Meet Daryl La Fountain and some of his CFO opinions? In the early stages of a company, CEOs get involved in everything. As your growth ramps up, however, you must become strategic with your time. You need to put systems in place for building and scaling a financially viable business while preserving your attention for mission-critical items. As a fractional CFO for growth companies, I help clients navigate this shift on a daily basis, and I’ve found the following tips useful in nearly every situation. Every business leader understands they need a strategy for attracting and converting new leads into customers. But when you’re growing sales on a budget, you need to be creative. Instead of costly ad campaigns or branding strategies, I’d recommend you build strong, reciprocal partnerships first and that you do so as soon as possible. I’m not referring to simple networking. I’m talking about identifying companies with business models that complement your own and approaching them with a win-win proposition. The relationship can be formal or informal, but the key is to offer something valuable in exchange for inexpensive exposure to your target audience.
Daryl LaFountain‘s guides on improving your business financial situation: Keep Good Business Credit. When it comes to organizing your business finances, one of the best ways to do this is to purchase additional insurance policies, commercial real estate properties, and taking out more loans to ensure your company’s financial future. However, in order to accomplish all of these things, it’s important to have good business credit from start to finish. Typically, when you have poor credit, getting approved for all these acquisitions and applications may be difficult. Hence, if you want to keep your business finances organized, be sure to have a good credit score. If you have no credit or bad credit, you may apply for a credit builder loan from reputable providers to help you establish your credit history.
Once you’ve gone through a few personal finance books, you’ll realize how important it is to make sure that your expenses aren’t exceeding your income. The best way to do this is by budgeting. Once you see how the cost of your morning coffee adds up over the course of a month, you’ll realize that making small, manageable changes in your everyday expenses can have as big an impact on your financial situation as getting a raise. In addition, keeping your recurring monthly expenses as low as possible can save you significant money over time. Even if you can swing an amenity-packed apartment now, picking something plainer could let you afford to own a condo or house sooner than you otherwise would. Understanding how money works is the first step toward making your money work for you.
If you are married or have a significant other, then you need to participate in your finances as a team. Discuss your budget and money goals and make financial decisions together. Understand where your money is going and how much money you have in savings and in investments. Having joint accounts is great, but I also believe in having your own personal savings accounts. As women, it’s important for us to build our own sense of security and have “our own” that we bring to the table. But don’t feel like you need to keep your personal accounts secret. Remember, marriage and committed relationships thrive on openness and honesty. Regardless of whether you team up with your partner or go it alone, the path to financial independence is not always a smooth, perfectly paved one. But don’t despair; it’s time to roll our sleeves up and get our hands dirty. That’s right—it’s time to learn how to create a solid financial plan.
About Daryl La Fountain: Daryl is an energetic professional CFO with a background in politics. Daryl has done fundraising, been a candidate, and worked in politically appointed positions in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Daryl has worked for Democratic candidates and nominees in 18 additional states. Are just entering the political realm and need some advice (Daryl has been there).