In this episode, host Paul Barnhurst, aka The FP&A Guy, looks into the challenges and opportunities in financial planning and analysis (FP&A) within startups and high-growth companies. He is joined by Lauren Pearl who is an experienced fractional CFO and podcast host. They explore how finance professionals can thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of early-stage businesses, leveraging financial modeling, strategic thinking, and communication skills.

Lauren Pearl brings a wealth of experience in operational finance, entrepreneurship, and advisory roles. She has grown startups from concept to scale, worked as a CFO at tech companies, and now runs her own fractional CFO consultancy. Her unique background also includes hosting Growth Minded CFO, where she speaks with finance leaders about driving growth and innovation.

Expect to Learn:

• Why financial modeling is a feasibility study, not just a forecast.
• Strategies to simplify complex finance concepts for founders and non-finance professionals.
• How to craft models that focus on usability, speed, and strategic decision-making.
• The importance of understanding and addressing the unique needs of various departments.
• How listening and adapting to your audience can elevate FP&A’s impact.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

• “Finance isn’t just about numbers; it’s about translating those numbers into something actionable for the entire organization.” - Lauren Pearl
• “If I were to define FP&A in one sentence, it’s the financial engineering of past, present, and future decisions.” - Lauren Pearl
• “You can’t force people to care about finance, but you can present it in a way that resonates with their priorities.” - Lauren Pearl

Lauren’s emphasis on the importance of usability, communication, and empathy highlights how finance professionals can create meaningful impact. Her career journey underscores the value of adaptability and collaboration in today’s dynamic financial landscape.

FP&A Your Way with Paris Technologies:

PARIS Technologies delivers an enterprise planning platform in Excel, which makes FP&A work a breeze! Centralize and consolidate cloud data into a self-service, collaborative modeling environment featuring the everyday spreadsheet. Visit PARIS Tech for FP&A Your Way!

Follow FP&A Tomorrow:

Newsletter - Subscribe on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6957679529595162624 

Follow Lauren:

Website - https://www.laurenpearlconsulting.com/newsletter

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenepearl/

Follow Paul: 

Website - https://www.thefpandaguy.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Enroll for Wharton Online Certificate Program:

Sign up for the 8 week online financial planning & analysis certificate program by Wharton Online and learn the art of forecasting, analysis, business partnering and financial storytelling: https://bit.ly/4debs46 Use Code: THEFPAGUY300 to save $300.

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, and answer a few questions and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[01:36] - Introduction to the Episode

[06:40] - Lauren’s Journey to FP&A and Entrepreneurship

[09:51] - Challenges of Financial Modeling for Startups

[16:09] - Educating Founders on Finance

[25:27] - Finance as a Partner, Not Just a Function

[36:40] - Simplicity and Usability in Modeling

[39:42] - Lessons from Hosting a Podcast

[50:45] - Rethinking Budgeting for High-Growth Companies

[56:04] - Getting to Know You Segment

[01:00:05] Closing Thoughts and Contact Information