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

261: All In The Family | 3 CFOs Reflect on Their Family-Owned Firms

Three CFOs Scratch Their Entrepreneurial Itch

Three CFOs Scratch Their Entrepreneurial Itch

260: Three CFOs Scratch Their Entrepreneurial Itch

259:  A Glance Inside Boston's Tech Community |  Jim Kelliher, CFO, Actifio

258: My Unlikely CFO Journey with Steve Jobs   | Lawrence Levy, CFO & Author, To Pixar & Beyond

Bob Berdelle, CFO & Executive Vice President, United Way Worldwide

Bob Berdelle, CFO & Executive Vice President, United Way Worldwide

Bob Berdelle, CFO &amp; Executive Vice President, United Way Worldwide

257:  Putting Donor Dollars to Work  | Bob Berdelle, CFO, United Way Worldwide

Inside the impatient age of the millennial workforce - Mark Buthman's 33-year career at Kimberly Clark might appear to some as a throwback - a stubborn artifact from an earlier era. However, the leadership lessons Buthman gleaned along the way are as relevant and insightful today as ever. Join us when Mark reflects on his key career decisions and what sets finance leaders apart today from all other business leaders.

Inside the impatient age of the millennial workforce - Mark Buthman's 33-year career at Kimberly Clark might appear to some as a throwback - a stubborn artifact from an earlier era. However, the leadership lessons Buthman gleaned along the way are as relevant and insightful today as ever. Join us when Mark reflects on his key career decisions and what sets finance leaders apart today from all other business leaders.

256: The Power of the CFO | Mark Buthman, CFO Emeritus, Kimberly Clark

&nbsp;Liam Patrick, CFO, &amp;Pizza

255: A Finance Tribal Leader | Liam Patrick, CFO, &pizza

Carol Lowe, CFO, Sealed Air Corporation

254: Energizing a Market Leader | Carol Lowe, CFO, Sealed Air Corporation

Join us when Jesse Yao, former CFO of Kraft Heinz's,  Sauces and Frozen Business Unit, steps back in time and recalls how he spearheaded the adoption of zero-based budgeting as part of a historic merger that would enable Kraft Heinz to realize its transformational ambitions.

Join us when Jesse Yao, former CFO of Kraft Heinz's, Sauces and Frozen Business Unit, steps back in time and recalls how he spearheaded the adoption of zero-based budgeting as part of a historic merger that would enable Kraft Heinz to realize its transformational ambitions.

Join us when Jesse Yao, former CFO of Kraft Heinz's, &nbsp;Sauces and Frozen Business Unit, steps back in time and recalls how he spearheaded the adoption of zero-based budgeting as part of a historic merger that would enable Kraft Heinz to realize its transformational ambitions.&nbsp;

253: Adopting Zero-Based Budgeting at Kraft Heinz| Jesse Yao, Former CFO, Sauces and Frozen Business Unit, Kraft Heinz

Building culture and instilling trust.

252:  Three Culture-Building CFOs

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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