ProcurementExpress.com Logo
Start Free Trial
ProcurementExpress.com Logo
Book a Demo
June 6, 2024

The Dark Side of Debt with Eric Neumann

On this episode of the Gross Profit Podcast, James Kennedy sits down with Eric Neumann, Fractional CFO at New Life CFO Services. They discuss the challenges and complexities of dealing with distressed debt and the critical role a CFO plays in navigating these turbulent financial waters.
Download File
Play in new window
  • 45 mins
  • 2024-06-06
Subscribe on

Show Notes

In this episode of the Gross Profit Podcast James meets Eric Neumann, Fractional CFO at New Life CFO Services. They discuss the challenges and complexities of dealing with distressed debt and the critical role a CFO plays in navigating these turbulent financial waters.

About Eric Neumann: Eric Neumann has over 30 years of experience as a CFO, with a rich background in leading M&A transactions, restructuring debt, and improving cash flow. At New Life CFO Services, he specializes in providing financial leadership in turnaround situations and for companies engaging in mergers and acquisitions. Eric’s career highlights include taking a radio company public and negotiating deals that significantly enhanced shareholder value. He is known for his strategic initiatives that uncover hidden value in organizations, ranging from startups to Fortune 1000 companies.

What You’ll Learn:

  1. The Perils of Distressed Debt: How companies become targets of distressed debt funds and the consequences of not meeting financial covenants.
  2. CFO’s Role in Turnaround Situations: Eric discusses his approach to restructuring a company’s cost, performance, and capital structure during financial crises.
  3. Strategic Financial Leadership: The importance of robust financial guidance in M&A scenarios and how CFOs can drive company recovery and growth.

Episode Highlights:

  • “Eric, can you share more about the typical scenarios where a company might find itself dealing with distressed debt?”
  • “What strategies have proven effective in your experience for companies trying to navigate through financial distress?”
  • “Given your extensive background, what are some common pitfalls companies face during restructuring and how can they be avoided?”
  • “How does your role at New Life CFO leverage your expertise in both stabilizing companies and preparing them for healthy exits or new phases of growth?”

Beyond Financial Management, Eric is passionate about creating sustainable value and addressing complex financial challenges with innovative solutions. His approach is grounded in a philosophy that emphasizes courage, innovation, performance, and passion—a framework that has guided his decisions and leadership style throughout his career.

This podcast is tagged under:

The Gross Profit Podcast

More Episodes

Merushka Chetty

Rachel Phillips – Lawyer Turns CEO: Building a 52-Person Accounting Firm

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.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Phil Trowler – The $1M Surprise Invoice Crisis

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.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Susanne IJkema – How to Exit When Your Back’s Against the Wall 

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.

Listen Now »