Claim OwnershipThe Gross Profit Podcast
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The ProcurementExpress.com Podcast is your one-stop shop on the path to profitability. Each week we share authentic advice on the positive, practical steps you can take to make the company you love more profitable. If you're looking for a positive plan to help you avoid common spending mistakes, control costs, and increase your profits, then this is the place for you. Read all about procurement spend practices and pitfalls.
166 Episodes
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In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Lindsay Webber (Omnipro) to unpack what modern audit really looks like - why it matters far beyond “ticking boxes,” and how audits help organisations (especially those handling public, donor, or regulated funds) prove compliance, protect reputation, and avoid nasty surprises. Lindsay shares her unusual “almost adopted by Pauly Shore” story from a small-town South African hardware store, her rapid rise to Senior Lecturer at Rhodes University at 24, and what she’s seeing now in the world of audit, regulation, and CPD for accountants.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Stephen Newland, founder of Money Path, to unpack what it really takes to keep a nonprofit financially healthy as it grows. They cover Stephen’s unusual early-career work at Delta Air Lines, what he learned running a financial education program at a large church, and why money is never “just numbers on a spreadsheet.” From cashflow forecasting to grant reporting to board-ready financial clarity, this episode is a practical guide for nonprofit leaders who want better control without burning out.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Anna Tiomina (Blend to Balance) a former CFO who turned a career curveball into a new mission: helping finance teams adopt AI responsibly and effectively. They unpack how AI is already changing finance work (reporting, commentary, document review, and more), why finance leaders shouldn’t wait for the tech to “mature,” and how to keep human controls in place so speed doesn’t come at the cost of accuracy.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Angela Satterfield-Sexton from Burkland to unpack fund accounting and why it matters even if you’re not a nonprofit. Angela breaks down how grant funding really works (pre-award → mid-award → post-award), what causes the most compliance pain, and how the right systems (and habits) can keep your funding safe, your reporting clean, and your team sane.
From time tracking and class coding to receipts, audits, and spend deadlines, this episode is a practical guide for founders, finance leaders and grant-funded operators who want to stay compliant and move fast.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Luca Aversa, corporate finance advisor and fractional CFO based in Northern Italy, to explore why banking relationships, timing, and disciplined financial strategy can be a true superpower for growing businesses. From Luca’s early career inside major Italian banks to advising SMEs across manufacturing, construction, real estate, and distribution, this episode dives into how founders can secure funding, choose the right financial partners, and move beyond rigid budgeting toward more adaptive, strategic finance models.
Drawing parallels between karate and CFO decision-making, Luca explains why timing matters more than force, how scenario planning builds lender confidence, and why concepts like Beyond Budgeting, North Star metrics, and OKRs are reshaping modern finance leadership.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Patrick McCarthy, founder of My Startup Consulting, to explore what it really takes to be a fractional CFO for early-stage startups - where chaos is constant and clarity is priceless. Patrick shares how his love of metal music and the “rules of the mosh pit” mirror startup leadership, why he left M&A for the unpredictable world of startups, and what founders must do to operationalize budgets so forecasts become reality. They also dig into fundraising realities, making tough cost-cutting decisions, EOS Rocks alignment, and Patrick’s firsthand experience helping guide a major acquisition exit.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Vincent Biscaye, founder of Two Step Advisors and former commodities trader who walked away from a high-flying career to help entrepreneurs build real, sustainable businesses in CPG (especially food & beverage). Vincent shares how growing up across multiple countries shaped his leadership style, why finance in CPG is uniquely brutal (and why so many brands get blindsided), and what founders must understand about working capital, distributor deductions, promotions, and inventory accounting. They also unpack the fundraising reality for beverage brands, the pivot Vincent made from building a cold-pressed juice brand to launching his advisory firm, and the exact stage where fractional finance support becomes a game-changer.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Rachel Phillips of Fully Accountable - a trained M&A attorney who now helps lead a 52-person outsourced accounting and CFO services firm. Rachel shares how a background in competitive Irish dancing shaped her endurance and consistency as an operator, why she chose entrepreneurship over a traditional law career, and how Fully Accountable evolved into a metrics-driven, values-led team built for modern businesses. They also dig into 13-week cash-flow forecasting, budget discipline (without rigidity), purchase orders as a control mechanism, and what founders should know when preparing to sell a business.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Phil Trowler, financial strategist and early finance leader at Olipop, to unpack the realities of scaling a high-growth CPG brand and why storytelling, cash-flow foresight, and purchase-order discipline can make or break a business. From Phil’s unconventional journey through EY, government finance, and Silicon Valley startups, to hard-earned lessons from hypergrowth, inventory risk, and sales forecasting, this episode is a masterclass in strategic finance for founders navigating rapid expansion.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Susanne IJkema-Hilgenkamp, Regional Director at The CFO Centre / CFO Center and a fractional CFO based in the Netherlands, to unpack what great stakeholder management really looks like - especially when the stakes are high. From boardrooms that include government and global corporates (including a joint venture where the CEO of the board was the Crown Prince of Brunei) to fast-moving SMEs, Susanne shares how to avoid surprises, align shareholders, and guide major decisions. They also dive into a compelling exit story: helping a 79-year-old founder sell urgently due to health reasons - without selling from a position of panic.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Neil Geary, fractional CFO and partner at SeatonHill Partners, to unpack what happens when big entrepreneurial vision meets real-world financial reality. Drawing on a career that started as a Coast Guard - licensed boat captain and evolved through family offices, hospitality, and large-scale real estate development, Neil shares how “captain’s thinking” - planning, diligence, and safety - translates into better decisions for founders and investors.
From rescuing a beloved but loss-making New England “trophy” hotel and restaurant, to helping a Midwestern multifamily developer level up into a $67M ground-up project, Neil shows how the right CFO can turn chaos into a clear course - without killing the entrepreneurial spark that made the business work in the first place.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with California-based fractional CFO and CPA Neeti Chauhan to trace her remarkable journey from Mumbai and Bangalore to the US tech scene and what that global experience means for SaaS and startup founders today. Neeti shares how yoga and meditation underpin her discipline and clarity as a finance leader, what it was really like working at Lehman Brothers during its collapse, and how she went from knowing no one in Bangalore to building a thriving consulting firm serving fast-growth startups.
In this episode, James Kennedy welcomes Rush Shah, founder of Modern CFO Services and fractional CFO based in California. Together they dive into the realities of building and guiding service-based businesses and healthcare organizations (like memory-care facilities and local hospitals). Rush shares lessons from 20+ years in FP&A and leadership roles and how owning his own firm reshaped his view of risk, resilience, and decision-making. They unpack pricing strategy, utilization, loan risk, and how one stressed healthcare operator transformed a dire outlook into a profitable, pay-the-bank-back-in-five-years plan.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with fractional CFO Martin Mellor to unpack what it really looks like to shepherd a customer through a live M&A journey - straight from the trenches (Q2 2025). Martin shares how a managed service provider (MSP) can shift from “comfortable lifestyle business” to a serious exit opportunity, what buyers care about (EBITDA multiples, recurring revenue, and quality of earnings), and how CFO-grade clarity turns a fuzzy growth plan into a focused value-creation roadmap. Along the way, they dig into target-setting (including Martin’s memorable “6-3-3” framework), leading vs lagging indicators, and how to translate finance-speak into operational decisions that actually move enterprise value.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Austin Moffat, founder of DSO CFO, to unpack how Austin built a thriving fractional CFO firm for dentistry - despite taking a non-traditional route (no CPA). Austin shares how high-level competitive soccer shaped his business IQ, how an early “trial by fire” accounting role accelerated his learning, and why the dental industry urgently needs simple, decision-ready financial clarity. They also dig into dental-specific KPIs, the rise of DSOs and private equity in dentistry, and the practical AI/tech stack Austin is using to run a modern accounting firm.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Wendy Laxton, founder of Laxton CFO Services, to unpack the “modern” version of fund accounting - how nonprofits manage restricted vs. unrestricted funds, align grant requirements with real-world operations, and avoid credibility-killing misallocations. Wendy shares how the 2008 recession unexpectedly led her into fractional CFO work, why niching down to nonprofits was a defining move, and what she’s learned from guiding organizations through system complexity - from overbuilt ERPs to intentionally “resetting” in QuickBooks and rebuilding structure over time.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Kerry Peters, Microsoft MVP and Co-Founder of New View Strategies, to unpack why so many ERP implementations fail - and how businesses can finally get the financial clarity, process efficiency, and operational visibility they were promised.
Kerry shares how her unique blend of corporate controller experience, ERP expertise, and a passion for business process has helped hundreds of companies turn struggling implementations into scalable, high-performing systems. From a publishing company with 21,000 general ledger accounts to organizations stuck in endless month-end closes, Kerry explains the root causes, the fixes, and how to prevent the pain in the first place.
She also reveals how she unintentionally built a thriving fractional CFO practice - simply by helping companies bridge the gap between software, people, and process.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with fractional CFO Shane Bender, founder of Bender CFO Services, to dig into the financial realities of running a marketing or digital agency. Using his love of weather models as a metaphor for forecasting, Shane explains why most agency owners are flying blind on margins, cash flow, and growth targets - and how better data, simple models, and discipline can turn chaos into clarity. From client-level profitability to weekly cash planning and “smarter” goals, this conversation is a practical roadmap for agencies that want to grow without blowing up their finances.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Elliott Gaspar, UK-based Fractional CFO and founder of a fast-growing finance practice, to unpack how the UK’s unique tax-advantaged investment schemes (SEIS/EIS) can accelerate early-stage growth - and how easily founders can lose their eligibility without realizing it.
Drawing on a career that started in Oxford University finance, scaled through private-equity-backed energy infrastructure, and evolved into advising high-growth, asset-heavy startups, Elliott explains why CFOs must be storytellers, how to build investor-ready financial models, and why UK entrepreneurs still underestimate the power of compliance-driven incentives.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Chris Gwinn, CFA and founder of Midwest CFO, to unpack how a fractional CFO helped a $7.5M digital agency boost gross margins from 26% to 48% and add $1M in EBITDA - without forcing creatives into traditional timesheets. Chris shares why he exited a successful process-improvement consultancy to build a more recurring, finance-driven practice, how he uses podcasts as a growth engine, and the simple pricing and cost-allocation shifts any B2B services firm can use to increase valuation.
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