Budgeting season is here, and it’s more than just numbers in a spreadsheet. In this episode of the Growth Department podcast, Marcus Rien joins Chelsey Reynolds to walk founders and leadership teams through a practical, people-first approach to building a 2026 budget. From setting sales goals to holding teams accountable, Marcus shares how to create a process that inspires confidence and alignment across the company.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to evaluate this year’s results before planning for 2026
• Why collaboration between sales, operations, and finance leaders creates stronger budgets
• The risks of sandbagging and how to design incentive programs that motivate performance
• How fractional CPAs and CFOs can sharpen your budget and reduce blind spots
• Why your people, not just your numbers, should be the foundation of every budget

Follow Marcus on LinkedIn here

Learn more about getting part time help with budgeting from WavesCPAs here

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