In this episode, James Kennedy chats with Joe O’Regan – founder of Intrinsic CFO and an ACCA-qualified fractional CFO – about the full arc of capital: deploying it in banks, raising it in corporate finance, and managing it inside growing SMBs. From wind-farm project finance and PPAs to benchmarking margins and preparing for exit, Joe breaks down how smart capital allocation – and the “three Es” (economical, effective, efficient) – drives durable growth. Along the way: dairy-farm grit, Big Four consulting, Canada radio days, and why every business should be “always ready to sell.”
About Joe O’Regan
Joe O’Regan is a fractional CFO and founder of Intrinsic CFO. Raised on a dairy farm in Tipperary, he studied Economics & Mathematics in Dublin, became ACCA-qualified, spent ~7 years in management accounting, and ~5–6 years in Big Four consulting (PwC) across finance transformation, internal audit, procurement, and corporate finance before going independent in 2016. He now helps Irish and international SMBs start, grow, and exit – bringing banking/corporate-finance pragmatism to day-to-day operations.
What You’ll Learn
- Corporate Finance vs. Funding (Plain English): M&A and restructurings on one side; deposits/loans and equity on the other – how deals actually get financed and de-risked.
- Project Finance De-risking: Why planning permission + grid/PPA contracts (e.g., ESB) turn renewables into bankable, modular, “Lego-like” builds – and where cost control wins.
- Capital Allocation Inside SMBs: Pricing leadership vs. competitor-following, gross→net margin lifts, and when to export (UK/US/Canada) with help from LEO/Enterprise Ireland.
- Be Exit-Ready (Always): Build from Day 1 as if a strategic or financial buyer could knock tomorrow – data room habits, KPI ownership, and storytelling that maximizes multiples.
- Benchmarking in Practice: How Joe uses peer sets to show owners the risks of sliding back, the path to outperformance, and the operations levers to pull first.
- The “Three Es” Lens: Economical, effective, efficient – a durable filter for spend, org design, and go-to-market choices.
Episode Highlights
- “Corporate finance and funding are brother and sister – one decides the deal, the other supplies the money.”
- “A PPA plus planning creates inherent value – even if promoters change, the project remains financeable.”
- “Be ready to sell even if you’re not selling. It’s how you get the right price when opportunity knocks.”
- “Margin discipline beats top-line fantasies – own your pricing and your prime cost equivalents.”
- “Use the Three Es to sanity-check every big spend and every new market bet.”
More About Joe’s Work
At Intrinsic CFO, Joe helps founders through Start → Grow → Exit:
- Start: Finance foundation, pricing, KPI dashboards, investor/creditor story.
- Grow: Margin expansion (ops efficiency, pricing), export readiness, funding mix.
- Exit: Buyer mapping, clean numbers, process documentation, and deal support.
