When Steve Fox joined Every Man Jack in 2021, the men’s personal care brand had a new private equity owner and an ambitious growth agenda. Carlyle Group saw an opportunity: a widely distributed brand that had never invested heavily in marketing. The challenge was finding the operating leverage to fund that investment.For Fox, the answer increasingly lies in technology.At Every Man Jack, a company known for its outdoor-inspired grooming products, the finance team has remained at five employees even as transaction volume has tripled. Fox credits investments in technology and a growing emphasis on automation.The initiative even has a name: “Nix the Clicks by 26.”The goal is to eliminate manual transactions and replace traditional workflows with functional command centers where employees supervise automated processes, investigate exceptions, and monitor business performance.The transformation gathered momentum after Every Man Jack implemented NetSuite in September 2025. A month later, at SuiteWorld, the company’s IT manager connected the new ERP platform to emerging AI capabilities.Still, Fox recognizes that easier access to technology brings its own complications. With roughly 70 employees suddenly capable of creating software-driven solutions, the company established an AI oversight committee to prevent duplication and keep experimentation aligned with strategy.It’s a distinctly operational approach from a CFO whose career began in public accounting before taking him into retail management and high-growth businesses.And while Fox is enthusiastic about what technology makes possible, his guiding principle remains decidedly human: successful adoption begins with investing in people.

When Steve Fox joined Every Man Jack in 2021, the men’s personal care brand had a new private equity owner and an ambitious growth agenda. Carlyle Group saw an opportunity: a widely distributed brand that had never invested heavily in marketing. The challenge was finding the operating leverage to fund that investment. For Fox, the answer increasingly lies in technology. At Every Man Jack, a company known for its outdoor-inspired grooming products, the finance team has remained at five employees even as transaction volume has tripled. Fox credits investments in technology and a growing emphasis on automation. The initiative even has a name: “Nix the Clicks by 26.” The goal is to eliminate manual transactions and replace traditional workflows with functional command centers where employees supervise automated processes, investigate exceptions, and monitor business performance. The transformation gathered momentum after Every Man Jack implemented NetSuite in September 2025. A month later, at SuiteWorld, the company’s IT manager connected the new ERP platform to emerging AI capabilities. Still, Fox recognizes that easier access to technology brings its own complications. With roughly 70 employees suddenly capable of creating software-driven solutions, the company established an AI oversight committee to prevent duplication and keep experimentation aligned with strategy. It’s a distinctly operational approach from a CFO whose career began in public accounting before taking him into retail management and high-growth businesses. And while Fox is enthusiastic about what technology makes possible, his guiding principle remains decidedly human: successful adoption begins with investing in people.

1225: Nix the Clicks: Building a Finance Function That Manages by Exception | Steve Fox, CFO, Every Man Jack

Four CFOs Share Strategic Insights

271: Empowering Your Finance Team | Four CFOs Share Strategic Insights

Smart & Final currently operates 305 stores in seven Western states. It ranked at No. 595 in this year’s Fortune 1,000 after taking in about $4 billion in revenue in 2015.

Smart & Final currently operates 305 stores in seven Western states. It ranked at No. 595 in this year’s Fortune 1,000 after taking in about $4 billion in revenue in 2015.

Smart &amp; Final currently operates 305 stores in seven Western states. It ranked at No. 595 in this year’s Fortune 1,000 after taking in about $4 billion in revenue in 2015.

270:  Stocking a More Profitable Aisle  | Rick Phegley, CFO, Smart & Final

Alan Haughie, CFO, ServiceMaster

&nbsp;Alan Haughie, CFO, ServiceMaster

269: Driving Profitable Growth | Alan Haughie, CFO, ServiceMaster

Kathleen Bloch, CFO, CytoSorbents

&nbsp;Kathleen Bloch, CFO, CytoSorbents

268:  Down the Pharma Funding Path  | Kathleen Bloch, CFO, CytoSorbents

267:  When It Comes To  Private Equity Partners | 3 CFOs Share Their Views

Tom Graney, CFO, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

Tom Graney, CFO, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

266: Finding Your Industry Passion | Tom Graney, CFO, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

265:  Navigating a Newly Divested Firm | Ray Scheppach, CFO, iManage

264:  Performing Due Diligence on a CFO Role |  Samuel Dergel, Dergel Executive Search

We've titled this episode using the name of a book authored by our guest, career CFO Randal Bolten.

We've titled this episode using the name of a book authored by our guest, career CFO Randal Bolten.

We've titled this episode using the name of a book authored by our guest, career CFO Randal Bolten.&nbsp;

263: Painting With Numbers | Randall Bolten, CFO & Author

Aiden Neary, CFO, Clean Coal Technologies

Aiden Neary, CFO, Clean Coal Technologies

&nbsp;Aiden Neary, CFO, Clean Coal Technologies

262: The Defiant Ones - The Future of Coal |  Aiden Neary, CFO, Clean Coal Technologies

CFO THOUGHT LEADER is a podcast featuring firsthand accounts of finance leaders who are driving change within their organizations.
We share the career journey of our spotlighted CFO guest: What do they struggle with? How do they persevere? What makes them successful CFOs?  CFO THOUGHT LEADER is all about inspiring finance professionals to take a leadership leap. We know that by hearing about the successes — (and yes, also the failures) — of others, today’s CFOs can more confidently chart their own leadership paths across the enterprise and take inspired action.

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CFO THOUGHT LEADER is a podcast featuring firsthand accounts of finance leaders who are driving change within their organizations. We share the career journey of our spotlighted CFO guest: What do they struggle with? How do they persevere? What makes them successful CFOs? CFO THOUGHT LEADER is all about inspiring finance professionals to take a leadership leap. We know that by hearing about the successes — (and yes, also the failures) — of others, today’s CFOs can more confidently chart their own leadership paths across the enterprise and take inspired action.

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