CFO Dilemmas Decoded: Growth vs. Profit, VC vs. PE, and M&A Insights w/ Dan Fletcher, CFO of Planful

In this episode of Turpentine Finance, Sasha sits down with Dan Fletcher, CFO of Planful. They discuss how CFOs can build trust with the CEO and the board, balancing growth and profitability across different company stages, the nuances of working with VC versus PE investors, and more. Dan also shares his perspective of working at Planful, building infrastructure for CFOs.

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🔗 Link/s

Planful: https://planful.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danfletchersf/

⏲️ Timestamps

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) The best advice for growth and profitability

(02:13) Meet Dan Fletcher: Navigating CFO challenges

(02:57) Stakeholder management for CFOs

(04:22) Building trust with the CEO

(08:30) Growth vs. profitability: A balanced approach

(17:28) Navigating M&A discussions

(20:43) Preparing for board meetings

(25:08) Common questions CFOs face

(25:45) The importance of knowing your business

(26:24) The role of the CFO in board meetings

(27:22) Differences between venture-backed and private equity-backed boards

(29:00) Career path to CFO: CPA vs. corporate finance

(33:53) Essential skills for aspiring CFOs

(35:04) The role of the controller in strategic finance

(37:07) Planful's success and CFO insights

(43:02) Future of AI in financial planning

(45:28) Conclusion and final thoughts

Subscribe to this season of Turpentine Finance, where our guests speak candidly about big business inflections, market curveballs, and how they approach decision-making to tease out tactics and mental models you can use when the pressure is on.

You’ll hear stories from Instacart, Mercury, OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Netflix, Runway, and more. Topics frequently touched upon M&A, Market Downturn, Macro, PMF, Fundraising, Financial Forecasting, Headcount, Equity.

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Turpentine Finance is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more covering technology, business, and culture, all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors - if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected]