Connor Abene

For those of you that have no idea what I do, this is it lol: I’m a fractional CFO and I work with clients in the $1m-$50m million in annual revenue. Here’s what I offer clients:

@chrishume_ Sweet

@ConnorAbene 🙌 Got it. I appreciate the order. Will keep you updated on the progress.

Orders are now open for the Brief Bag. The perfect laptop briefcase made for the casual professional with waxed cotton canvas. Only 4 left. Link below.

Brutal truth: If your only edge is being cheaper than the next professional, you’re walking a tightrope. Price is not positioning. One undercut and you fall.

CFOs: don’t overwhelm founders. If you bring them 10 analyses, they hesitate. If you bring one recommendation and the tradeoff, they decide. The job isn’t to prove you’re smart. It’s to help the business move.

If your finance meeting sounds like: • “Expenses increased 6%” • “Revenue is up 8% month over month” • “You were at 19% gross margin. Goal was 15%” You don’t have a strategy partner. You have a financial commentator. Numbers without decisions are useless.

When you step out of day-to-day, something weird happens: You finally have time. And if you don’t know what to do with it, you might start work that doesn’t need to exist. Founders create chaos when they’re bored.

The more I qualify clients upfront, the fewer problems I have later. Who would’ve thought.

Bad clients are a black hole. They suck your time. They drain your money. They burn through your energy. And the worst part? They’re still unhappy no matter how much you give. The extra calls, the rushed deadlines, the endless revisions. They don’t appreciate it. They usually expect even more. One bad client can do more damage to your business than losing 3 good ones. They distract your team, slow down your best work, and pull focus away from clients who actually value you. If a client feels like a constant headache, it’s a sign. A sign that you need to rethink the relationship. Sometimes that means resetting expectations. Sometimes that means raising prices. And sometimes it means letting them go. Protect your time. Protect your team. Protect your sanity. Not every client deserves a seat at your table.

@drgurner 🙌🏼

@ConnorAbene Like the simplicity of this!

People overcomplicate life goals. 1. Think the lifestyle you'd like to have in 5 years 2. Work backward to determine business goals 3. Do the obvious next step each step of the way I did that 3 years ago and now I run a multi-7-figure business that serves 100+ clients.

The people most capable of building a fractional CFO firm are usually the least likely to try. They’re risk-aware. Logical. Responsible. Those traits made them great employees. They also make it harder to bet on themselves.

As the business grows, your job changes. Early on it’s mostly strategy. Later it’s mostly people. • Who you hire • How you coach • What you tolerate People decisions > tactical decisions.

Would you like some free finance templates? • 13 Week Cash Flow Template • 13 Week Cash Flow Example • 13 Week Cash Flow Playbook (SOP) You can get them through my free course here: smbblueprint.co

“We’ll just reinvest everything.” Into what? If you can’t clearly name the lever (sales, marketing, equipment), then “reinvesting” is just spending with better PR.

Your 7-figure business doesn’t need more ideas. It needs fewer initiatives running at the same time. Every extra project slows the core one. Focus scales.

I’ve built dozens of finance tools. But this one might be the most important if you're trying to scale. Founders brag about revenue but rarely check if the math makes sense. That's how you burn cash. So I built a calculator. Want it? Like + Comment “CAC” And I’ll DM you.

The most uncomfortable calls are the ones where I have to tell someone their “new initiative” is just a distraction. It happens more than you’d think.

A full pipeline feels good. A short sales cycle feels better. Time is a variable many founders underprice.

Bad CFOs manage spreadsheets Good CFOs manage KPIs. Great CFOs manage behavior.

Common misconception I see in the SMB world: Earnings = Free Cash Flows It takes cash to run and grow a business: • Lead gen • Maintenance • Working capital Earnings NEVER = Free Cash Flows. What you earn isn't what you can take out.