In this episode, James sits down with Milán Golovics, founder of BAO Contracting and a former VC associate turned startup operator/CFO, to unpack the realities of building and funding hardware in Central & Eastern Europe. From Hungary’s unique venture landscape to rethinking a “hardware-only” sale into a subscription model, Milán shares crisp, tactical lessons for seed-stage founders – and the CFOs who support them.
In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Alina Rivera, founder of Advising Puerto Rico and fractional CFO, to explore how purpose-driven operators can build commercially strong companies and meaningful community impact. From documenting procurement processes in construction to guiding hospitality entrepreneurs through cash flow, budgets, and people-first policies, Alina shares the playbook she uses to turn scrappy growth into sustainable scale – without losing the mission.
In this episode, James sits down with Peter Piluk, a fractional CFO with a programmer’s mindset, to unpack what really matters in ERP rollouts, how just-in-time thinking rescued a niche manufacturing service during COVID supply shocks, and why every owner should build a company that’s sale-ready – even if you never plan to sell. They also touch on Canada–U.S. tariff chatter, running a firm with your spouse, and Peter’s “how, not no” approach to client problems.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
