Cash flow benefits when employing a flexible CFO with Sam McQuade CFO of Panterra Finance: Key advantages of hiring a fractional CFO: Cost! Unlike traditional businesses, startups need to remain conscious about paying only for what they absolutely cannot live without. Everything else is either in-house or done without. Fractional CFOs are the next step in this evolution of the scrappy, bare-knuckle startup. Think of a fractional CFO as a CFO on-demand. Your startup benefits from all the expertise of an experienced CFO when it is needed the most, without the additional cost of having an extra C-suite colleague on your payroll.
What Does a Fractional CFO do for a Company? Fractional CFOs most commonly partner with companies to help overcome financial challenges, achieve growth, optimize strategy, implement systems, raise capital, or navigate an audit or transaction. Overcoming Specific Challenges: Fractional CFOs are often brought into an organization when there are financial challenges that the company’s existing team does not have either the skills or manpower to overcome. In many cases, a company does not have an in-house CFO. In some cases, however, the company may have an existing CFO, and the fractional CFO acts as a partner or advisor or helps lead separate projects such as raising capital or navigating an audit.
Smaller companies, incubators and startups could not match the salaries that the full time CFO commanded on the world financial stage. The seeds for the concept of an Interim or Fractional CFO were planted in the mind of Sam McQuade almost 3 decades ago when he first entered the world of International Finance as an Entrepreneur Consultant in Geneva Switzerland after achieving his MBA/MA at European University. During this tumultuous time at the turn of the century on the international financial scene, Mr. McQuade was ahead of his time. He offered as needed financial consultation services for international behemoths the Swiss based Nestle Corporation and the US based medical device corporation Stryker. The focus of his services, which would years later be foundational in the concepts of Panterra was a new model in product development, manufacturing and marketing. Discover even more information at Sam McQuade.
With technological advances disrupting job descriptions, the organization will have its share of fear and resistance. Given the close collaboration between finance and information technology, the CFO is in a unique position to anticipate the future needs of organization and help mentor people with their reskilling into other growth areas. What else do you think CFOs can be doing now to adapt to the future? I’d be very grateful if you provide your comments and share your thoughts. Thank you!
What Does a CFO Do? The CFO’s role is twofold: Oversee the organization’s financial activities, including being responsible for the finance and accounting professionals who perform operational functions, and serve in a strategic advisory role for the CEO and C-suite peers. Brainyard’s Winter 2021 Survey shows how finance and business leaders rank success factors and how those priorities have changed over time. Meeting revenue and earnings goals and keeping cash flow stable are clearly in the CFO’s purview. Finance chiefs also advise department heads across the organization, assisting them in both maximizing revenues, if they serve in a revenue-generating capacity, and controlling expenses without sacrificing customer or employee satisfaction or the company’s reputation.
Internal factors include sales trends, labor and HR-related costs, the price of raw materials and more, while external data inputs could include opportunity cost for capital, shifts in market demand, emerging competitors and advances in technology. To monitor the external environment, CFOs may rely on government data, analyst firms and business and general media, supplemented with insights gleaned through trade and association memberships and the input of board members, lenders and others.
The main goal of a DAO is to decentralize power. In a traditional organization, the power is concentrated in the hands of a few people. This can lead to corruption and cronyism. With a DAO, the power is decentralized, and it is distributed among all the members of the organization. This makes it much more difficult for any one person or group of people to abuse their power. A better real-life example is Ukraine DAO, which is a fundraising effort to help the people of Ukraine in the current war against Russia. It collects and distributes funds to various Ukrainian charities. The funds are collected through Ethereum’s smart contracts, and they are then distributed to the charities according to the code that governs the DAO.
Selling your business or looking to buy others? Our experts can lead the deal and make sure that you have a thoughtful ownership transition. We are happy to provide second opinions on valuations as well so you have another perspective and feel better before your close the deal.
The most important thing to understand about a DAO is that it is autonomous. This means that it can exist and continue to function without any human intervention. Once the code is written and deployed, the DAO will continue to run according to the code that governs it. This is made possible by the fact that smart contracts are immutable. This means that they cannot be changed or altered in any way once they have been deployed to the Ethereum blockchain. The DAO’s basic idea, while intriguing, is also fascinating, and it represents a point where technology trends such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the internet of things (IoT) are coming together to provide fresh possibilities.
Many small and mid-sized organizations employ a bookkeeper or controller who maintains the financial system and records transactions in an accurate and timely manner. The CPA produces the tax returns and some basic performance analysis quarterly and at year-end. However, this leaves a significant gap in terms of the information and management reporting available. Business owners and entrepreneurs may lack the critical financial information needed for informed decision making; and for external purposes such as presentations to lenders or investors.
Searching to hire your very first CFO or wanting only some interim coverage? We offer solution CFOs for immediate short term objectives and longer term engagements. Adaptable with clear pricing so you solve the needs of your business and don’t have to get into a potentially very bad and costly full time hire. In disrupting the traditional contracted title of CFO, Panterra Finance innovatively offers all its clients thought leadership based on international financial market experiences. Panterra Finance offers a unified international approach to businesses in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Eight centrally located offices in the USA, Switzerland, the Middle East, and the emerging African Continent, offers global enterprises Fractional and Interim CFO services backed by a team with a grasp of dynamic world trends. Read even more information at Sam McQuade CFO of Panterra Finance.