Becoming A Startup CFO

The step from finance manager to finance leader can be much bigger than it appears from the outside.

Alysha explores why leadership requires you to change where you place your attention, moving beyond short-term delivery into planning, ownership, team development and business-wide thinking. If you are aiming for an FD or CFO role but still feel buried in the day-to-day work, this episode will help you recognise where the shift needs to begin.

Episode highlights

• Why becoming a leader is more than taking on additional responsibility
• The difference between short-term management and longer-term leadership
• Why leaders are judged on output rather than personal effort
• How proactive thinking changes your role
• Why developing other people becomes part of your own progression
• How to begin practising CFO leadership before the promotion arrives

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Being technically excellent can build a brilliant finance career, but becoming a CFO asks for something different.

In this episode, Alysha explores the point where technical expertise stops being the main measure of your value. Drawing on her own transition into finance leadership, she looks at the shift from getting the work done to thinking strategically, influencing decisions and helping the whole business prepare for what comes next.

Episode highlights

• Why technical finance expertise is only the foundation of CFO leadership
• The difference between managing finance and leading a business
• Why hard work can sometimes disguise a lack of strategic thinking
• How your performance is judged differently at leadership level
• The importance of commercial curiosity, judgement and relationships
• Questions that help you start thinking like a CFO before you have the title

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Becoming a Start-Up CFO, hosted by Alysha Randall, is a practical and honest podcast for aspiring CFOs, new finance leaders and experienced professionals navigating the fast-moving world of start-ups and scale-ups. Drawing on more than fifteen years of experience across businesses including LoveFilm, Funding Circle and her own work supporting founders and finance leaders, Alysha explores what it really takes to move beyond the numbers and become a trusted strategic partner.

From leadership, confidence and commercial thinking to cash management, fundraising, boards, investors and building a high-performing finance team, each episode shares real experiences and practical insight to help finance professionals grow into the CFO role with greater clarity and confidence.

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Subscribe to our YouTube channel