1.

Foundations of Finance

GROW YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE

Topics included:
● Accounting Principles
● Double Entry System
● Chart of Accounts
● Monthly Close Process
● Financial Statements
“Most companies exist to make money
and it’s therefore essential that everybody
has a solid foundational understanding of
finance to help deliver the business plan.”

Dan Wells
GrowCFO Founder and
Chief Executive Officer
Companies should
financially train their
non-finance key workers.
Most people’s roles
generate an impact on the
financial performance of
an organization.
Knowing how their
actions affect results will
help optimize outcomes.
 Finance teams may want to ask:

● Do I grasp fundamental accounting

principles, ensuring accurate
financial reporting and analysis?
● Am I adept at interpreting financial
statements to derive meaningful
insights?
● Have I mastered risk management
strategies to safeguard financial
stability effectively?
● How well do I understand
economic factors influencing
financial decisions and planning?
2. The Future CFO

LEAD WITH STRATEGIC FORESIGHT

Topics included:
● Showcase Your Readiness
● Establish Your CFO Brand
● Overcome Top Ten Challenges
● Land Your Dream Job
● Deliver Your First CFO Role
"Lead with financial acumen,
strategic foresight, and
unwavering integrity.
The journey to CFO is not just
climbing the corporate
ladder; it's a visionary ascent.
Shape the financial narrative
that propels businesses
toward lasting success."
 The 3 Components of CFO Support

Professional Mentors: GrowCFO’s experienced board-level CFOs facilitate the nine

1 two-hour module workshops, answer questions and provide practical insights.

Mentors offer real-world solutions, share best practices and strategies for navigating
scenarios. They have successfully navigated your journey and overcome the
challenges you will likely face.

Thriving Peer Group: Immersing yourself in

2
a cohort group encourages personal growth
by expanding your perspectives, sharing
experiences, and learning from each other.
Having an open and collaborative learning
environment helps enhance your skills, while
also providing valuable opportunities for
networking and idea-sharing.

Powerful Content: All program participants receive two years of annual membership
3
to GrowCFO Premium, including the GrowCFO Competency Framework, dozens of
certified self-paced video courses, regular community workshops, our huge library of
webinar recordings, our Fundraising Simulator, and monthly finance leader quests.
“The CFO role presents countless challenges and
many learning opportunities which are not included
in traditional syllabuses but are essential in our
professional and personal progression - things I
wish I had been told when first starting out.

We, and the environment in which we live, are

constantly developing. Our ability to adapt to these
changes is vital to enable us to achieve the results
we want with whatever resources we have.

I hope that you find a way

to foster a collaborative and
balanced work environment
which favours your
personal growth, whilst at
the same time, reaping the
benefits of a sustainable
and enriching working life.

Susana Serrano-Davey
Experienced CFO, CEO and
Mentor

18
BENCHMARK YOURSELF
AGAINST 45 CFO SKILLS

IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS

AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS
Aspiring CFOs may want to ask:

● Am I honing leadership skills to

navigate complex financial
landscapes effectively?
● How can I cultivate strategic
thinking for impactful financial
decision-making at executive level?
● Do I prioritize continuous learning
to stay abreast of evolving financial
and business trends?
● Is my network diverse and
influential, aiding career growth
and opportunities?
3. Creating Value

DELIVER FINANCIAL EXCELLENCE

Topics included:
● The Value Creation Framework
● Changing Your Reputation
● The Six Value Components
● Contributing to Strategy
● Freeing Up Time
“A CFO’s unique financial perspective
and superior knowledge of the data
allows them to generate ideas for value
creation and improve the quality of
decision making across their business.”

Ian Simpkin
Experienced CFO and
Professional Mentor
23
Finance needs to shrug off
its past reputation of
being seen as an admin
support center.
Most teams must evolve to
create more value and
better support the wider
business…
Finance teams may want to ask:

● How does my financial strategy

contribute tangibly to overall
business success?
● Are financial decisions directly
linked to creating measurable and
sustainable business value?
● Is our finance function focused on
innovation and efficiency, driving
continual business improvement?
● In what ways can financial insights
lead to strategic decisions,
fostering business growth?
4. Finance Transformation

DELIVER FINANCIAL EXCELLENCE

Topics included:
● How Finance Roles are Changing
● Newly Required Skills
● Finance Transformation Framework
● AI Technology Automation
● Process Optimization
 HOW IS YOUR ROLE
CHANGING?
“60% of finance jobs today
will not exist in 10 years'
time BUT only 1 in 10 of
those impacted are
currently aware of this.

The overall number may

not decrease, but the roles
and work will evolve
significantly. The skills
required will be different
to those needed today.”
Oli Deacon, ex-Microsoft FD

WHERE IS THE FINANCE

SKILLS MARKET GOING?
WHERE IS THE FINANCE
SKILLS MARKET GOING?
 YOU’LL NEED TO LEARN
MANY NEW SKILLS
You probably already Creative Mind Mapping Software Selection Model
have some idea of what You'll learn the best way to free You’ll master the practical,
you should be doing. up thinking time and develop a step-by-step approach to
powerful creative mindset to selecting the right technology
The problem is you don't brainstorm broadly and innovate solutions, so you can make
really know where to truly transformative new ideas. sound investment decisions
begin or how to do it with maximum ROI.
properly! And that's 8 Steps for Driving Change
where we come in. You’ll master the 8-step model Seven V’s of Big Data
for planning and executing You'll become a data guru,
We'll show you the exact effective change management, so understanding the 7 V’s and
same tools and you can lead compelling leveraging its power to tell
techniques that other initiatives with maximum stories that draw crowds,
similar companies use to success. influence stakeholders, and
embed best practice into
advance strategies.
their business and benefit
from market-leading Heroes & Villains
people, processes and You'll understand the key people Process Optimization
systems. to involve in transformation You'll learn how to design and
initiatives and be able to spot implement process
More importantly, we'll potential troublemakers who will enhancements that support
show you practical proven disrupt the process and slow effective digital transformation,
ways to apply these tools down overall progress. streamline operations, and
and techniques within increase efficiency.
your business, with 7 Emotional Reactions
real-life case studies and You'll become an expert on Powerful Dashboards
live exercises. Super identifying the 7 emotional Unlock the power of data and
simple and easy for your reactions to change and be able present compelling
existing team to to proactively manage the people personalized dashboards that
implement quickly. impacted to deliver optimal illustrate performance,
results. showcase insights, and drive
informed decision-making.
Imagine if
you hadn’t
evolved in
recent
decades...
You'd probably still be
counting banknotes, using
paper-based ledgers and
performing manual
reconciliations.

Your team would likely be

locked in the corner of the
office, inefficiently
processing every
transaction, unknown to the
wider business.

Probably using a typewriter

and calculator. Maybe even a
shared computer. Hard to
believe?

Well, that's how people will

think of spreadsheets,
manual processes and
unintegrated systems in a
few years.
The explosive growth of technology, data and globalization means
that the days of traditional finance are long gone. Finance
functions now have dozens of internal and external stakeholders,
with ever-increasing expectations. Businesses are growing quicker
than ever before, and finance functions need to constantly evolve
to properly serve them.
Technology is evolving
finance function roles
faster than ever before.
Embrace this change to
avoid getting left behind…
 THE FINANCE
TRANSFORMATION
FRAMEWORK

Finance teams should ask themselves the following:

● Is Our Tech Infrastructure Adaptable?

● Are We Enhancing Data Insights?

● Do Our Processes Encourage Innovation?

“As the CFO, you have a unique
opportunity to act as a catalyst for change
and drive initiatives throughout your
organization. You should also regularly
promote innovation and creativity.”

Kevin Appleby
Experienced CFO and Professional Mentor
 Finance teams may want to ask:

● Is our finance transformation

aligned with strategic business goals
for long-term success?
● How effectively are we leveraging
technology to streamline and
optimize financial processes?
● Are we fostering a culture of
innovation and adaptability within
our finance team?
● What measures are in place to
ensure a smooth transition during
transformation?
www.growcfo.net

The content provided in this report is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be
interpreted as professional or legal advice, and it is not a substitute for seeking company or
individual-specific advice from qualified professionals or experts in the field. GrowCFO and its authors take
no responsibility for any consequences, losses, or damages that may result from the use or reliance on the
information provided in this report and disclaim all liability for any actions taken or not taken.

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