The CFO role has evolved dramatically, especially for venture and growth-stage companies where traditional MBA theory meets harsh startup realities. In this episode of CFO Weekly, Rick Smith, a five-time CFO and founder of Bonfire Advisory, joins Megan Weis to share hard-earned lessons from his new book and decades of experience building financial operations from the ground up.


Rick Smith is a seasoned financial executive who has served as CFO for five different companies across industries, including SaaS, health tech, education technology, and retail. With experience scaling businesses from $20M to $300M in revenue, Rick founded Bonfire Advisory to provide fractional CFO services to Series A and B companies. His new book, "Demystifying the Role of the CFO in Venture and Growth Stage Companies," offers practical guidance for finance leaders navigating the unique challenges of high-growth environments.


What You'll Learn:

• Why early-stage CFO work is harder than large company finance roles
• How to build scalable financial systems before you desperately need them
• The critical difference between theoretical MBA knowledge and practical CFO skills
• Why most acquisitions fail and how to beat the odds in M&A deals
• How to navigate complex revenue recognition in different industries (SaaS vs. healthcare)
• The "boring but crucial" aspects that can make or break your company during a sale

Learn more about Rick:

• Rick Smith on LinkedIn 
• Bonfire Advisory on LinkedIn
• Demystifying the Role of the CFO: in Venture and Growth Stage Companies in Amazon

Episode resources:

• Personiv's Website
• Personiv on LinkedIn
• Personiv on Facebook
• Personiv on Twitter
  
  

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Previous guests include: Tom McDermott, CFO at Career Certified, Claire Bramley, CFO at Teradata, Chris Miles, Founder of Money Ripples, Ranil DeSilva, CFO & COO at CARE, Jordan Grumet, Financial Independence Expert & Host of Earn & Invest & William Washington, Global CFO at Baker McKenzie

Check out some of our most recent episodes:

• Driving Value Beyond Finance with Tom McDermott
• Why CFOs Are the Chief Everything Officers with Claire Bramley
• Why Traditional Financial Advice Fails and What To Do Instead with Chris Miles
• NGO Finance Secrets: CARE’s $900M Strategy with Ranil DeSilva
• What Lights You Up? with Jordan Grumet
• Become a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William Washington
  
  

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