Malcolm Carradus – How I 6X’d a $300M Company to $2 BILLION
James Kennedy sits down with global finance leader Malcolm Carradus to unpack the business of events – from content-led conferences to transaction-driven trade shows – and how he helped scale Informa Markets into the world’s largest events organizer. They get into cash-flow mechanics, venue risk, gross-margin control, and the leadership shift finance teams need when each show runs like its own business. Along the way: wild on-site stories (including a venue demolished three weeks pre-show), why trade shows can command premium EBITDA multiples, and the fractional-CFO playbooks Malcolm now uses with clients.
Kevin O’Brien – The Red Flags Every CEO Ignores Until It’s Too Late
James Kennedy sits down with Kevin O’Brien, CPA, CFA and founder of Gray Feather CFO, to unpack how he led a $2M EBITDA swing in a single year for a $10M+ distributor – moving from – $500K to +$1.5M. They dig into when EBITDA is useful (and when it’s “BS,” per Charlie Munger), the nuts and bolts of KPI-driven turnarounds, and why a fast, five-day month-end close is non-negotiable.
Michael Barbarita – From $250K Loss to $500K Sale: The Ultimate Turnaround
James Kennedy sits down with Michael Barbarita, founder of Next Step CFO and author of Powerful Business Strategies, to unpack four decades of wins and lessons – from buying his first company with high-interest debt, to engineering turnarounds with risk-reversal guarantees, to selling a struggling service business for a 10× EBITDA multiple. Michael shares the exact tactics he used to negotiate seller financing, restructure vendor debt, raise prices the right way, and craft compelling offers that competitors won’t match.
Alison Carnie – The Bookkeeping Method That’s Taking Over Small Business
James Kennedy sits down with Alison Carnie, founder of Domino Bookkeeping, to demystify Profit First for real-estate businesses – and how pairing the method with Relay can make cash management simple, visual, and disciplined. From flipping vs. buy-and-hold accounting to multi-account cash allocation, Alison shares the practical playbook she uses with clients (and why her psychology background makes her a better numbers partner).
Mark Gilham – Why Your Rebate Program is DESTROYING Your Business
James Kennedy sits down with Mark Gilham, Head of Enable Advisory at Enable.com, to unpack when B2B rebates create real growth – and when they quietly destroy margin. Drawing on Mark’s unusual career arc (private trust funds in Jersey, group finance at Grafton Group, and now rebate strategy), they dig into cost-plus traps, rebate vs. discount decisions, and the contract/ops misalignments that trigger disputes and missed cash.
Nicolò Scoditti – CEO Reveals How to Go Public WITHOUT Raising Money
In this episode, James Kennedy chats with Nicolò Scoditti, co-founder of Hybris Corporate Finance, about taking an Italian martech company public via a direct listing – why they chose it over a traditional IPO, what it actually does (no new shares, no fresh capital), and how it can unlock credibility, liquidity and a future funding path. Nicolò also lifts the hood on running a fractional CFO practice for lower-mid-market firms in Italy – turnarounds, PE/VC dynamics, and the nuts and bolts of staffing multi-client finance teams.
Devin O’Brien – I Built a 7-Figure Business in 2 Years (Without Experience)
James Kennedy sits down with Devin O’Brien, co-founder of Kordis.io, to explore how productized services are reshaping the world of fractional CFOs. Devin shares his journey from Penn State finance graduate to KPMG M&A associate, and how he made the leap from corporate deals to building a high-growth financial services firm. They dive into cleaning up chaotic startup books, implementing spend control, and why real-time financial collaboration beats traditional reporting.
Victor Lanten – Venezuelan CFO Forced to Flee and Start Over at 45
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.”
Kevin Leuthardt – A Swiss CFO’s Guide To Crypto on the Balance Sheet
James Kennedy sits down with Kevin Leuthardt, Swiss tax-lawyer-turned–fractional CFO and founder of 3K, to demystify “crypto on the balance sheet.” They separate hype from reality with two practical buckets: Bitcoin as (emerging) store of value and stablecoins as fast, low-cost rails for payments. Kevin explains the new ETF moment for Bitcoin, how to think about custody, accounting classification, covenants, and valuation, and where stablecoin payments can beat wires for speed and fees – plus what can go wrong and how to de-risk it.