James Kennedy sits down with Victor Lanten, fractional CFO at Compass Planning Group, to unpack how a top Latin-American finance leader rebuilt from scratch in the U.S. – going from PepsiCo, GM, Citibank, Motorola & Brightstar… to Uber driver and golf caddie… to running a thriving advisory. Victor shares the mindset, systems, and client playbooks he now uses to professionalize SMB finance – especially in food, manufacturing, and multi-location healthcare – plus the Sandler selling approach that helped him grow without “hard selling.”
About Victor Lanten
Born in Venezuela and raised on Margarita Island, Victor Lanten spent 13+ years at PepsiCo (Frito-Lay beverages & snacks) before senior roles at General Motors, Citibank, Motorola and Brightstar. After emigrating to Miami, he launched Compass Planning Group, providing fractional CFO services to $2M–$30M businesses. Victor blends deep supply-chain finance, FP&A, and commercial operations expertise with a values-first, relationship-driven selling style.
What You’ll Learn
- Starting Over—Senior Edition: How a seasoned exec rebuilt in a new country using humility, networking, and paid learning (yes – caddying can be a goldmine).
- Where a Fractional CFO Moves the Needle: Why $2M–$20M revenue is the sweet spot for instituting discipline, cash visibility, and KPI ownership.
- Food & Bev Finance, Demystified: From potatoes, corn, oil, and water to plant siting – how procurement & prime inputs shape margins.
- Sandler Sales for Advisors: Using upfront contracts and qualification to win better-fit clients (and say no when it’s not a fit).
- Comp Plans that Actually Work: Redesigning sales compensation and building the right hires at the right time.
Episode Highlights
- “You’re not here because you love to work – you’re here to be a business owner, not an employee of your own business.”
- “No one likes to feel sold. My job is to help them buy – and decide together if we’re a fit.”
- “Golf caddie was the best job I ever had. Four hours walking with a CEO beats a two-minute Uber ride for real networking.”
- “Rapid growth without discipline – that’s where a fractional CFO pays for itself.”
More About Victor’s Role
At Compass Planning Group, Victor serves as a hands-on fractional CFO to founder-led SMBs – often food & beverage, light manufacturing, and multi-site healthcare/dental. Engagements typically include:
- Cash flow modeling, 13-week forecasts, and banker-ready reporting
- KPI dashboards for ops leaders; COGS/prime-cost and inventory controls
- Sales compensation redesign and profitability by product, site, and customer
- Budgeting, hiring roadmaps, and procurement/supply-chain finance guidance
- Board/owner cadence and decision frameworks (price, promo, and capex)
