LevelUp Podcast · 2026-08-31 · 7 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
21 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
The Level Up Podcast, hosted by Nick Araco of CFO Alliance, compiles key moments from previous interviews with finance executives and business leaders. The episode, sponsored by Oracle NetSuite, explores critical issues facing modern CFOs: data governance and quality challenges (particularly how companies overestimate their data integrity until migration), the rise of fractional and advisory CFO models as a cost-effective alternative to full-time hires, and the essential leadership competencies beyond finance expertise. Guests emphasize the importance of cross-functional data gathering, the shift from hourly billing to value-based monthly retainers in consulting arrangements, and how CFOs must balance critical thinking with strategic vision and risk-taking. The discussion touches on how small company CFOs face more visceral financial pressures - payroll, facility operations - requiring both proactive problem-solving and selective listening skills. Oracle NetSuite's cloud ERP platform features prominently as the infrastructure enabling real-time visibility and automation that modern finance functions require.
A fractional CFO is a consulting or interim advisory role where organizations cannot afford a full-time CFO; it delivers financial expertise at a fraction of the cost, increasingly structured as value-based monthly retainers rather than hourly billing.
Companies typically overestimate the quality of their existing data; upon migration to systems like NetSuite, they discover that master data (customers, vendors, products, chart of accounts) is dirtier than expected, requiring auditing and cleanup before reliable automation is possible.
Modern CFOs need critical thinking, strategic vision, financial savvy, and calculated risk-taking ability, with clear accountability and defined lanes so they can drive impact without overstepping into other leaders' responsibilities.
CFOs must actively build cross-functional relationships to gather rich information from across the organization rather than relying solely on data from their own function, and they must own both the front-end data collection and back-end storytelling.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
This is a clip-show compilation of past conversations, meaning every idea is truncated and context-free. The observations that do appear - audit your master data, fractional CFOs cost less than bankruptcy, cross-functional data sources matter - are broadly known and surface-level rather than novel or densely packed.
you got to audit your master data and master. Just, you know, think of master. It's not fun to do. But you know, customer, vendors, products are skus employee, the chart of accounts, how clean is it?
the front end of it which is gathering the data and the back end of it which is telling the story, you got to own it
Every theme - data quality, the fractional CFO trend, CFO-as-strategic-partner, leadership requiring critical thinking - is recycled conventional wisdom circulating widely in finance media. The one mildly interesting angle (value-based retainer vs. hourly billing in fractional work) is underdeveloped and quickly dropped.
fractional cxo. Um, which is, you know, very hot right now
I have a opinion around hourly based work in the fractional space versus value based monthly retainer. I think we're moving away from what I call the law firm
No guest is introduced by name, title, or company affiliation in the clips provided, making seniority impossible to verify from the transcript itself. The substance of what each speaker says reflects general practitioner-level knowledge rather than scaled, battle-tested expertise.
You know, we felt it as a design firm
we use the word fractional. You use advisory
There are virtually no named companies (NetSuite is the sponsor, not an evidence source), no revenue figures, no timelines, and no case studies. The closest thing to specificity is a list of master data categories, which is generic taxonomy rather than concrete evidence.
customer, vendors, products are skus employee, the chart of accounts, how clean is it?
the financial implications of not having someone with that financial literacy, that financial expertise. It could come at a big cost. And that even means, you know, going bankrupt
The clip-show format eliminates any view of host question quality or follow-up discipline. In the fragments that are visible, the host contributes only a brief aside ('Thank God') and an 'Uh-huh,' with no probing or pushback evident anywhere in the transcript.
Thank God
Uh-huh
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
Nick Araco is the Founder and CEO of the CFO Alliance, a community where finance leaders connect, collaborate, and solve real-world challenges. He is also the Founder of AchieveNEXT, a leadership development firm that helps leaders and teams strengthen relationships, improve performance, and achieve meaningful business results. With more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, and trusted advisor, Nick has brought together forward-thinking finance and C-suite leaders from across industries. An experienced speaker, business leader, and host of the Level Up podcast, he inspires finance executives to redefine success by thinking bigger, acting bolder, and leading with purpose. In this episode… Finance leaders are expected to make faster decisions, adopt new technology, guide strategy, and help their organizations navigate uncertainty. Yet automation is only as reliable as the data behind it, and financial expertise alone does not guarantee effective leadership. What does it take to build a modern finance function that creates meaningful business impact?
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Welcome to the Level up podcast where finance leaders share real stories, insights and connections that move them forward. Tune in to learn, sharpen your edge and level up together.
Speaker B: Nick Araco here, host of the newly reimagined Level up and founder and CEO of uh, CFO Alliance. Okay, this isn't just another boring business podcast. Level up is where the most forward thinking leaders in business and finance and from the CFO alliance, community and beyond come to share what it really takes to lead in today's unpredictable world. Each episode I sit down with CFOs, finance executives and business and industry leaders who are redefining what leadership looks like by stepping up, leaning in and leveling up. These aren't theory driven interviews, they're raw, real and packed with insights you can use if you're a finance leader navigating change, challenge or opportunity, this is your podcast. Thanks for tuning in to this special episode where we take a look back at some of our favorite moments from past conversations. It's proudly brought to you by Oracle netsuite. The number one cloud ERP trusted by thousands of high growth finance led companies around the world. NetSuite gives CFOs and finance leaders real time visibility, automation and control across their financials, operations and planning so they can lead with confidence and scale with speed. Oracle NetSuite is also a proud and longtime global partner partner to the CFO alliance, supporting our shared mission of empowering finance leaders to drive strategy, build resilient teams and deliver next level impact. If you're serious about building a modern finance function that keeps pace with your business, NetSuite is your platform. Learn more at www.netsuite.com. now let's listen to some of our favorite moments from past conversations.
Speaker C: So I uh, think it's really, I think that's a compliment, that's a complimentary aspect to it. Building, spending time to build that relationship because it's really your information is not going to come in that's from that sandbox that you're in. Your sources of data need to be highly cross functional so that you're making good rich decisions for the company. And again it comes down to um, having this relationship. You can get the right information, you have the velocity within modern set of AI tools to be able to crunch the numbers but ultimately the front end of it which is gathering the data and the back end of it which is telling the story, you got to own it.
Speaker D: Let me be direct, this is one that shows up where we get it from a new customer coming to netsuite most Companies think their data is better than it. Actually, excuse me, the consultant says bad though data is when we imported it. And we're looking at this one. So that's the moment that you try to look at it and you're like, wait a second, we got to clean that up. And so one I think, you know, your data sometimes you think is better than it is. You got to look at that phrase. The first one is you got to audit your master data and master. Just, you know, think of master. It's not fun to do. But you know, customer, vendors, products are skus employee, the chart of accounts, how clean is it? And you know, this is where I get back to is how consistent can I trust it? And if you can't trust it, you can't automate it.
Speaker E: The first question about the fractional CFO role or the consulting, you know we use the word fractional. You use advisory. I love that because that's what I tell people.
Speaker D: What is that?
Speaker E: Um, or fractional cxo. Um, which is, you know, very hot right now. But it really is that consulting, that interim, that advisory, that fraction. Yes. Where we find it a lot is typically in organizations that cannot afford a full time cfo. Typically, that is typically the case. Or more often. Right. And so what some of these organizations that don't have a budget for a full time uh, CFO are realizing is the financial implications of not having someone with that financial literacy, that financial expertise. It could come at a big cost. And that even means, you know, going bankrupt. And so I think that has uh, really brought back the, the um, as we're focusing in on unit economics quite a bit here in each one of our businesses depend. It doesn't matter what industry we're really, the organizations are looking for those that can still deliver yet at a, at a fraction of the cost. And that's really what it is. Um, the other end is with the technology at our fingertips today. And this is even pre AI, um, we saw this in the gig economy. This is over the last 10 years and it's really starting to come back now very aggressively because of the technology, because we can get these deliverables done faster. And I have a opinion around hourly based work in the fractional space versus value based monthly retainer. I think we're moving away from what I call the law firm and they're even changing. And.
Speaker B: Thank God.
Speaker D: Yeah.
Speaker B: As a former practicing lawyer. Thank God.
Speaker E: Yeah. So I have experience there too. So I'm actually excited about it as well. And so we're moving into this monthly retainer, quicker deliverables could, if you want
Speaker F: me, it comes back about accountability and roles and responsibility and where you could drive the lever and where you can make impact. All the skills are very transferable if you think about it, but it's like making sure there's clear lanes of who's. It comes back to that, but it comes back. Okay, so if you're saying that, what do leaders have? Critical thinking.
Speaker B: Uh-huh.
Speaker F: Strategic vision. They understand there's financial savvy, and that's where the CFO has. But then you need to be that visionary and you need to push, but also the risk taking. So, yeah, you could be either or, but the question is, which responsibility, what lane and to make sure you have the team to support you.
Speaker G: You know, we felt it as a design firm. I mean, uh, companies don't innovate when they're, when they're risk adverse.
Speaker C: Right.
Speaker G: Uh, you're like, oh, yeah, no, we're gonna back up from that because we've got tariffs and we've got this and we've got that, you know, and then I'm, I scramble. But, you know, it's, it becomes very real when it's, it's payroll. It's, you know, it's, it's keeping your building open. It's, it's, it's. It becomes very real in a small company setting. You know, these are the people that you're, you're seeing every day. This isn't some, um, you know, faceless mass of employees. You know, it's. It's very real. So, um, I tend to just jump in and, like, if there's a problem, let me fix. Sometimes they have to tell me, no, no, no, I just need you to listen. I don't need you to fix. And then I can, I can drop out of that.
Speaker A: Thank you for tuning in to the Level up podcast. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. More stories, insights, and connections to help you level up.
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