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.
About Rush Shah:
Rush holds an MBA and has spent two decades leading finance functions across public and private companies. Today, he acts as a fractional CFO to service-driven organizations – helping owners translate complex numbers into clear decisions, manage risk (without avoiding it), and build models they actually understand and use. His approach blends disciplined forecasting with practical “owner empathy” earned from running his own business.
What You’ll Learn:
● Planned Risk vs. Blind Risk: Why great CFOs prepare for the downside – parachute packed – before they jump.
● Pricing Power (Rate vs. Volume): How underpricing erodes businesses and why fewer clients at better margins can win.
● Utilization & Capacity Truths: The hidden costs when teams are present but under-leveraged – especially in services.
● Rebuilding a Broken Financial Model: How a $10M memory-care startup moved from “three years of losses” to year-one profitability.
● Debt Pressure & Cash Planning: Turning heavy terms (interest-only periods, prepayment penalties) into a workable repayment strategy.
● Owner Mindset: Why entrepreneurship changes how you see stress, opportunity, and financial discipline.
Episode Highlights:
“Sometimes you have to take the leap – but make sure the parachute is ready.”
“A rate cut isn’t a strategy – it’s usually a slow race to the bottom.”
“When owners finally see the model clearly, they wake up with a plan, not just problems.”
“You can be profitable and still drown in debt if you don’t manage structure and payback.”
More About Rush’s Role:
At Modern CFO Services, Rush helps founders of service-based businesses (including healthcare operators) build actionable financial roadmaps – from pricing and utilization to forecasting, debt planning, and scenario modeling. His goal: remove guesswork, reduce anxiety, and give owners confidence in every decision.
