Built by Margin
Built by Margin
Podcast Description
Built by Margin is the financial strategy podcast that helps entrepreneurs demystify their finances, with practical strategies for cash flow, tax planning, and profitability — so you can keep more of what you earn. Hosted by Fractional CFO and Tax Strategist Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA, this podcast pulls back the curtain on the financial side of business, giving you the straight-talking guidance you need to grow smarter and scale with confidence.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores essential financial strategies tailored for entrepreneurs, focusing on cash flow management, tax planning, profitability, and sustainable growth, with episodes discussing startup capital, balancing growth with profitability, and optimizing tax strategies.
Built by Margin is the podcast for founders who want both profits and peace. Hosted by Fractional CFO and CPA – Laurie Chen, CPA, MBA, this podcast delivers real talk on cash flow, clarity, and scaling with soul. Whether you’re chasing Series A or just want to keep what you earn, you’ll walk away with actionable insights, investor-ready wisdom, and space to breathe. Margin isn’t optional – it’s the strategy.
In episode 20 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Jim Emerich, Founder of Backbone CFO, as he reflects on the invaluable lessons learned while helping others build their enterprises and emphasizes the importance of taking risks to achieve one's own entrepreneurial dreams.
Tune in to learn about the challenges and rewards of starting a business and how Jim's experiences have shaped his approach to financial strategy.
TIMESTAMPS
[00:01:02] Entrepreneurial journey of Backbone CFO.
[00:04:24] Fractional CFO services framework.
[00:10:57] Simplifying client tech stack.
[00:13:43] Financial roadmap for business growth.
[00:17:06] Client communication frequency.
[00:20:10] Faith's impact on business.
[00:25:33] Starting a business risk.
[00:27:31] Business scaling and reinvestment.
[00:32:19] Raising the floor concept.
QUOTES
- ” So we go through a particular financial control framework, we call it. So we talk about cash, profit, people, systems, and position, and we really coach our clients in those five areas of their business on a continuous basis. Now, what becomes unique is every client has their own challenges and opportunities and issues that they're solving, right? So in that way, every client. Engagement can be a little bit different because the CFO is solving different problems, helping the client tackle different opportunities, but we're using the same framework, the same process to do it.” – Jim Emerich
- ” And you also really have to assess what the client's needs are, right? Because, you know, most construction manufacturing companies are not very tech savvy. You know, it's very different if you're working with like a software AI company, right? They might want a little bit more sophisticated system. But like for my clients, you know, it really depends on who they are, you know, how tech savvy are they? Are they fine with just Google Sheets? Are they fine with Excel or a little bit more of a cloud FP&A system like Causal or Jirav? ” – Laurie Chen
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Laurie Chen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/
Jim Emerich
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backbonecfo/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemerich/
WEBSITES
Built By Margin:https://www.builtbymargin.com/
Backbone CFO:https://backbonecfo.com/
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