You wanted to run a business. Not run the numbers.

Read time: 3 minutes

Hi there {{first_name}},

This is my first letter diving into a story about a CEO in Germany who was forced to take on the role of CFO.

When I met the founders of this thirty-person tech company, they were deeply involved in every aspect of the business. Their days were filled with financial reports, legal matters and important administrative decisions that needed their personal attention. As a result, strategic projects stalled, and the company was losing both momentum and money due to constant delays and missed opportunities.

I stepped in as their part-time CFO, taking full responsibility for finance and legal matters. Without the need for grand strategies or transformational projects, I handled everything from the smallest administrative details to the most complex financial matters. My goal was to take the weight off their shoulders so they could focus on growing the business again.

Within three months, the founders were no longer acting as de facto CFOs. The finance and legal departments were running smoothly, reports were arriving on time and decisions were being made without their constant input. They regained roughly 30% of their week to focus on product development, growth and leadership, while I ensured that finance and legal continued to operate quietly and reliably in the background.

One day, you might have also realised that you’ve become your own CFO:

You started a company to build something or your are a managing director responsible for growth. Instead, you find yourself chasing accountants, reconciling bank accounts and explaining the burn rate to investors.

At some point, usually without any decision being made, the finance side of things ends up on the CEO’s desk. It seems easier to just “handle it for now”. It's just the odd report here and there, a quick call with the accountant and one more seemingly important decision that you feel you can't delegate.

Slowly but surely, you begin to feel frustrated at being solely responsible for all decisions, and you start to lose sight of your role as founder.

I’ve seen this pattern play out countless times, and it’s not triggered by a crisis, but by the quiet accumulation of tasks that no one else can quite take ownership of.