Becoming a Start-Up CFO, hosted by Alysha Randall, is a practical podcast for aspiring CFOs, new finance leaders and experienced professionals in start-ups and scale-ups. Alysha draws on more than fifteen years of experience at companies including LoveFilm and Funding Circle, as well as her work supporting founders and finance leaders. Episodes cover leadership, confidence, commercial thinking, cash management, fundraising, boards, investors and building a high-performing finance team. The show shares real experiences and practical insight to help finance professionals grow into the CFO role with greater clarity and confidence.
Episodes
Stop Reporting the Numbers and Start Influencing Decisions
The value of a report is not measured by how many numbers it contains.Alysha explores how finance leaders can turn accurate reporting into insight that changes the quality of decisions. From asking why a variance happened to choosing meaningful KPIs and presenting to boards, this episode is about helping people understand what the numbers actually mean.Episode highlightsWhy accurate reporting is t
Cash Is King, But Are You Managing It Like a CFO?
Cash management is one of the clearest places where reporting numbers and leading a business become very different jobs.In this episode, Alysha looks at runway, burn, working capital, scenario planning and fundraising timing. More importantly, she explores how a CFO turns cash information into decisions while the company still has enough time and flexibility to act.Episode highlightsWhy profitabil
Why Start-Up CFOs Can’t Afford to Be Reactive
Firefighting can make you feel indispensable while quietly preventing you from becoming strategic.Alysha explores why start-up finance leaders need to move beyond constant reaction and start looking around corners. From cash and reporting to hiring and processes, this episode looks at how proactive CFOs identify issues while there is still time to do something about them.Episode highlightsWhy solv
How to Become the Finance Leader the CEO Actually Needs
A great start-up CFO gives the CEO much more than accurate numbers.In this episode, Alysha explores what founders and CEOs genuinely need from their senior finance partner, including clarity, commercial understanding, thoughtful challenge and the ability to see problems early. She also looks at why the fundamentals still matter and how trust develops between a CEO and CFO over time.Episode highlig
If Nobody Understands Your Numbers, Your Reporting Isn’t Working
Being technically right is only useful if the person listening understands what you mean.In this episode of Becoming a Start-Up CFO, Alysha explores one of the most important skills finance leaders develop as they move towards CFO level, learning how to communicate finance clearly to people who do not speak the language of finance every day.From founders and department heads to sales and marketing
Why Confidence Comes Before the CFO Title
If you are waiting for a senior title to make you feel confident, you may be waiting a very long time.In this episode, Alysha shares her experience of entering finance leadership while still questioning whether she belonged in the room. She explores imposter syndrome, negative self-talk, asking uncomfortable questions and why confidence grows through participation rather than perfection.Episode hi
The Leadership Shift Every Aspiring CFO Has to Make
The step from finance manager to finance leader can be much bigger than it appears from the outside.Alysha explores why leadership requires you to change where you place your attention, moving beyond short-term delivery into planning, ownership, team development and business-wide thinking. If you are aiming for an FD or CFO role but still feel buried in the day-to-day work, this episode will help
Why Being Good at Finance Won’t Make You a Great Start-Up CFO
Being technically excellent can build a brilliant finance career, but becoming a CFO asks for something different.In this episode, Alysha explores the point where technical expertise stops being the main measure of your value. Drawing on her own transition into finance leadership, she looks at the shift from getting the work done to thinking strategically, influencing decisions and helping the who
TRAILER
Becoming a Start-Up CFO, hosted by Alysha Randall, is a practical and honest podcast for aspiring CFOs, new finance leaders and experienced professionals navigating the fast-moving world of start-ups and scale-ups. Drawing on more than fifteen years of experience across businesses including LoveFilm, Funding Circle and her own work supporting founders and finance leaders, Alysha explores what it r
