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Getting a CFO on Board with Your Growth Plan with Simon Heyrick
Episode #222: Simon Heyrick — How CFOs become real growth partners
What it actually takes to turn your CFO into a growth ally instead of a gatekeeper.
For founders, CEOs, and CMOs trying to align finance with marketing and growth investments.
Simon Heyrick is the CFO of Sun World International and was Jason's CFO and then CEO at Soothe. In this conversation, Simon walks through what changes the moment you step into the CEO seat ("overnight, there was a shift in the relationships"), what every CFO role across green Dot, Soothe, and Sun World has had in common, and how he evaluates growth pitches from CMOs. He shares the story of Soothe's brand refresh that didn't survive a single board member's objection, the TV spend he'd take back in hindsight, and why at Sun World — a 50-year-old PE-backed agriculture IP business — the finance model runs out 25 years and the data sets matter more than the AI strategy.
What you'll hear- The two CFO archetypes — growth partner vs. growth gatekeeper — and how risk tolerance separates them
- How to pitch growth investments to a CFO without getting dismissed (skip the impression counts, bring an intellectually honest ROI story)
- Why institutional investors rarely understand operations, and how to manage the "feet below the surface" dynamic
- What Simon learned moving from tech and marketplaces to a 50-year-old agriculture IP company where customers are farmers, not consumers
- 00:00 — Stepping into the CEO seat: the loneliness shift
- 00:54 — Introducing Simon Heyrick
- 02:19 — The through line across a CFO career
- 05:37 — From CFO to interim CEO at Soothe
- 08:33 — What translates across every CFO role: managing institutional investors and the under-promise / over-deliver rule
- 11:32 — The growth bet Simon greenlit and the brand refresh that didn't land
- 14:16 — Growth partner CFO vs. growth gatekeeper CFO
- 17:21 — How CMOs should (and shouldn't) pitch growth investments
- 21:53 — Inside Sun World: a 50-year-old PE-backed agriculture IP business
- 24:31 — Climate risk, varietal IP, and a 25-year forecast model
- 25:56 — Data as the linchpin of the AI strategy
- 28:07 — Lessons across five C-level roles, and advice to a younger Simon
- 30:57 — Lightning round
- 32:33 — What a founder should do this week to turn their CFO into a partner
- 34:17 — Jason's three takeaways
Guest
Simon Heyrick — CFO, Sun World International
Website
LinkedIn
Frank Growth is a podcast about how companies actually grow—real operators, real constraints, real decisions. Hosted by Jason Shafton.
Promotional links- Work with Winston Francois
- Subscribe / Follow Jason
View all episodes
By Jason ShaftonEpisode #222: Simon Heyrick — How CFOs become real growth partners
What it actually takes to turn your CFO into a growth ally instead of a gatekeeper.
For founders, CEOs, and CMOs trying to align finance with marketing and growth investments.
Simon Heyrick is the CFO of Sun World International and was Jason's CFO and then CEO at Soothe. In this conversation, Simon walks through what changes the moment you step into the CEO seat ("overnight, there was a shift in the relationships"), what every CFO role across green Dot, Soothe, and Sun World has had in common, and how he evaluates growth pitches from CMOs. He shares the story of Soothe's brand refresh that didn't survive a single board member's objection, the TV spend he'd take back in hindsight, and why at Sun World — a 50-year-old PE-backed agriculture IP business — the finance model runs out 25 years and the data sets matter more than the AI strategy.
What you'll hear- The two CFO archetypes — growth partner vs. growth gatekeeper — and how risk tolerance separates them
- How to pitch growth investments to a CFO without getting dismissed (skip the impression counts, bring an intellectually honest ROI story)
- Why institutional investors rarely understand operations, and how to manage the "feet below the surface" dynamic
- What Simon learned moving from tech and marketplaces to a 50-year-old agriculture IP company where customers are farmers, not consumers
- 00:00 — Stepping into the CEO seat: the loneliness shift
- 00:54 — Introducing Simon Heyrick
- 02:19 — The through line across a CFO career
- 05:37 — From CFO to interim CEO at Soothe
- 08:33 — What translates across every CFO role: managing institutional investors and the under-promise / over-deliver rule
- 11:32 — The growth bet Simon greenlit and the brand refresh that didn't land
- 14:16 — Growth partner CFO vs. growth gatekeeper CFO
- 17:21 — How CMOs should (and shouldn't) pitch growth investments
- 21:53 — Inside Sun World: a 50-year-old PE-backed agriculture IP business
- 24:31 — Climate risk, varietal IP, and a 25-year forecast model
- 25:56 — Data as the linchpin of the AI strategy
- 28:07 — Lessons across five C-level roles, and advice to a younger Simon
- 30:57 — Lightning round
- 32:33 — What a founder should do this week to turn their CFO into a partner
- 34:17 — Jason's three takeaways
Guest
Simon Heyrick — CFO, Sun World International
Website
LinkedIn
Frank Growth is a podcast about how companies actually grow—real operators, real constraints, real decisions. Hosted by Jason Shafton.
Promotional links- Work with Winston Francois
- Subscribe / Follow Jason