Helping Your Company Growth With a Strong CFO

All companies, regardless of their size, can benefit from having a Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

A strong CFO has the ability to help take a company into the future with growth and success.

Following are a few responsibilities the CFO performs that lead a company through change and

growth.

1. Provide Strategic Vision

A CFO assists the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in providing strategic vision for a company. A

CFO understands not only the company’s financial information, but the business operations as

well. This allows a CFO to use the knowledge of the company’s financial position to assist the

CEO in making long-term decisions for the company. Knowing the current and projected

financial position helps the executive management team better understand the direction the

company should head.

2. Manage Risks and Control Expenses

A CFO helps a growing company manage risks and control expenses. Because a CFO has

knowledge of the company’s operations that extends beyond just the numbers, he understands

how to control expenses. This understanding allows the CFO to make cuts where needed and

increase spending where needed to position the company for greater success. Likewise, a strong

CFO understands risk management and where the company should be conservative and where

the company needs to take measured risk for further growth.

3. Plan for the Future

A CFO has the skill-set to understand historic accounting numbers and analyze this information

for the future. Whereas an accountant or controller has deep knowledge of the company’s

historic accounting information, a CFO has the ability to take this information and perform

analysis. Based on this analysis, the CFO can identify trends as compared to the market and can

accurately forecast and project the company’s financial position into the future. This enables the

CFO to think strategically and assist the executive management team in deciding the future steps

the company should take to ensure its continued growth.

4. Manage Investors

When a company is experiencing growth and is ready to take it to the next level, a CFO plays an

essential role in the process. A CFO can help navigate the company through an Initial Public

Offering (IPO). The CFO manages investor relations, providing information and facilitating the

understanding needed to investors to show the company is well-situated for performance and

growth. This helps ensure a company is properly valued by rating agencies and for IPOs.

Gennady Barsky is the CFO of JetSmarter and has many years of experience in the investment

and real estate industries.