Sarah Spoja, the CFO of Tipalti joins CJ to discuss M&A as a growth lever and the evolution of the CFO role in high-growth environments. Drawing from her background in private equity operations at KKR Capstone, she shares insights on the current M&A environment and the boom she predicts for the near future. She also explains how to avoid crushing the soul of a startup in the M&A process and the value of getting your hands dirty in PE Ops. As the CFO of a rapidly expanding SaaS company, Sarah sheds light on how to evolve as the company scales. She shares how to reassess priorities, balance hands-on work with strategic oversight, and navigate external-facing demands like conferences and panels. The conversation covers building investor relationships while avoiding perceptions of always being in-market and highlights the CFO’s dual role as strategist and salesperson. From navigating M&A to solving problems across stages from seed to IPO, this episode is packed with insights.

If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.

—

SPONSORS:

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning. 

Operators Guild is where the best CEOs, CFOs, VPs of finance, and BizOps leaders in the business connect, network, and grow together. Built by operators for operators, this members-only community is home to more than 1000 of the most elite high-growth operators in the world. Experience connection and knowledge share with professionals who understand you like no one else does. Learn more and apply at operators-guild.com. 

Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages. 🚀 Request a demo at www.maxio.com/runthenumbers for 10% off your first year.

Leapfin is accounting automation software that automatically prepares and posts reliable journal entries. High-growth businesses like Reddit, Canva, and Seat Geek choose Leapfin to eliminate manual tasks, accelerate month-end close, and enable accounting leaders to provide faster insights to help their companies grow. To automatically standardize your revenue data with measurable business impact, check out leapfin.com today. 

Mercury is the fintech ambitious companies use for banking and all their financial workflows. With a powerful bank account at the center of their operations, companies can make better financial decisions and ensure that every dollar spent aligns with company priorities. That's why over 100K startups choose Mercury to confidently run all their financial operations with the precision, control, and focus they need to operate at their best. Learn more at mercury.com.

Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust®; Members FDIC.

—

FOLLOW US ON X:

@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:13) Sponsor – NetSuite | Operators Guild

(04:52) Sarah’s Experience in M&A

(06:13) The Current M&A Environment

(12:17) Field Sales Versus Channel Partnerships

(14:23) How to Avoid Crushing the Soul of a Startup During M&A

(19:30) Sponsor – Maxio | Leapfin | Mercury

(22:39) The Value of Getting Your Hands Dirty in PE Ops

(26:10) How Sarah Has Evolved During Tipalti’s Hypergrowth

(31:00) Balancing Hands-On Work with Making the Best Use of One’s Time

(34:40) Reassessing the ROI of One’s Time

(37:09) Solving Problems Versus Handling People Issues from Seed to IPO

(40:21) Repeating Yourself as a Job Requirement

(42:24) How Visible a CFO Should Be

(43:52) A Framework for Choosing Speaking Arrangements

(50:43) The Risk of Being Perceived as Perpetually In-Market

(52:01) The Job of the CFO as Sales

(55:15) Long-Ass Lightning Round

(01:00:21) Finance Software Stack

(01:02:15) Craziest Expense Story

Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe