Deborah Eudaley

"One of the hardest things for growth-minded leaders is to acknowledge and accept that they cannot be everything to everyone," says our CEO David Keil in his latest Fast Company article. What does this mean in today's AI world? See for yourself in this compelling article.

1

A question I often get asked is when does it make sense for a company to consider hiring a fractional CFO? This video talk about some of the benefits for early stage to companies to obtain some level of advice. #cfo #fractionalcfo #smallbusinessownersupport

2

#NACDA2024 Advice: If you have "Athletic Director" in your title, ignore any topic that doesn't align with the following... - New Revenue from Existing Assets: The key here is "existing." Across all leagues, we're seeing (1) the use of LLMs to drive low-risk, high-yield campaigns and (2) content monetization as the low-hanging fruit in this space. This year, you're not adding toys to the garage - you're figuring out how to run the best possible garage sale. - Personalization: Stakeholder trust and perception of clarity with departments are historically low. Learn everything you can about improving specific touchpoints with Athletes, Sponsors, Donors, and Fans. Then do it. That's it. That's the list.

1

A haiku about RFP's. By, me. RFP's can suck. But, they don't have to. I swear. Keep them informal. Outside of like, a very smalllllll % of companies, formal AF RFP's are unnecessary and typically suck the life out of what should be a fun and exciting process. They often hinder creativity. They usually make everyone sleepy. The secret is to make them formally, informal. Or, informally, formal. You know what I mean. You can have a 'formal process' while still keeping things lively, where agencies don't feel like they are blindly participating in some long and winding process and where brands can truly get a feel for who they are talking to and potentially working with. And, if you're a brand side marketer that needs a little help figuring that out. Holla. Atcha. Boy.

31

3 Comments

🎯 Don’t miss this Pax8 Academy Presentation Hope is Not a Strategy 🎯 Hope is Not a Strategy: How to Maximize Your Company’s Value  Tuesday, July 16 from 11:00am – 11:45am MT Registration:  https://lnkd.in/gs5XTjEA Do you have a strategy to reach your company’s valuation goal? Join on July 16 to hear Pax8 Academy’s Rex Frank and David Schafran share how building an actionable roadmap can help you develop and mature your business – and maximize your valuation. Ideal for business owners, service executives, finance and sales managers looking for proven strategies to grow their businesses. #Valuation #BusinessGrowth #Pax8Academy #Webinar #LearnWithAcadem

7

Too often, we see people racing through their Director or VP years, eager to reach the top—but what if those years are where the real growth happens? In this Product Thinking episode, I sat down with John Martin, CPO at Housecall Pro, who reflected on how those middle leadership years are where he learned his most valuable lessons in managing people and processes. Here’s what he uncovered: 1️⃣ Mastering Management: Why the Director and VP years are crucial for honing your skills in managing teams and processes.  2️⃣ Slowing Down to Learn: How focusing on growth during this phase helps build the foundation for future leadership.  3️⃣ Intentional Skill Development: The importance of not rushing through, but intentionally developing the skills you'll need at the top. If you’re in product management and looking to take your next step, don’t miss this episode. John shares valuable advice on how to leverage your time now to excel in future leadership roles. #productthinking #productmanagement #productleadership #chiefproductofficer #careerjourney

30

5 Comments

For many companies, September is planning season for FY2025. Teams are coming together to discuss annual goals, growth expectations, hiring decisions and a budget for the coming year.  The result of all of this work is a financial model for 2025, that describes what the company will look like in the coming year. The financial model serves as a living and breathing artifact for the business, that paints a financial picture of the company. In today’s episode of the “Founder & CEO” podcast, Michael Viscuso and I chat about the financial model, the process we use to build it, and how important it is during the growth stage of a startup. https://lnkd.in/g2fw7v9g

49

1 Comment

Here we go; Hampton's 2024 state of SaaS report is live. We surveyed our SaaS founders and got real answers on the state saas. The first thing I found surprising was How funding impacts time-to-$1M ARR (hint: not what you think) link to report: https://lnkd.in/gJmarrNa Give it a read and let me know what you think.

9

Wise advice from Vinod Khosla on board members/advisors: Look for those who... ▶ Went through the pain of building companies ▶ Took decisions when future was not clear ▶ Lived through situations of not getting paid If they haven't founded, it's hard to relate to the founder's journey. Entrepreneurial experience and shared struggles are invaluable for providing genuine guidance. #entrepreneurship #board #advisors #founderjourney #startups #founders

48

1 Comment

It's time for 2025 budget planning, and the alignment meeting Finance & Engineering is more important than ever. Yeah, yah. I know I'm a marketing leader, but I do think the Engineering/Finance relationship affects the entire organization when planning for the next year. This is especially true with GenAI transforming our workflows. It's crazy out there! You must back every R&D investment with solid data rather than just intuition. Lucky for us, we have Joanne Cheng as our CFO. In her latest post, she shares how Finance and Engineering can work together for more effective R&D budgeting. Read the full post to start planning with clarity and confidence: https://lnkd.in/g5dJxtx8

9

3 Comments

We kicked off Season 2 of the “Founder & CEO” podcast answering a critical question: “What is good growth?” And while we may not have provided a universal answer for all businesses, we know one thing is absolutely true - businesses need an operating plan to hit their growth goals. In our most recent episode, Michael Viscuso and I chat about the various components of an operating plan and the pitfalls founders and CEOs encounter when building that plan. We’ll also reflect back on our Carbon Black days and how our two (or was it four?!) annual executive offsites helped us build and track the plan. https://lnkd.in/geHUCgqR

118

4 Comments

A long time client recently sold to private equity and was shocked to find he now had to prepare detailed business reviews for board meetings. He didn’t know where to start, so I provided an agenda. I’m sharing it here for anyone considering a sale to PE or creating a board to boost accountability in a privately held company. Board meetings like this bring clarity and focus to leadership, regardless of ownership structure. Board Meeting Agenda 1. Call to Order & Welcome - Chairperson Name - Brief intro of the agenda 2. Roll Call & Quorum Confirmation - Attendance verification - Confirmation of quorum 3. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes - Review and approve minutes - Action Item: Vote to approve minutes 4. CEO's Report - Presenter: CEO - Financial performance highlights (sales, profitability, cash flow) - Operational updates (current projects, capacity, staffing) - Key business metrics (customer satisfaction, retention, enhancement sales) - Industry trends and competitive analysis 5. Financial Review - Presenter: CFO - Review of financial statements (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow) - Budget vs. actual performance - Key financial risks and opportunities - Action Item: Approve financials 6. Sales & Marketing Update - Presenter: VP of Sales/Marketing Director - Sales pipeline, backlog, and forecasts - Marketing campaigns and customer acquisition strategy - Enhancement services and upsells - Action Item: Discuss upcoming strategies for growth 7. Operations & HR Update - Presenter: COO/HR Director - Current staffing levels and recruitment efforts - Employee development and training initiatives - Labor productivity and capacity challenges - Review of safety and compliance - Action Item: Approve HR policies or staffing decisions, if necessary 8. Strategic Initiatives - Presenter: CEO/COO - Update on ongoing strategic projects (expansion, technology upgrades, sustainability initiatives) - New business opportunities or partnerships - Action Item: Discuss and vote on new strategic initiatives 9. Risk Management & Compliance - Presenter: COO - Review of key legal or regulatory issues - Status of any current or potential litigation - Action Item: Approve risk mitigation strategies 10. Old Business - Review of outstanding action items from previous meetings - Action Item: Updates and decisions as necessary 11. New Business - Intro new topics - Action Item: Discuss and assign follow up actions 12. Executive Session - Discussion of confidential matters (Board members and CEO only) - Action Item: Actions or resolutions as needed 13. Adjournment Meeting Duration: 3 hours Supporting Documents: - Financial statements - Sales and marketing reports - Operational metrics and HR updates - Strategic initiative reports - Legal and compliance documents

10

2 Comments

Great review of Ohai.ai.

7

Exponential adoption for AI in Sales has been primarily driven by the need to elevate individuals who were mass mailing (aka ones that Point and Shoot). Eventually, context-driven content matters and that can only be sourced/created via proper research and the ability to connect dots. #AI #Sales #ContextMatters

15

1 Comment

Beyond Continues Its Confounding Actions: CEO Chandra Holt Out At the Home Show recently, increasingly active Board Chair Marcus Lemonis - while introducing Chandra Holt (the new Bed Bath CEO) said "all the idiots are out of the room" and the company was on a stable platform going forward. Apparently, all the idiots, but not all the costs. CEO Chandra Holt has been ejected from this mess -- after only 5 months on the job. It increasingly looks to me like the strategy for Beyond is just to become the old Overstock, since Dave Nielsen the long-time veteran of the company is now taking over all of Overstock, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Zulily. Chandra Holt joined in February and is already out. Zulily was acquired in March this year and in the site is still shuttered, not yet live. From technology to acquisitions to leadership, Overstock and Beyond have had a very strange recent history. There are more questions than answers: * Will the technology stack be consolidated across the firms? * Is there any brand equity left in Zulily? What's left to turn back on? * When will these new promised brands launch? * Is this more than just a dumpster-diving strategy? * When will all these home loan and other new "grift-y" services launch? Apparently all the idiots, and even more cost is out of the room. To me, this means there are several shoes to drop and the firm has not yet hit rock bottom in Marcus Lemonis' attempt to reboot the firm. I guess the good news for him is -- no more pesky activist investors to worry about: the mess is all his own at this point as the world has moved on.

15

9 Comments

Many people talking about buying a business like it's just the newest way to get rich. Yes, buying a business in many ways is safer than building from 0 Yes, the Silver Tsunami of retiring business owner boomers is a once in a generation event I get it. But buyers, PLEASE recognize who’s business you’re buying and the sacrifice taken to build it. Most baby boomer sellers grew their business from the absolute bottom. Started with a truck and a wrench. Didn’t come from a corporate background. They hired employee after employee, slowly as they could afford too. Likely grew conservatively, taking on little debt, sometimes buying assets with cash because it was the safest thing to do. Very often, building their business without a playbook. There was no google in 1990. They learned business fundamentals in real time, via blood, sweat, and tears. Most sellers have had countless sleepless nights, wondering if they’ll go out of business. They've had to navigate 2-3 recessions plus a pandemic. Most have worked 60-80 hours a week, for months or years on end to get their business to where it is. For some sellers, they’ve spent more time on their business than with their family. Or, they’ve hired family into their business. And had many family memories created inside the family business. This is why you hear people refer to their businesses as “their baby” It’s impossible for most sellers to sell their baby unemotionally. So when you approach an acquisition, just recognize this. Recognize where the seller is coming from. It will help you understand the work required to build a sellable asset. And at the very least, it will help you create a win-win outcome for that works for both of you 🤝

163

30 Comments

"Confidence" is the key word in the term "con artist." #Checkfraud is often perpetrated by fraudsters who gain victims' confidence by posting as real people or legitimate businesses on #socialmedia. It's easy to believe that ads presented on your favorite app are real, because they always seem targeted to meet exactly what you think you want or need. That's how the criminal gains the victim's confidence. Below is the story of how check fraudsters perpetrated their crimes in Southern California. "[The criminals] solicited accomplices to aid their scheme through social media advertisements. These accomplices would respond to the ads and provide the suspects with personal information including bank account numbers, PIN numbers, debit cards and online banking login information."

21

2 Comments

Can I say the quiet part out loud? Recessionary environments will really test whether company leaders understand how to generate revenue from their target customers. When investment dollars dry up and grants are scarce... When friends and family don't have the extra cash to support... When crowdfunding platforms won't command the virality needed... ... entrepreneurs are faced with an important question -- do I know how to cover my business expenses via revenue generation? Am I meeting needs that are durable enough to sustain my vision? In the latest episode of the Blaze Group Radio podcast, we dive deep into the critical importance of financial acumen for entrepreneurs. I unpack real-world examples of companies making major financial moves, highlighting the strategies that can make or break a business. I recap insights from our recent CashFlow Convos™️ event, where attendees dissected revenue models of companies like NASA and Apple: ▪️ NASA's Strategic Privatization: How NASA privatized its space aircraft operations to save money and resources on their lunar ventures. ▪️ Apple's Contactless Payment Evolution: The impact of Apple opening up its contactless payment technology to third-party vendors, and what that means for the company’s revenue model — and potential partners. ▪️ Understanding RFPs: The role of Request for Proposals (RFPs) in competitive pricing and long-term savings for businesses. We also explore how #LifetimeDeals (which were popular during the height of the e-commerce boom of the COVID-19 pandemic) are now proving to be unsustainable for companies like Airmeet. I explain why understanding how to generate customer revenue is crucial, especially during economic recessions. Lastly, I dive into the rocky $13 billion loan Elon Musk used to acquire Twitter and the impact of legacy advertisers leaving the platform, reinforcing the importance of ensuring revenue is "sticky" enough to service debt. Episode 109 underscores one key message: Leaders Must Be Cold in Finance. Tune in to learn how to master the financial strategies that will keep your business thriving — no matter the economic climate. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eibeqgS5

5

1 Comment