📅 Recent
🎓 Expert
by Preferred CFO · Finance consultant/CFO advisor
Board presentations must prioritize high-level annual summaries (Year 1–5 columns only) with detailed assumptions kept separate. Ground all projections in 12–36 months of historical performance and industry benchmarks to defend against board scrutiny of unrealistic targets.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN → Strip your forecast deck to summary-level numbers, reserve granular detail for backup tabs, and anchor every assumption to historical data—this prevents the 'wishful thinking' objection that derails board approval.
📅 Recent
🎓 Expert
by Finance Alliance · FP&A professional development platform
FP&A owns a structured annual budget cycle: planning phase (guidelines + top-down targets), execution phase (bottom-up department inputs with standardized templates), review phase (consolidation and variance analysis), and approval/monitoring. Process typically starts 2–3 months before board sign-off.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN → Structure your budget timeline working backward from board approval, use locked templates to prevent custom Excels, and hold weekly check-ins to catch issues early—this repeatable process scales across teams.
🟡 4d ago
🎓 Expert
by Sequoia Capital · Venture capital investor/finance strategist
Finance leaders handle headcount planning conflicts by gathering early stakeholder input, defining KPIs (turnover, revenue per employee, hiring velocity), and framing discussions around strategic business goals rather than pure headcount cuts. Dynamic forecasting with HR alignment reduces planning surprises.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN → Reframe headcount conversations from "we need to cut" to "what roles drive the most revenue per dollar?"—this data-driven approach builds executive alignment and reduces pushback on difficult staffing decisions.