Introducing Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs, an interview series and podcast highlighting entrepreneurs and businesses that are going places by focusing on the future and developing a roadmap for success.
Hosted by Jim Downes, founder of Blueprint CFO, a future focused fractional CFO & accounting services firm based in Southern California.
In this introductory solo episode, host Jim Downes of Blueprint CFO discusses:
• the inspiration for the Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs interview series
• Jim’s entrepreneurial journey to founding Blueprint CFO
• key lessons Jim has learned over his many years in business
• the work Blueprint CFO does in partnership with business leaders and entrepreneurs
• what listeners can expect in future episodes of Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs
About Jim Downes. Jim Downes is the Founder of Blueprint CFO, a future focused fractional CFO and accounting services firm based in Southern California. Jim has served business owners and management teams for over twenty years as a veteran outsourced Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and financial advisor. A forward-looking strategist, Jim’s unremitting passion for working with business owners led him to open Blueprint CFO in 2019. At Blueprint CFO, Jim and his team leverage data to look to the future and help clients achieve their profitability goals. Jim was a nominee for the 2022 Orange County Business Journal CFO of the Year Awards.
About Blueprint CFO. Blueprint CFO is a future focused fractional CFO and accounting services firm based in Orange County, California. Partnering with entrepreneurial companies to guide and support them on their road to success, Blueprint CFO equips clients with the Profitability Roadmap® they need to grow. Learn more at www.BlueprintCFO.com.
FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
Jim Downes: Hello everyone, I’m Jim Downes, the CEO and founder of Blueprint CFO in Newport Beach, California. We’re a different kind of accounting firm, one focused on the future. Most accountants, as you know, are historians. They tell you how you did in the past, but they really don’t help you too much to determine how you can do better in the future. Our goal in partnering with our clients is to help them bring accurate and timely financial information that’s directed towards how they’re performing currently but more importantly, how they can do better in the future.
We’re launching our new podcast today. It’s called “Blueprint CFO Presents: Future Focused Entrepreneurs.” The concept of our podcast, this is our first one, is to interview our clients and associates about their entrepreneurial journey. How they got into business in the first place, what kind of problems they encountered as they tried to launch their company, what mistakes they made, and what they did that was good.
My own journey started 20 years ago. I was a CFO of a technology company in Detroit, Michigan. Before that, I was a CPA for 11 years. I decided to launch my own consulting firm. I felt that companies needed a good financial person to help them interpret their financials. I started Blueprint CFO, which was initially called the Acumen Group. We provided strategic guidance but not accounting services. However, I faced challenges and the company dissolved in 2007. I then worked in turnaround consulting and later joined KPMG. But I missed working with smaller companies, so I started Blueprint CFO in 2019. Today, we have grown significantly.
Everyone has a story. All our clients have stories of how they started out doing one thing and then pivoted to something different. The key is patience and persistence. For us, the concept of fractional CFO has become more popular over time. Our next podcast will be on February 10th, where we’ll interview Dustin Gyger from sixthreezero bikes. He sells beach cruiser bicycles and electric bikes. We aim to share entrepreneurial stories and insights. One key takeaway is to pay attention to your data. Many entrepreneurs run their businesses without a written plan or analytics. But data can provide valuable insights.
I look forward to seeing you all again on our next podcast on February 10th at 12:15 PM Pacific Time. Thank you very much and see you soon.
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