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Founded in Columbus, Ohio in 2001, FocusCFO is a leading provider of embedded fractional…
Articles by Mitch
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BEING THE BEST IN YOUR PROFESSION
BEING THE BEST IN YOUR PROFESSION
Congratulations to Drew Brees for becoming the NFL's all time leading passer during tonight's Monday Night Football…
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CFO’s are an interesting breed
CFO’s are an interesting breed
When I decided to pursue accounting as a career in high school I was always fascinated by the two potential career…
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared thisNaqqash Abbassi > Love this! It is right on the "money". #cash #cashflow #finance #financials #cfo #ceo #sales #contracts #terms #workingcapitalMitch Codkind, MBA shared thisCEO: We just closed the biggest deal in company history. CFO: What are the payment terms? CEO: Net 120. They wouldn't sign otherwise. CFO: We need to hire 15 people to deliver it. CEO: Right, starting next month. CFO: So we pay them for four months before we see a dollar. CEO: It's a $4M contract. We'll be fine. CFO: We'll be profitable. We won't have cash in March. Both are right. Only one of them saw the terms before the signature. Revenue shows up on the P&L. Payroll comes out of the bank account. Companies don't run out of profit. They run out of cash. Big deals don't sink companies. Big deals on the wrong terms do.
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared this𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 > "𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞" I have been a big fan of Star Trek since I was in my youth. Not so much for Star Wars but I know that their are probably more fans of Star Wars than Star Trek. Nevertheless, the ideas of Star Trek and Star Wars and where we are today with space travel have merged together. Fantasy has now blended with reality. I always wanted a "Communicator" and now we have one. The only thing left is the ability to "transport" oneself in an instant. 𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐃 "Legendary British actor 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭, best known for portraying Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise, has sadly passed away at the age of 86. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart’s death was reported Thursday, October 29, 2026 bringing an end to an extraordinary career spanning more than six decades across theater, television and film. Born July 13, 1940, in Yorkshire, England, Stewart became one of the most respected performers of his generation." May you all "𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫". #XMEN #STARTREK #UNIVERSE #SPACETRAVEL #SPACEX #MOVIES #CAPTAIN #BRITISH #ENGLAND
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Mitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisMitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisThree panels. Nine panelists. One conclusion: a CFO is judged not only by the numbers, but by what they can achieve with the people behind them. That was my standout takeaway from our third and final CFO as Negotiator panel. Without a personal relationship with the counterpart, there is no route to a successful negotiation, whether the other side is a bank, an acquirer, or your own team in the corridor. Thank you to Aleš Panna, Mitch Codkind, MBA and Andreas Fruehauf for sharing your experience during the panel discussion #3 so openly, and to everyone who joined and asked the questions that pushed the discussion further. Thank you also to Radim Pařík, my co-host across the series. The two-page anonymized executive summary and the 10-minute video highlights are available here: https://lnkd.in/edjQ5whb To the CFOs reading this: which relationship cost you the most when you neglected it? …………… The CFO's edge isn’t the numbers. It’s the negotiation. CFO as Negotiator = where finance meets the art of the deal.
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared this𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 (𝐢���𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭) > Since this Saturday (Oct 31st) is Halloween I am expecting that tomorrow, Friday, we will only see a Skeleton Crew at work. If you are wondering how best to use AI, look no further than the image below. Lol #business #cfo #ceo #people #chro #work #shift #skeletoncrew #candy #workday #halloween #TGIF
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared thisOf course Elon is correct. 26 years ago it was all about eyeballs (dot.com). Now it is about GPUs. History doesn't repeat but it often rhythms. #cfo #investments #dotcom #GPU #ai #Claude #CoPilot #bubble #stockmarket #startups #vc #privateequity #historyMitch Codkind, MBA shared thisWild: Elon Musk just issued one of his biggest warnings yet about the AI bubble - more than 200 AI cloud companies could face a brutal financial collapse 😳 His argument: lenders have almost stopped funding companies whose revenues depend entirely on AI data centers. That puts the “neocloud” model under pressure: borrow billions to buy GPUs, rent them to AI developers, and hope demand covers the debt. The contradiction? Musk says SpaceX just secured $40 BILLION to buy GPUs. For context, SpaceX has Starlink and rocket-launch revenue to back its borrowing. Pure-play AI cloud providers don't have that safety net. And the warning signs are already mounting: → CoreWeave shares have fallen roughly 38% this month. → Gartner predicts over 80% of neoclouds will cease operating independently by 2030. → The $4.9T gap: Gartner estimates AI data centers need $8.5T in revenue through 2030 to support planned spending, versus just $3.6T in attributable AI revenue 🤯 Of course, that doesn't mean the entire AI bubble has popped. Microsoft, Amazon, and Google can keep spending thanks to their other profitable businesses. But for smaller, debt-heavy AI companies, the rules have clearly changed. The first phase of the AI race rewarded whoever could get the most GPUs. The next may reward whoever can actually afford to keep them. It seems that the next AI leaderboard may be written by credit markets, not model benchmarks. P.S. also check out a16z's State of Markets 2026: The AI Playbook for Founders and Investors 💸: https://lnkd.in/dNr8NUUX
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared thisTo my brothers and sisters across the pond, you do not have an agesism problem. As a society, you have strayed from the principles of capitalism and entrepreneurship. Same with France. A growing and robust economy creates opportunities for all. Your pie is shrinking as your government, along with regulations & government programs, continue to expand. The globalist are not your friends. The U.S. model is not perfect, but we strive everyday to make it better. Our 250th year experiment lives on. #gdp #capitalism #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurs #free-market #grow #innovation #global ##privateequity #vc #venturecapitalistMitch Codkind, MBA shared thisWHY DO SOME EMPLOYERS AND RECRUITERS ASSUME OUR ENERGY, AMBITION AND CAPABILITIES SOMEHOW DECLINE WHEN WE TURN 50? It’s an assumption that makes absolutely no sense. Millions of people in their 50s, 60s and 70s are still highly active, physically and mentally. Many are at the top of their game, bringing decades of experience, knowledge and judgement to everything they do. And in some cognitive abilities, particularly those associated with knowledge and experience, people may not even have reached their peak at 50. Yet this is often the age when opportunities start to disappear. Job applications go unanswered and experience appears to become a disadvantage. Your ambition starts to be questioned and capable people suddenly find themselves being overlooked. We don’t have to look very far to see what people are capable of achieving in their 50s, 60s, 70s and even 80s. 12,940 people over 50 completed the London Marathon this year. And one remarkable example is 88yr old Harry Newton, who completed his 22nd London Marathon, having run his first at 57. Of course, you don’t need to be capable of running a marathon to be capable of doing a job. But it does expose how ridiculous some of our assumptions about ageing have become. People don’t suddenly lose their energy, ambition, curiosity or ability to contribute when they turn 50. Yet too many employers seem to behave as though they do. Perhaps it’s time we stopped making assumptions about what people can no longer do and started recognising what they are still capable of achieving. Age should never be used for assessing someone’s actual capabilities. #Ageism #Over50s #ExperienceMatters #WeAreNotDoneYet #PrimedForMore
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Mitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisMitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisWe're looking for CFOs and Area Presidents to join our team. If you or someone in your network shares our passion for helping small and medium-sized businesses thrive, get in touch!
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Mitch Codkind, MBA shared thisAli Bilawal > Great post! AI will (and is) making "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐅𝐎" even more capable and impactful across the organization and not just the finance area. www.focuscfo.com #ai #cfo #ceo #officeofcfo #finance #claude #copilot #accounting #business #companiesMitch Codkind, MBA shared thisAI can't replace your CFO. AI can reconcile accounts, draft reports, and build forecasts. Your CFO knows why a profitable customer gets longer payment terms. Why the auditors question a revenue treatment. Why cutting a cost today can create a bigger expense next quarter. How much of that context sits in the files you upload? Producing the numbers is only one part of finance. Your CFO connects those numbers to the business, decides what to do, and earns the board’s confidence in that decision. Take a cash shortfall. AI flags the gap and models the options. Your CFO decides whether to delay an investment, push a customer for payment, or ask the bank for more credit. Each option affects a relationship, a commitment, or a future opportunity. A spreadsheet rarely captures all three. The CFO makes the recommendation, explains the trade-offs, and remains accountable for the outcome. That’s the job you want your CFO doing. Instead, too much of the month goes into assembling reports and fixing spreadsheets. Change that. Put the CFO’s knowledge into the system. Record the assumptions, policies, and exceptions. Make every number traceable. Define which actions need approval. Then use AI to reduce the preparation work so your CFO can spend more time on decisions. A faster forecast helps. But a CFO who knows when to challenge that forecast helps more. AI won't replace your CFO: https://lnkd.in/djJz-VfZ
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Mitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisMitch Codkind, MBA reposted thisThe 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 is growing at breakneck speed. There is no single AI tool winning every industry. Different domains are building their own AI stacks around specific workflows, data and business problems. This “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞” maps AI tools across 7 major domains in 2026: → 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 → 𝐄-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 & 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 → 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 & 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 → 𝐄��𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐄𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 → 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 → 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 & 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 → 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 & 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 I strongly believe that the competition is no longer just about who has the best model. It is about who can solve a specific business problem better. The winners will be the tools that become part of everyday workflows, not just tools people experiment with once. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. They may be the ones that become impossible to remove from the workflow. Which AI category do you think will grow the fastest?
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Mitch Codkind, MBA liked thisMitch Codkind, MBA liked thisA great actor leaves behind great performances. A legendary one leaves behind lessons that last a lifetime. Sir Patrick Stewart was that kind of actor. A few years ago, Patrick played in a movie that brought him here. It created a meaningful connection with this place. But wherever he went, he left his mark. For millions of fans, He was Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. A man who showed us that True Leadership requires courage, wisdom, compassion, and integrity. The stars may be far away, Captain, but your Legacy will always be close. The universe he explored was fictional. But the impact he made was real. You will never be forgotten. Thank You for the journey. You will be missed. Farewell, Captain. ♻ Make sure you Save & Repost this to help inspire your network.
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Mitch Codkind, MBA liked thisMitch Codkind, MBA liked thisThe fastest ways to spot a successful person: 1. Watch how quickly they make decisions 2. Watch how quickly they respond to messages 3. Watch how quickly they turn ideas into action. Speed is king.
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Mitch Codkind, MBA liked thisMitch Codkind, MBA liked this𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦! Another typical coaching conversation with the founder of a promising agribusiness, as part of my ongoing 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 journey. This is a familiar phenomenon among entrepreneurs. “𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄. 𝗜 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, ‘𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁.’” My advice was simple: Gradually move from 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲. ✅ “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝘄.” – 𝙏𝙀𝘼��𝙃 ✅ “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂.” – 𝘾𝙊𝘼𝘾𝙃 ✅ “𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸.” – 𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍 ✅ “𝗗𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗲.” – 𝘿𝙀𝙇𝙀𝙂𝘼𝙏𝙀 One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is transitioning 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝘿𝙊𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. That’s where my 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 work focuses—not just on growing businesses, but on 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. Remember, 𝙞𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝! 👉𝙈𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨! ❓𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀? 🚨Contact my office on +𝟵𝟰 𝟳𝟳𝟬 𝟱𝟰𝟬 𝟱𝟰𝟬 to explore how my 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 programmes can support your growth journey. #FounderCoaching #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #FounderMindset #EveryMoveCounts #FamilyBusiness
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Mitch Codkind, MBA liked thisMitch Codkind, MBA liked thisI think this graphic says it all… I’ve never been a rock star, but I can only imagine what it must take to tour multiple venues, often across multiple countries. The travelling, late nights, physical stamina, mental energy, preparation and pressure to perform night after night. And yet here are just some of the famous names still touring or performing well into later life. Willie Nelson, 93. Ringo Starr, 86. Bob Dylan, 85. Rod Stewart, 81. Van Morrison, 81. Stevie Wonder, 76. These aren’t people simply living off their past achievements. They’re still performing, creating, entertaining, selling out venues and doing what they love. Of course, not everyone in their 70s, 80s or 90s has the energy, motivation or ability to keep working. But neither does everyone in their 30s or 40s! Age alone tells you remarkably little about someone’s capability, ambition or willingness to contribute. And yet we still have employers making assumptions about people being past their best at 55. Perhaps we should stop asking how old someone is and start asking what they’re still capable of. #PrimedForMore #Ageism #Over50
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