In this episode, Sasha sits down with Razzak Jallow, CFO at FloQast, to discuss the evolving role of the modern CFO as a strategic partner across the organization. They dive into how he builds trust with the CEO, his approach to fostering product innovation responsibly, and why he turned down a financing round that would have doubled FloQast's valuation. Razzak also offers advice for aspiring CFOs on evaluating their first CFO role, skills like "precision Q&A", and hiring great talent

This show is a part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: www.turpentine.co

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Recommended Podcast: Company BreakdownsEach episode of Company Breakdowns dives into S-1s and series B-and-beyond companies, interviewing founders and investors to break down the companies. First episode is on Rubrik - which just IPO'd. Coming up this season: Databricks, Reddit + more,SpotifyApple

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X/Twitter:@sashaorloff (Sasha)@floqast (Floqast)@turpentinemedia

TIMESTAMPS:

TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview(02:22) How Razzak would describe the role of CFO(02:55) Razzak’s superpowers: hiring and working with different people(04:28) Building trust with different colleagues across different functions and cultures(06:31) How to be the office of “how to” rather than “no”(08:47) Having an effective discussion when there isn’t a right answer(11:47) Changing the culture from being a no shop to a let’s be a partner shop(14:26) Precision Q&A(15:24) Sponsor: Attio(17:22) What is FloQast(19:34) Taking on the first CFO role and evaluating fit(21:45) Deciding not to raise at a higher valuation and why(25:20) Having a cash war chest(27:02) Balancing product innovation and financial discipline as CFO(30:00) The early milestones in a new product that unlock more capital(31:32) Getting alignment on what payback on a new product should be(38:16) Advice to future CFOs and an underrated skill people should work on more(41:39) Building trust with your CEO(45:27) Wrap