For Finance professionals who are ready to advance their career in record time while helping fast growth organisations secure more funding.
This program is your fast track to overcoming career uncertainty and breaking through salary ceilings as you seamlessly shift into your next role as Finance Director or CFO. Here’s how:
To unlock your career advancement where you can truly lead the charge in the finance function for your fast growth company you need to have the tools and understandings in these key areas:
Adding Value
- How to tell the board, investors and the leadership team a good story
- How to be strategic so you are adding value to the leadership team and part of the conversation about business direction
Fundraising
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Understand the different types of fundraising and how they work when to consider them.
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Be a key member of the fundraising team. Ensure your team is prepared for a fundraise.
Mindset
- Have the confidence in your abilities and understand your strengths and weaknesses.
- Know how to contribute successfully to all meetings, including board meetings.
Leadership
- Understand what leadership is an how it differs from management.
- Embrace your leadership role and demonstrate your skills with your team and the wider business.
Which is why we dive into this and more in the Finance Leadership Fundamentals course.
"This course surpassed my expectations. For the first time, I feel confident applying for Director roles and I feel that I understand the role comprehensively."
I enjoyed the learning format. The punchy, quick lessons reinforce the concept being taught. Also, the information was presented in a pleasant and relatable way. I would highly recommend this course, if you are looking to progress your career in a short space of time.
Suzanne Lal
Who is Financial Leadership Fundamentals course for?
- Were you recently promoted to either Head of Finance or Finance Director and a little overwhelmed?
- Did you just take on a Finance Director or CFO role and don't know how to fully step into the role?
- Are you new to a fast growth company and struggling to navigate the culture as a finance leader?
- Have you recently moved from an audit firm to industry and don't know where to begin?
If you answered yes to any of the above the Financial Leadership Fundamentals will help you broaden your perspective, discover how to solidify your leadership style and create more impact in your company.
Side note for Founders: Financial Leadership Fundamentals is a great way to empower your finance team with the skills necessary to help fundraise and strengthen the finance function in your company.
What's involved in theĀ Financial Leadership Fundamentals Course?
Ā Itās self-paced, so you can take your time going through the content.Ā You get 12 comprehensive modules that cover all the most important topics and these roll out over 8-weeks time.
Each section includes video content, worksheets and templates to help create your own frameworks. You can join the Q&A sessions where your trainer, Alysha will work through any questions you have or go through examples that will help you support your growth and understanding.
You will be fully supported throughout your learning.
Here's what we'll cover in Financial Leadership Fundamentals course:
Live and monthly Q&A sessions with Alysha are included with enrolment
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MODULE
ONE
The Leadership Role
This module covers transitioning from a management role / firm to a leadership role. We'll address the following questions:
- What does the most senior Finance leadership role mean in a fast-growth business?
- How do you communicate differently?
- Your mindset: How to think about things differently.
- Confidence and dealing with imposter syndrome.
MODULE
TWO
Relationships & Adding Value
This module covers relationships, networking, and adding value. We'll address the following:
- How to manage internal relationships with the leadership team, Founder/CEO and the wider business. How to be seen.
- How to manage your relationship with the Board of Directors
- How to manage relationships with 3rd Parties outside the organisation
MODULE
THREE
Developing a Team
In this module, we'll cover the question: What should your finance function look like?
āWe’ll look at the skills and knowledge you’ll need to build a high-performance finance team.
How can you ensure that your finance team will be able to meet the needs of the business and it's growth.
MODULE
FOUR
Fixing your Baseline
In this module, we'll go over all of the interesting parts of your role that can't start until you have your baseline covered.ā Such as:
- Review of financial statements
- Ensure compliance
- Why is this part of the role so important and why you can't be strategic or add value if this part of the role is ignored.
MODULE
FIVE
All Things Cash
The most important part of a small business, particularly fast growth is Cash Runway. What is it and how can you extend it.
Especially now where "Cash is King" how can you ensure that your business doesn't run out of it?
What are the options that you can bring to the table.
MODULE
SIX
Adding Value & Reporting
In this module, we'll discuss how to get senior leadership, partners and shareholders engaged in the reports you're sharing. Can you tell a good story?
This is where you demonstrate you and your team's value to the business. How to be strategic with your reporting.
How to encourage engagement with your reporting.
MODULE
SEVEN
Budgeting & Forecasting
This module is also all about communication. Raise your profile by preparing outstanding reports for the board that will create value and impact.
With small businesses that can pivot from one month to the next, how can you ensure that this exercise is useful to the business and is worth spending the time to ensure engagement.
MODULE
EIGHT
Software
As a Finance Director, there’s a range of fantastic accounting tools available to you. We’ll look at some of the best ones, including SaaS products that will make your life easier and help you create meaningful reports.
I share my Tech stack and how this resource can be used to ensure efficiency and accuracy.
MODULE
NINE
Fundraising
In this module, we'll discuss all things start-up funding, including preparing for a fundraise.
Fundraising is such an essential part of start-ups and fast growth businesses and generally FDs/CFOs are to lead or be the main driver of this process. Are you and your team ready for a fundraise?
MODULE
TEN
Shares & Options
In this module, we'll review different employee stock options and shares for the UK, Australia and the United States, and you'll receive resources on rewarding your company's team via this method.
Often smaller businesses don't have a legal team and therefore the management of all shares and options rests with the FD/CFO, so we cover this topic so you can own it.
MODULE
ELEVEN
Commercials & Strategy
In this module, we look at the business outside the finance function.
How does a CFO contribute to strategy?Ā How can they really add value?
We look at the business from a very high level and discuss business models, product market fit, commercial funnels and operational scalability.Ā Along with action steps for a CFO and how you can contribute to strategic discussions.
MODULE
TWELVE
Further learning & resources
In this module, we look at how you can continue your learning.
We recommend many books, articles, guides, groups to join and any other resources that we have used and benefited from so your learning can continue as a leader in your field.
"Alysha is a highly experienced finance professional; she was able to provide me with excellent guidance as to how to set up and develop a finance function at an early stage company."
She also provided me with useful and practical examples that were immediately applicable in the business.Ā I would highly recommended to anyone who would like to upskill in their Finance Director role.
Nina Rowley
Finance Director
Why Choose Fast Growth Consulting?
The leap from a senior finance role to leadership is huge. Alysha created this course to help anyone looking to move to a leadership role, so they can prepare mentally for what’s ahead and ease the transition.
It’s the course she wishes was available when she made the leap, over 10 years ago. She says:
“I moved from a comfortable Head of Finance / Group Financial Controller role, reporting into a wonderful CFO to a Finance Director role in a new start-up.
I was in the most senior Finance role for years.
Overseeing the finance operations and managing the team was relatively straight forward. I had no problem looking after these aspects of the role.
However, I realised that was behaving as a manager and not a leader.
It took a couple of years and a hard knock to discover the error of my ways. After a few courses, mentoring and lots of self-study, I could see that I wasn't performing as a Finance Director when I first took on the role.
Looking back many years later, I've since discovered this isn't a unique journey. I’ve spoken to many peers who experienced the same ‘baptism of fire’. I didn’t think it should be that way, which is why I created a Finance Director training course for new or aspirational Finance Directors, or CFOs of a fast growth or SME – to help smooth the transition journey for others.
I wish this course existed when I first took on that first Finance Director role.
Ready to gain the skills necessary to advance your finance career?
Now's the time.
Learn how to be an excellent Finance Director
Own your new role
Ensure that annual reviews are full of praise, instead of criticism
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"This course was exactly what I needed – it provided a great structure to my preparations and helped me better understand what a Finance Director of a small start-up actually does. I could then confront it with the knowledge and experience I already had and identify the gaps that I still had to fill, making sure that I’m ready for the transition. "
I have been working as a group financial controller in a listed company, after having gained substantial experience in various areas of finance, in fast growing businesses. My aspiration for the next step in my career is to become a Finance Director of a fast-growing start-up company and, in preparation for this, I came across the “New Finance Director (CFO) in a Fast Growth business” course.
This course was exactly what I needed – it provided a great structure to my preparations and helped me better understand what a Finance Director of a small start-up actually does. I could then confront it with the knowledge and experience I already had and identify the gaps that I still had to fill, making sure that I’m ready for the transition.
The modules covered all aspects of the role, including leadership (as opposed to management), mindset (including a great chapter on the imposter syndrome), business partnering and developing the team, as well as core finance areas like reporting, budgeting and fundraising. The course presented a very practical view, including various ready-to-use templates and an overview of software solutions. This, together with real–life examples shared by Alysha made the course unique and was, in my view, its biggest strength.
The structure of the course was flexible and I found it easy to fit it around my busy schedule whilst the weekly Q&A sessions added an interactive element (and opportunity for networking!). I would recommend this course to anyone with a background similar to mine as well as (or maybe even more) to other finance professionals who are planning to take on a finance director role.
Lukaz
Course Student
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