Are you curious about the origin story of the CFO Bookshelf podcast? The great people at Oracle NetSuite wanted to know that about a year earlier when they asked that question during one of their webinars.

In this recording, the Head of Marketing at Netsuite, Ranga Bodla, asks the host of CFO Bookshelf why he started the show, who his favorite guests and been, and even some conversations that didn't turn out too well.

I enjoy reading books by transparent business founders who are not afraid to let their guard down in the stories they share.

Titles quickly coming to mind are Boss Life by Paul Downs, Anything You Want by Derek Sivers, and Wild Company by the founders of Banana Republic.

High on my list in this genre is What it Takes by Raegan Moya-Jones, the gritty and successful co-founder of aden + anais. Like many startup arcs, this book reveals many obstacles encountered by founders: necessary startup capital, constant cash constraints, people issues, supply chain inefficiencies, and other frustrations.

More importantly, Raegan gives us a firsthand look at the challenges of creating and building a business in a male-dominated space. Her research in the book and the advice provided in this conversation are inspiring and insightful.

Episode Highlights, Q&A with the Host, and Bookclub Starter Questions: Link

Do you know what a donor-advised fund (DAF) is?

Until this conversation, I knew very little about DAFs. Jake Wood founded Groundswell, whose mission is to democratize and revolutionize philanthropy for everyone. They do that through technology and DAFs.

In this conversation, we find out what DAFs are, how to set them up, who can sponsor a DAF, and why they offer tax advantages to donors.

Mad Men's Harry Crane has found that his colleague makes $100 a week more than he does. He believes he deserves a raise, and through some fear and trepidation, he gets an extra $25 more per week from his intimidating boss. But do you think he's happy?

How about you? Are you paid fairly? If not, how do you know?  What are your thoughts on minimum wage vs. a living wage? Do you believe in pay transparency and salary surveys?

In the compensation world, David Buckmaster probably needs to introduction. He's the author of Fair Pay.

In this conversation, we're going to hear about some of the challenges and solutions on the topic of fair pay.

CFO Bookshelf does not sit in the seat of judgment, nor does it play the role of pundit in the midst of the 2023 banking crisis we are witnessing. We'll let the regulators and the media handle those duties.

Instead, CFO Bookshelf is about old and revolutionary ideas that we can put to work right now in our organizations.

As I have been monitoring the news of the Silicon Valley Bank closure and similar banks that are failing, four mental models or frameworks have come to mind.

In this episode, I share 4 mental constructs that come from the banking industry playbook that we can apply in our own businesses. These ideas include:

1. CAMELs
2. Stress testing paired with resilience testing
3. The Texas Ratio
4. Reputation Risk

Show notes page - Read Here

I've heard some startup founders say that every graduate should spend a year or two working in government before embarking on their chosen career path.

For business students, I believe every new graduate should consider running or managing a restaurant for one to two years because of the people, financial, and entrepreneurial skills needed to keep the store afloat.

I'm thrilled to have Ken McGarrie on the show to talk shop about his industry and his book, The Surprise Restaurant Manager.

This conversation is especially geared toward those of us outside the food service industry, but those working in it will gain valuable insights from the COO of Fabio Viviani Hospitality.

Author and HBR contributor Peter Cappelli asserts that accounting and financial reporting are wreaking havoc on damaging HR decisions by corporate leaders.

In this conversation, Peter reveals that 90% of all company vacancies were filled internally prior to 1980. Today, that number is just over 20%. He adds that there were very few layoffs more than 40 years ago. Today, layoffs make headlines weekly.

Peter believes these results are being driven by accounting and financial reporting. In this episode, we'll also hear about financial reporting's impact on defined contribution plans, training and development, R&D, and layoffs.

Peter Cappelli's newest book is Our Least Important Asset (July 2023).

I'm periodically scouring the podcast universe for other shows focusing on business books. I recently found Business Books & Co. founded by three buddies who went to school together.  Within three weeks, I listened to their first three seasons of episodes.

As a fan of the show, I'm thrilled to hear the origin story of this podcast with their moderator David Kopec. In this show, we learn how a book club turned into a podcast, how books are selected, their favorite episodes, the books they didn't like, and an update on season four.

What is the best book on the story of Apple Computer? This week's guest states that Return to the Little Kingdom is the best of all of the Apple books on the history of this iconic growth story dating back to the pre-startup days thru the most successful sales years of the Apple II computer.

Our guest is David Kopec, the moderator of the podcast Business Books & Co. David is a history buff on the early days of Apple and on their journey to becoming a unicorn.  Expect to hear some stories you've never heard before.

Jeff Polovick started Canadian-based Driving Force with just $80,000 and just a few years of experience. That modest investment has been parlayed into $400 million in revenues with 675 employees.

Jeff's book is Why Can't We, and like many startup stories, there's drama, adversity, success, more adversity, and even an exit.

In this conversation, we talk about continuous and lifelong learning, family, adversity, and Jeff's value system.