Fractional CFO

Merushka Chetty

Donny Mashiach – CFO Reveals His 90% Client Win Rate Secret

James Kennedy sits down with Donny Mashiach, founder of Warrior GP, to unpack how he’s importing an investment-banking “deal team” model into the fractional CFO world. Donny shares how he consistently closes prospects with a pre-work, presentation-led pitch, how he aligns incentives so everyone wins, and a concrete case study where he unlocked $750k of cash by fixing inventory turns at an eCommerce retailer. They also touch on walking away from “wrong” venture terms, seasonality planning, and why founders should expect their exit to feel personal – and stressful.

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Merushka Chetty

Corey Friedman – From Corporate Burnout to Hospital Mogul in 10 Years

In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with fractional CFO Corey Friedman to unpack two meaty finance arenas: (1) buying and turning around distressed hospitals, and (2) making nonprofit dollars go further with strong grant governance. Corey shares how to read the real story in financials, what diligence looks like when acquiring a hospital, and the practical ways nonprofits can satisfy funders while staying mission-first.

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Merushka Chetty

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.

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Merushka Chetty

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.

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Merushka Chetty

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.

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Merushka Chetty

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.

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Merushka Chetty

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.”

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Merushka Chetty

Benjamin Ziza – $20M Company Didn’t Know Their Revenue

James Kennedy welcomes Benjamin Ziza, co-founder of Iter Advisors, to discuss what makes a fractional CFO not just valuable – but indispensable. Benjamin shares his unique ability to explain value clearly to CEOs and close clients effectively, a skill many fractional CFOs struggle with. Drawing on his background in audit, consulting, and senior finance roles across Europe and Africa, he unpacks how trust, fairness, speed, and logical communication underpin his firm’s rapid growth.

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Merushka Chetty

Craig Patterson – From Welfare to Department Head in 60 Days

James Kennedy sits down with Craig Patterson – fractional CFO, CEO of Patterson & Associates Consulting (PAC-LLC), former Bechtel engineer, and one-time stand-up comic – to unpack how housing authorities work, why purchase orders are essential for public-funded accountability, and how AI/automation can give finance teams their evenings back. From UC Berkeley football to Department of Defense–scale builds, Craig shares a people-first approach to delivering tech that everyday teams can actually use.

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