In this episode of CFO Weekly, Mike McLain, Chief Accounting Officer at Transwestern, joins Megan Weis to explore what separates mid-sized businesses that scale successfully from those that stall out, and how finance leaders can help their organizations grow with both discipline and agility. Mike brings over two decades of experience shaped by his early exposure to the complexities of running a business, his public accounting career at Arthur Andersen and Grant Thornton working with emerging and middle-market companies, and his fourteen years leading finance and accounting at Transwestern, a founder-led commercial real estate firm that has grown revenue 40 to 50 percent higher since he joined.

Mike shares the warning signs that tell a company it has outgrown its systems, the universal stall points that limit growth across every industry, and why cash flow discipline, servant leadership, and a well-run data governance process separate companies that navigate growth successfully from those that struggle. He also unpacks why the finance function of the future must evolve from reporting on what happened to solving problems before they occur.


What You'll Learn:

• Why managing complexity, not just growing revenue, is what truly separates successful mid-sized businesses from those that stall
• The universal stall points every growing company eventually hits, and how to plan around them
• How to choose between equity and debt capital depending on your growth stage
• The early warning signs that a company has outgrown its systems and processes
• Why cash flow discipline and a rolling cash forecast are essential to funding growth responsibly
• How servant leadership helps companies navigate downturns without losing trust
• Why finance must evolve from a reporting function into a strategic storyteller and problem solver

Learn More About Mike:

• Mike McLain on LinkedIn
• Transwestern Website
  
  

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• Personiv on Twitter
  
  

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• What Lights You Up? with Jordan Grumet
• Become a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt with William Washington
  
  

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