cutting the worst 20 percent of your customers and work can be the fastest way to double what you keep. __ ► Free resource: 90 Day ROI Playbook — Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook   __ Guest: Ben Hansen, Profit Doctor Topic(s): Scale lean, boost margins, and build a business that actually gives you freedom, not just bigger numbers. https://profitdoctor.com/   Music Licensing by Audiio License #: 0981896904 #profit #profitability #smallbusiness

Most nonprofit leaders want more unrestricted revenue - but few have a strategy for building it.In this episode, The Charity CFO's Tosha Anderson and Aaron Landis explain why unrestricted funds are the true fuel behind nonprofit growth, stability, and innovation. Drawing on conversations with hundreds of CEOs and EDs, they highlight why organizations with the highest unrestricted percentages are often the most resilient and mission-aligned.You'll learn: • Why unrestricted revenue is essential to scaling programs • The risks of relying on restricted grants or government funding • How unrestricted dollars improve staffing, operations, and long-term planning • How boards and CEOs can shift the fundraising mindset • Practical ways to increase unrestricted support in your next budget cycleA must-listen for CEOs, CFOs, development leaders, and board members serious about financial health.Follow Us Online

From jumping straight to deal structure to building repeatable acquisition programs that scale, Corey Kupfer shares the exact whiteboarding process he uses with clients to create successful deal programs across M&A, joint ventures, licensing, and any deal-driven growth strategy. In this solocast episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer walks through the five critical steps that must come before deal structure when building a repeatable deal program. Drawing on 35+ years of deal-making experience and countless whiteboarding sessions that have helped create platforms completing dozens of transactions, Corey reveals why most attorneys start in the wrong place and how proper planning separates successful programs from expensive mistakes. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, you'll discover why deal structure should be the sixth step in your process, not the first, and how to identify your personal and business motivations before pursuing any deal program. Corey shares the five whys technique from Honda's former CEO to uncover your real drivers, how to define your ideal target or partner profile to avoid wasting time on opportunities that don't fit your strategic criteria, and why your value proposition must differentiate you from competitors who may have more capital. You'll learn how to assemble the right deal team with both internal and external expertise, why building a repeatable model before doing individual deals prevents cap table nightmares and integration problems, and the power of having template documents ready to demonstrate you're a serious player. The framework applies whether you're pursuing acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing deals, franchising, or any other deal-driven growth approach. THE WHITEBOARDING PROCESS: Most clients come to Corey asking about deal structure. What should the terms be? Should they pay cash or offer equity? What about earnouts? These are important questions, but they're not where you should start. After doing whiteboarding sessions with countless clients over 35 years, Corey can say with complete confidence that every single one has gotten significant value from the process. The firms that skip these steps end up with inconsistent deal structures, cap table problems, and integration nightmares. The companies that do this right create efficient, repeatable processes that let them scale their deal programs. THE INTERNAL JOURNEY: Corey often talks about things other lawyers don't discuss. He focuses on the internal journey, making sure business leaders and executives move forward on deals from the right place. When you get to wherever you think you want to go, you should actually be happy and satisfied, and it should help you achieve your objectives and goals. Too many entrepreneurs pursue growth strategies based on external pressures or assumptions about what they think they should be doing, based on entrepreneurial wisdom out there. They grow and do things in ways that don't actually end up making them happy and satisfied and aren't necessarily best for their business. STEP ONE: START WITH YOUR WHY: The first question in every whiteboarding session is why. Not just the corporate why, although that matters. Corey wants to know your personal why as the founder or executive driving this strategy. If your why is geographic expansion because your clients need services in other markets, that's legitimate. If your why is adding capabilities that will create a better integrated client experience, that works too. If your why is increasing enterprise value before an exit in five or ten years, there's no judgment about that. You just need to be clear on what drives you, because that clarity will shape every subsequent decision. Corey uses the five whys technique, which comes from the former CEO or chairman of Honda. You ask why five times, going deeper with each question. Why do you want to grow? To get bigger. Why do you want to get bigger? To serve clients better. Why will that serve clients better? Because they have needs we currently send elsewhere, and integration would improve their experience. Why does that matter to you? Because I genuinely care about my clients and believe this will make them happier while helping our company grow. That depth of understanding separates deal programs that succeed from those that become expensive distractions. STEP TWO: DEFINE YOUR TARGET PROFILE: Once you know your why, you can determine who you should be targeting. This is where many firms waste tremendous time and energy. Doing deals is a distraction from running your business, especially if you don't have a dedicated corporate development team with finance people, legal resources, and integration specialists. You need to be surgical about who you pursue. Think about the wealth management space, which Corey works in extensively. There are huge numbers of buyers right now. The market is incredibly competitive. If you're trying to compete with private equity backed aggregators on their terms, you'll lose every time. They can pay top dollar, close fast, and offer the second bite of the apple through rollover equity and multiple arbitrage. If you don't have PE backing, you need a completely different value proposition. Maybe it's culture. Maybe it's the opportunity for advisors to expand their service offerings. Maybe it's taking administrative burden off retiring founders so they can focus on what they love. Your value proposition should be authentic to who you are and what you can actually deliver. STEP THREE: ASSEMBLE YOUR DEAL TEAM: Before you start actively pursuing deals, you need to know who will be on your deal team, both internally and externally. This includes whoever sources deals for you, whether that's an internal corporate development person, an investment banker, a recruiter, or a consultant. You need financial expertise, and it better be someone with deal experience. Accountants, CFOs, and controllers who have never worked on transactions are very different from those who have. The same goes for legal. Your general corporate lawyer is not the person to build your deal program. Then you have all the integration functions. Technology integration. HR and culture integration. Client communication and retention strategies. You might not have every person in place on day one, but you need to know what roles are required and have a plan for filling them before you close your first deal. STEP FOUR: BUILD YOUR MODEL: This is where most companies make a critical mistake. They do deals opportunistically without creating a consistent model first. Someone approaches them, they negotiate terms, they close. Then another opportunity comes along, they do it differently. After three or four deals, they have completely different structures with different equity classes, different earnout provisions, different everything. This creates massive problems. If you have different classes of equity, your cap table becomes a mess. If sellers talk to each other and realize they got very different deals, you have credibility issues and potential legal exposure. Integration becomes nearly impossible because you don't have standardized processes. The best acquirers find their model and make it repeatable. They have template legal documents. They have standardized financial analysis and underwriting processes. They have systems for due diligence and integration. Every deal follows the same fundamental structure with minor variations based on specific circumstances. When you build your model, you're deciding the big conceptual components. Are you doing all cash deals or creating an equity class for rollover? How much will you pay upfront versus over time? Will you have retention requirements tied to revenue or client retention? What about earnouts for partners who stay involved in growth? In service businesses where client relationships matter, you almost always want some backend money contingent on retention. If you're buying a manufacturing business with hard assets, the calculus is different. STEP FIVE: DRILL DOWN TO DEAL STRUCTURE: Once you have your model, you can determine the actual deal structure for individual transactions. What specific equity class will you offer? If you're an S corp, you can only have one class of equity. Will you restructure as a C corp or an LLC to offer different equity terms? What exact percentage will you pay upfront versus backend? Over how many years? If you know you're targeting retiring business owners who want to cash out, they probably want more money upfront and less backend risk. If you're targeting younger partners who want to stay and grow, they might prefer less upfront and more backend upside. All of these specific terms fit within your broader model. You're not reinventing the structure for each deal. You're applying your established approach with minor customizations based on the specific situation. THE POWER OF TEMPLATE DOCUMENTS: The ideal scenario is completing your whiteboarding session, building your model, and creating template legal documents before you start seriously pursuing targets. When someone expresses interest, you can immediately send a letter of intent. You can start due diligence with established processes. You can deliver definitive legal documents quickly. This makes you look professional and serious. It shows potential partners that you know what you are doing and have your act together. Speed matters in competitive markets. Corey understands the practical reality. Template documents cost legal fees before you have a deal in place. Some clients aren't willing to make that investment without more certainty. Others have already started conversations with potential partners before they come in for the whiteboarding session. Recently, a client did the whiteboarding session in the morning, then met with a potential seller that same afternoon. The seller was ready to move faster than expected. The documents got built for that specific deal, which also became the templates for future transactions. REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS: The framework works across any deal type. While Corey uses M&A as the primary example because that's what most clients ask about, the principles apply to licensing strategies, joint venture partnerships, franchising programs, or any other deal-driven growth approach. The key is understanding what the ideal process looks like and getting as close to it as circumstances allow. A lot of these factors depend on your industry and the types of relationships with clients and customers. The contractual length and other factors with those customers and clients help dictate what the model will be around things like retention requirements. If you're bringing in retired folks who are looking to get out of the business and will be gone after a consulting arrangement, that will dictate a different part of the model than somebody who is younger, coming in, going to stay with the company, and wants to continue to grow. THE PERSONAL WHY MATTERS MOST: Company objectives matter. Strategic rationale matters. Financial considerations matter. But your personal why as the founder or executive is equally important. Why are we entrepreneurs if we're not creating companies that let us build the lives we want? Too many business leaders grow based on external pressure or assumptions about what they should be doing. They read about how some company scaled through acquisition, so they think they need to do the same thing. They hear about the multiples PE backed platforms are achieving, so they assume that's the only path. Then they build companies they don't actually want to run. They create obligations and structures that make them miserable. They achieve financial success but personal dissatisfaction. Your personal motivations are relevant and legitimate. If you want to build a legacy company, own that. If you want to create enterprise value for an exit, be honest about it. If you genuinely care about providing better client experiences, let that drive your decisions. When your personal why aligns with your company strategy, you create something sustainable. PROVEN RESULTS: These whiteboarding sessions have helped build platforms that have completed dozens of acquisitions. The firms that invest in proper planning make deal-driven growth look easy because they've built proper foundations. The firms that skip these steps end up scrambling, making mistakes, and wondering why their deal program isn't delivering expected results. The process creates tremendous value for every client who goes through it, helping founders create businesses they actually want to run while achieving their financial objectives. Perfect for business leaders considering deal-driven growth, entrepreneurs building acquisition programs, executives exploring joint ventures or strategic alliances, and anyone who wants to pursue deals without wasting time and resources on opportunities that don't align with strategic objectives. • • •FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE:https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/dealprogram• • •FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER:https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/http://coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:00] - Introduction to the whiteboarding process for building deal programs [01:01] - Why this process applies to all deal types, not just M&A [01:53] - Five steps that must come before deal structure [02:43] - The passion for visioning, planning, and strategy sessions [03:24] - Why starting with deal structure is the wrong approach [04:18] - The internal journey and making sure deals align with happiness [05:24] - Step One - Starting with your why and getting clear on motivations [06:26] - Using the five whys technique to go deeper on your drivers [06:49] - Example of the five whys in action with client scenarios [08:02] - Step Two - Defining who you're targeting to avoid wasting time [09:54] - How to compete when you don't have PE backing in competitive markets [10:59] - Creating authentic value propositions that differentiate you [12:43] - Step Three - Assembling your deal team internally and externally [13:27] - Why you need the model before individual deal structures [14:08] - The mistake of doing deals opportunistically without consistency [14:44] - Problems created by inconsistent deal structures across multiple deals [15:02] - Step Four - Building a repeatable model that can scale [17:01] - Deciding conceptual components like cash versus equity structures [19:35] - Step Five - Drilling down to specific deal structure within your model [20:34] - Determining upfront versus backend payment percentages [22:17] - The ideal scenario of having template documents ready [22:38] - The practical reality when clients have already started conversations [24:56] - Socializing deals to key stakeholders after closing [24:58] - The importance of not skipping the process even under time pressure [25:25] - Why your personal why matters as much as company objectives [26:24] - The danger of building companies you don't want to run Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Episode 80 - Deal-Ready Foundations with Corey Kupfer: Explore the foundational elements needed before pursuing any deal strategy, including team building and internal preparation. Episode 84 - Business Partnerships Deals with Corey Kupfer: Understand how partnership structures work and how to create successful collaborative deals. Episode 90 - The BEST Of Company Founders with Corey Kupfer: Learn from multiple founders about their deal-driven growth strategies and what worked in building their companies. Episode 134 - Deal Preparation with Corey Kupfer: Discover the five steps toward deal-making success and how proper preparation prevents poor performance. Episode 138 - 5 More Steps Towards Deal-Making Success with Corey Kupfer: Building on the foundation of deal preparation, explore additional critical steps for executing successful transactions. Social Media Follow DealQuest Podcast: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ Website: https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Keywords/Tags deal program planning, M&A strategy, acquisition planning, joint venture strategy, licensing deals, deal structure framework, whiteboarding sessions, strategic deal planning, repeatable deal process, deal-driven growth, deal team building, value proposition for deals, target partner profile, deal legal structure, franchise strategy, strategic alliances, five whys technique, business motivation alignment, personal why in business, cap table management, template legal documents, integration strategies, corporate development, wealth management M&A, PE competition strategies, deal model building