From $20M to $300M: CFO Insights for Navigating Growth with Rick Smith, Founder of Bonfire Advisory

Episode notes

The CFO role has evolved dramatically, especially for venture and growth-stage companies where traditional MBA theory meets harsh startup realities. In this episode of CFO Weekly, Rick Smith, a five-time CFO and founder of Bonfire Advisory, joins Megan Weis to share hard-earned lessons from his new book and decades of experience building financial operations from the ground up. Rick Smith is a seasoned financial executive who has served as CFO for five different companies across industries, including SaaS, health tech, education technology, and retail. With experience scaling businesses from $20M to $300M in revenue, Rick founded Bonfire Advisory to provide fractional CFO services to Series A and B companies. His new book, "Demystifying the Role of the CFO in Venture and Growth Stage Companies," offers practical guidance for finance leaders navigating the unique challenges of high-growth environments.

Related episodes across the Index

Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.

• 87. The COO's Guide to The Jigsaw Puzzle CompanyThe Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s · on Financial systems87 / 100
• Lessons from a finance revolution at Mars, with Colin MossFP&A Today · on Fractional CFO81 / 100
• Gina Chen: The Legal Ally Every Purpose-Driven Founder Needs#WisdomOfWomen Show · on M&A strategy77 / 100
• Scaling Advisory Service through Content ft. Nikole MackenzieThe New F*Word · on Fractional CFO72 / 100
• Global Growth, Integration and AI: Lessons from Grant Thornton’s CEOThe CFO Show · on M&A strategy70 / 100
• 280. CFOs CFO | How to Delegate Like a CFO: Strengths, Ownership & Fractional Support with Sara DawCFO 4.0 Podcast · on Fractional CFO61 / 100

• General-Purpose AI Agents Are Not Built for High-Stakes Finance76 / 100
• Greatest Hits: How New Finance Leaders Navigate Transition and Build Confidence80 / 100
• Greatest Hits: Operational Finance and How CFOs Drive Performance with Devin Weil, CFO at ShipMonk67 / 100
• Modernizing Finance Without Losing the Human Element54 / 100
• Healthcare Funding, Defense Spending, and the CFO’s Role in Advocacy56 / 100