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.
About Patrick McCarthy:
Patrick McCarthy is a fractional CFO and startup operator who supports venture-backed B2B SaaS businesses through rapid growth, fundraising, and operational scaling. He began his career in investment banking (M&A) before joining a startup journey with SpokenLayer, where he helped the company raise significant capital, scale operations, and navigate the realities of building in an emerging space. Patrick later launched My Startup Consulting, bringing finance, ops, and goal-setting discipline to founders who need order in the middle of uncertainty – including teams working through EOS.
What You’ll Learn:
● Rules in Chaos: What mosh pits can teach founders about safety, structure, and respect in high-pressure environments.
● Investment Banking vs. Startups: Why Patrick left the “clear track” for a path with uncertainty, upside, and constant change.
● Stress Management for Founders: Why startups punish people who can’t “be like water” and how to cope with the mental load.
● Operationalizing a Budget: Turning spreadsheets into behavior, accountability, and real-world execution.
● When to Cut Costs (and How): Why “death by a thousand cuts” hurts more than decisive action and how to do reductions responsibly.
● EOS Rocks that Actually Work: How to avoid gimmies and chaos by aligning leadership rocks to company goals and financial realities.
● Inside a Real Exit: What it’s like running an acquisition process (and delivering diligence) as a fractional CFO.
Episode Highlights:
“A mosh pit is chaos – but it has rules. That’s startups too.”
“If you want a structured path, don’t go into startups.”
“Dragging out cuts can be worse than making a clear decision and supporting people through the transition.”
“Rocks only matter if they tie directly to the company goals. If they don’t, they shouldn’t be Rocks.”
More About Patrick’s Role:
At My Startup Consulting, Patrick acts as a true partner to founders – helping them build financial visibility, set measurable goals, implement operating cadence, and make high-stakes decisions with clearer trade-offs. He’s especially well-suited to venture-backed B2B SaaS teams that need a steady hand to translate strategy into numbers, align departments to revenue/profitability targets, and keep leadership focused on what must be true by quarter-end.
