Coffee Talk with CFOs: Jessica Buzzell Salutes the Stressed Business Owner

“…I like to say that I can empathize tremendously with my clients because I've been there. I've literally gone through this discussion and I was the one on the receiving end at one point… where I had a financial expert come in and pretty much say to me, like, Jess, your prices are terrible. You know, you're not pricing for profits and here's what we need to do.”

- Jessica Buzzell

Welcome to a brand new episode of the Cash Flow CFO Podcast. Join me for a chat with Jessica Buzzell, one of our brilliant CFOs. Jess shares some anecdotes collected over her 15-plus years dedicated to business development, accounting, financial management, and leadership consulting. Jess also revisits the stresses that came with scaling her own startup, which she built from the ground-up into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. We highlight how the CFO mindset played into optimizing the businesses we created firsthand.

Join us to learn the whole story!

“…Because of my experience running the company before and scaling it… my brain is so heavily leaning towards operations all the time. How can we make this process more streamlined? How can we slim down maybe on some of our manual tasks and our staff… so that we don't have to have this big burden to handle this process?”

- Jessica Buzzell

Information Advantage

Jess and I consider what goes into refining a given company’s overall strategy, and how oftentimes difficult decisions are made easier with clear, non-emotional financial data available to set guideposts. We agree; meticulous analysis empowers business owners to navigate uncertainties with confidence. The stakes get higher as things scale.

A Business is your Baby

As CFOs, we reflect on how commonly we’re asked to get involved with creative thinking beyond our typical duties. All too often, part of the job requires understanding personalities. I joke with Jess, saying we must wear three hats: CFO, therapist, and detective. She adds operations consultant to that list.

CEO or CFO?

Ultimately, our experiences with clients continue telling us that huge business potential too frequently sits untapped, when owners remain fixated on working in their businesses, and not on them. When scaling, the highly technical role of a CFO becomes increasingly demanding, consuming ever-larger portions of owners’ time. Furthermore, the appropriate analytical and projection skills can easily exceed one’s abilities. Jess and I agree; we find satisfaction witnessing clients’ bewilderment, when we take previously daunting tasks off their plates, while simultaneously opening their eyes to future possibilities.

“You hire for your weaknesses. So if you don't have a strong financial background or acumen or if you don't know anything about pricing or if you don't even know what… it costs to deliver your services or to produce your products, you need a CFO.”

- Jessica Buzzell

Want to get in touch with Andrea Jenson or Jessica Buzzell at the Cash Flow CFO?

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