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.
The Challenge: Growing Pains Hit Procurement Hard A rapidly expanding UK sofa retailer with 25 showrooms faced a familiar growth challenge – their procurement processes
Executive Summary Fast Signs, one of the world’s largest franchise systems with 780+ independently owned locations across 9 countries, selected ProcurementExpress to revolutionize procurement across
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.
Industry: Nonprofit Social ServicesOrganization Size: Large nonprofit with multiple government contractsGrant Volume: Multiple federal, state, and city contractsImplementation Time: Rapid deployment with immediate compliance benefits
The construction industry manages some of the most complex procurement operations in any sector. Between multi-million dollar projects, thousands of suppliers, mobile workforces, and tight
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.
Growing companies face a unique procurement challenge. They’re too large for spreadsheets but too small for enterprise software that costs more than their annual coffee
Manufacturing companies face unique procurement challenges that office-based businesses simply don’t encounter. From managing complex supplier relationships to handling urgent on-site purchase requests, traditional paper-based
