In the early stages of running a business, financial management often takes a back seat to growth, sales, and operations. That’s understandable—but it’s also one of the biggest reasons small businesses hit revenue milestones only to plateau—or worse, regress. It’s not that they’re not generating income. It’s that they’re not managing their finances with the structure and foresight needed to sustain success.
Financial information is the foundation for excellent planning systems.
In just about every business, information is a key factor to success. Information needs to be accurate, available and timely. Imagine for a minute you are a fashion designer. Wouldn’t it be useful to know that the hot color for spring is purple before you cut, sew and ship your whole collection of green and yellow shirts? The same holds true for any business. One of the most important pieces of information needed, regardless of whether you are a manufacturer or service company, is financial information about your company. Accurate and timely financial reports allow you to make accurate forecasts, plan ahead and make adjustments quickly. They allow you to confidently approach customers, vendors and investors with proposals that will make your business better. Internal improvements will also come easier and accelerate in number.
In this thought-provoking episode of CFO Talk, host Steve Rosvold sits down with Tariq Munir—Managing Partner at Finspyr and author of the upcoming book Reimagined Finance: The CFO’s Leadership Playbook in the Age of AI, Data, and Digital. Together, they dive deep into the evolving skill set every modern CFO needs to thrive in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape.
Many founders believe that so long as the monthly budget balances, they’re on solid footing. But business doesn’t move monthly — it moves weekly (even daily in some very fast-paced industries). Suppliers get nervous on Tuesday, not at month-end. A cash shortfall on week 9 won’t show up on your P&L until it’s too late.
The discourse around Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace, with Agentic AI emerging as the next frontier in business transformation. For CFOs, this offers both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges in harnessing this advanced technology. As Chief Financial Officers navigate the complexities of digital transformation, understanding and strategically adopting Agentic AI is no longer optional; it’s an imperative to maintain relevance and drive tangible business value.
