A fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is becoming more common for businesses that don’t need — or can’t afford — the full-time services of a top-level executive.
Today’s guest, Tom Gentry, is a veteran CFO who’s worked for several companies, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, and is now focusing on fractional leadership as a Regional Director for The CFO Centre.
On this episode of The Clarity Advisors Show, Tom shares with host, Ken Trupke, lessons about building great teams and business success from the perspective of the finance leader.
Timestamps
(01:16): Tom’s services and The CFO Centre’s typical clients
(02:45): What makes The CFO Centre unique among fractional leadership companies
(03:44): Recruiting great CFOs to be fractional leaders
(04:34): Finding clients in need of fractional leaders.
(05:23): Tom’s career path
(07:54): The dynamics of a family business
(09:45): Lessons learned in the family business
(12:26): Lessons learned at PriceWaterhouseCoopers
(13:49): Helping clients at a broader business level
(16:37): The role of the fractional CFO
(17:50): Getting the team aligned
(18:58): Lessons learned from growing quickly
(20:31): What’s different about leading teams today
(22:18): Tried and true principles
(24:56): How to contact Tom Gentry
Episode Quotes
“We try to manage the numbers that really do matter to the business owner.” (Tom)
“Most of our CFOs have been full-time CFOs for many, many years and they’re looking for a little bit better work-life balance.” (Tom)
“Working at that family-owned business, I learned about team building. I learned about the value of having good people and having the right people in the right places. And I learned a lot about what not to do when it came to dealing with personnel.” (Tom)
“I learned early on through that process how to have those difficult conversations. You can have those difficult conversations in a positive way.” (Tom)
“There are times when a business owner wants to sit down and talk to us about his ideas for three, five, or 10 years down the road. Where does he want to be? What does he want to do? How does he want to grow? And what is it going to take to get there? We will help from that standpoint as well.” (Tom)
“Once I began to venture into areas that were non-financial in nature, I thought I would get some pushback. But I never have. Basically, the owner really likes it. He relates to it. He likes having those conversations.” (Tom)
“If you really want to go that extra mile to help somebody, then that will come back to you.” (Tom)
Connect with Tom Gentry
- Tom.Gentry@cfocentre.com
- Phone: 404-915-4295
- The CFO Centre
- Tom Gentry on LinkedIn
