CFO insights on financial management and adaptive leadership
Speaking with Kathy Svetina, Sanjay Bowry shares insights on sustainable growth in corporate finance vs. start-ups, balancing efficiency and R&D investment, how to adapt your leadership style for different business scenarios – and a lot more.
Sustain company growth by tracking key financial metrics
Sustainable company growth will differ between established corporations and scale-ups. While larger companies will focus on shareholder returns, startups should aim for growth while maintaining financial stability. Sanjay notes the importance of tracking metrics like customer acquisition payback, burn multiples, and annual recurring revenue growth.
He advises startup finance leaders to consider these metrics at every decision point, whether it's hiring new staff or launching marketing campaigns. By consistently monitoring these indicators, startups can ensure they're trending towards profitability without sacrificing growth – a crucial balance for attracting investors and planning for future funding rounds or IPOs.
Sustain company growth by tracking key financial metrics
Sustainable company growth will differ between established corporations and scale-ups. While larger companies will focus on shareholder returns, startups should aim for growth while maintaining financial stability. Sanjay notes the importance of tracking metrics like customer acquisition payback, burn multiples, and annual recurring revenue growth.
He advises startup finance leaders to consider these metrics at every decision point, whether it's hiring new staff or launching marketing campaigns. By consistently monitoring these indicators, startups can ensure they're trending towards profitability without sacrificing growth – a crucial balance for attracting investors and planning for future funding rounds or IPOs.
Build a diverse finance team with complementary skills for top performance
Sanjay has three top tips for building and managing a successful finance team in a startup environment. First, he emphasizes the importance of hiring people who believe in and align with the company's values. Second, Sanjay advises hiring team members with complementary skill sets to your own, citing his own experience of hiring a detail-oriented financial controller to balance his management accounting background.
Finally, he stresses the importance of hiring people you genuinely enjoy spending time with, as this allows for better communication and makes difficult conversations easier. Sanjay likens effective finance teams to sports teams rather than families, highlighting the need for high performance and the ability to adapt to changes.
By following these principles, finance leaders can create a more cohesive, adaptable, and high-performing team.
Build a diverse finance team with complementary skills for top performance
Sanjay has three top tips for building and managing a successful finance team in a startup environment. First, he emphasizes the importance of hiring people who believe in and align with the company's values. Second, Sanjay advises hiring team members with complementary skill sets to your own, citing his own experience of hiring a detail-oriented financial controller to balance his management accounting background.
Finally, he stresses the importance of hiring people you genuinely enjoy spending time with, as this allows for better communication and makes difficult conversations easier. Sanjay likens effective finance teams to sports teams rather than families, highlighting the need for high performance and the ability to adapt to changes.
By following these principles, finance leaders can create a more cohesive, adaptable, and high-performing team.
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