Run the Numbers

Today we're flipping the script: CJ is the guest, and he's demystifying annual planning on The Role Forward podcast. CJ and host Joe Michalowski dive into the intricacies of annual planning, the practical steps of strategic planning (breaking down the process into digestible stages), and the complexities of financial forecasting in the startup ecosystem. Tropic is the next-generation Procurement P...

In this episode James Currier the founder and General Partner at venture capitalist firm NFX, guides CJ on the inner workings of marketplace businesses and network effects. He shares insights on the importance of finding a 'white hot center' when starting a marketplace, strategic ways to tackle the trademark chicken and egg problem, and the significance of retention as a metric. Tropic is the next...

In this episode, CJ Gustafson interviews creator and writer Kyla Scanlon about the role of the Federal Reserve and its impact on the economy. They discuss the concept of the 'Vibecession' which refers to the disconnect between consumer sentiment and economic data. The conversation also touches on the Fed's communication strategies and the challenges of understanding and predicting market reactions...

In this episode, CJ Gustafson interviews Ryan Wash the Founder and CEO of RepVue whose mission is to help sales pros find the best companies to work for and ensure they're paid fairly. Ryan gives CJ a data-driven inside look into sales capacity, planning models, and sales rep commission plans. Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping modern CFOs take control of their budge...

In this episode, CJ Gustafson interviews Alex Clayton of Meritech Capital who leads the firm’s enterprise software, infrastructure, and fintech practices. They discuss the most important metrics used in the software industry, including ARR per employee, average contract value (ACV), net dollar retention (NDR), and valuation multiples. Alex also goes deeper into understanding market structure as a...

On the 21st episode of Run The Numbers, CJ sits down with Andy Raskin, a prominent Strategic Narrative consultant to venture-backed CEO and leadership teams. They discuss the importance of strategic narrative in conveying the value of a company and tell a powerful story to investors, highlighting the approach of naming the old game and the new game, interpreting transitions in the market as 'life...

On the 20th episode of Run The Numbers, CJ sits down with Rohit Divate, Head of Corporate Finance at Gusto. Rohit Divate has seen Gusto 10x in terms of revenue and headcount in his six years at the company. He and CJ discuss headcount planning, countermetrics, how to set up scalable decisionmaking in hyperscaling startups, and more. Tropic is the next-generation Procurement Platform that’s helping...

At scaling companies. parting ways with an executive requires finesse, strategic insights, and insider experience. CJ invited longtime people leaders - and hosts of the HR Heretics podcast - to break down every facet, lever, and little known facts behind successfully exiting execs. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics Whether its due...

Earnings calls. If you’re at a pre-IPO company, the' before, during, and after' of an earnings call can be a black box. That's why we brought on Sonalee Parekh, the Chief Financial Officer at RingCentral, for a masterclass about the best ways to prepare for an earnings call -- down to the most granular details and pitfalls to avoid. Along the way she dispenses some excellent career advice to CFOs...

On this episode on Run the Numbers CJ and Erik Torenberg welcome Tomasz Tunguz from Theory Ventures for an in-depth conversation about building businesses, how CFOs can evolve with realtime needs of venture-backed companies, and an investor’s lens on what makes a great CFO. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics Tom Tunguz is the founde...

On this episode on Run the Numbers Ex-CMO turned founder, Jeff Yoshimura shares with us how high-performing marketing and finance teams should work together. Jeff is a seasoned enterprise technology operator, founder, investor, advisor, and executive leader. Most recently, over two and a half years, as CMO of Snyk, Jeff helped Snyk grow from a $2.2B to a $7.4B valuation and 500 to 2,500+ customers...

On episode 15 of Run the Numbers, CFO of FloQast Razzak Jallow joins CJ to make the argument for why finance teams should think of themselves as data curators, why a great CFO is someone who will forge the path for their CEO's vision, lessons from Apple's execution, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite...

What's the right way to think about pricing your product? This is a difficult challenge for executives to nail down, and can make or break your company—that's why we brought on Kyle Poyar, Operating Partner at OpenView, to distill how to think about pricing the right way. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite pro...

Board meetings are hard to get right as a CFO—that's why we brought on Dave Kellogg, who's sat on both sides of the table, to give you the ultimate run-down of how to execute a great board meeting. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six...

This Thursday, Paul Barnhurst, the renowned "FPandA Guy" on LinkedIn, joins CJ to crack down on all things FP&A tools to create the ultimate FP&A guide. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to N...

Brandon Deer, Chief Strategy Officer of UiPath, joins CJ this week to talk through how UiPath scaled a lightning-fast pace, and the unforeseen sacrifices they had to make in order to move as fast as possible. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than...

We kick off our Thursday operator series with the VP of Sales at Snyk, Ethan Schechter. He and CJ get into how finance and sales can work together to set and achieve revenue goals, how to create a winning culture within your sales team, SPIFFs, PIPs, and much more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides f...

Sinohe Terrero, CFO of Envoy, sits down with CJ in episode nine of Run the Numbers to discuss why CFOs should actually say "yes" more, and be known as an enabler, not a blocker, to your organization. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-...

Kurtis Hanni, SMB CFO and writer of Frameworks & Finance, joins CJ for a special listener mailbag episode of Run the Numbers, where they answer questions about career advice, finance leader lies, pricing strategy tricks, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your bu...

Sebastian Duesterhoeft, partner at Lightspeed Ventures, joins CJ to talk about anything and everything start-up operators need to know about your Total Addressable Market (TAM). If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies...

On episode seven of Run the Numbers, Olivier Adler (CFO of Shippo, and former CFO of eero) and CJ dive deep into the world of acquisitions, and go a layer deeper than what you find online through Olivier's previous experience as CFO of a company acquired by Amazon. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides...

Charly Kevers (CFO of Carta) joins CJ on episode six of Run the Numbers, where they talk through the most important qualities of great CFOs, why you should look at every part of your business as a startup, and more. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. M...

On episode five of Run the Numbers, Jenny Decker (CFO of Front) sits down with host CJ Gustafson to talk top frameworks at Front, the importance of storytelling, and taking the road less traveled. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six...

Sruthi Lanka (CFO of Public.com ) joins host CJ Gustafson to discuss the unexpected qualities of great CFOs. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control ov...

This week on Run The Numbers, host CJ Gustafson is joined by an all-time great: Jim Cook, one of the six original co-founders of Netflix. If you’re looking for an ERP platform, check out our sponsor, NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/metrics   --- SPONSORS: NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaini...