👋Hey there,
In this episode, we sat down with FP&A guru Carl Seidman.
Carl’s 20+ year FP&A career is far from linear📈
Some things he’s done so far:
Founded a fractional CFO company called Seidman Financial
Has trained thousands of FP&A professionals around the world
Has a BIG following on Linkedin—which wasn’t planned
Partied w/ Mike Tyson
Is a proud dad of twins
And all of this started years ago playing guitar, bagging donuts, and majoring in health sciences.
How did he do that?
Tune in to hear how Carl approaches his FP&A career journey one chapter at a time.
Listen on
🔥TIP: Here’s why FP&A could be a good career choice for you.
Takeaways from Carl’s Interview
It’s ok to take steps back, Carl switched majors in school from medicine to business…imagine Carl’s LinkedIn presence as a fractional dentist 🦷
Don’t think of life as a series of wins or losses, rather think of them as successes or learning opportunities that help you grow.
Be kind to yourself and have ONE goal in mind each day, your to-do list will keep growing and it’s easy to see failure at the end of each day.
Start your career learning evergreen skills that apply to a number of disciplines—like communication, professionalism, and managing people/processes.
🔥TIP: Here’s a guide to presenting financial info.
Over time learn what comes naturally to you and what others value—double down on those things.
Have a “figure it out” mentality when starting your own business or starting a new job.
Book recommendation, SAPIENS by Yuval Noah Harari.
Working from home is the best commute—but super challenging if you don’t structure your time and try to weave personal and work time together.
Show Notes
00:32 - Started a fractional CFO biz and can memorize 60+ names at a time—NBD
02:27 - FP&A careers can start by playing guitar and bagging donuts🍩
07:35 - Taking steps back can lead to long-term gains
12:23 - Think of your career as 2-year chapters
14:20 - Collect skills—they are your greatest FP&A career asset
15:18 - It’s not win or lose—it’s succeed or learn💪
18:55 - Communication and professionalism are evergreen skills
20:35 - Starting a business is HARD—need a “figure it out mentality”
25:30 - Be the dumbest person in the room—listen and learn
27:28 - Understand the people and processes behind the numbers
29:00 - Whiteboard your deliverables to stay organized —what, when, context
30:45 - What comes naturally to you that’s valuable to others? Double down
32:48 - Working from home requires structuring your day
35:20 - The list of to-do’s never ends—set achievable goals each day🎯
38:20 - Anticipate to avoid surprises, and be kind to yourself when chaos happens
44:10 - Careers aren’t linear—what’s important now may change
47:00 - Start your day thinking not doing
49:58 - You will not fail even if you take steps back—you are resilient
51:55 - Table functionality will save you A TON of time working in Excel
53:25 - Minimize vulnerability when building your work product
54:55 - Parties with Mike Tyson and towers of shellfish are the best🦐
56:35 - Great bosses and companies invest in their people via training
58:55 - Be as loyal as you can be until that loyalty is not reciprocated
Conclusion
Carl doesn’t have his entire career figured out—and he’s 100% ok with that.
He takes his life and career one chapter at a time📖
Each chapter helps him build knowledge assets, create relationships, and constantly assess what the next chapter could look like.
All of this requires humility, hard work, and resilience.
You can find Carl on LinkedIn.
And maybe hanging with Iron Mike at some fancy event🥊
THANK YOU Carl for sharing your career story with us.
What’s your next FP&A career chapter look like?
Share your experiences by replying to this. We read and reply to every email.
Now go have fun making an impact on your business and your career!
See you next week 👊
Cheers,
Drew & Yarty
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Disclaimer: This content is not investment advice or financial advice. The views expressed and stories told are our own. We may be investors in the companies discussed. Do your due diligence when considering applying what you learn.
FP&A Careers Are Not Straight Lines w/ Carl Seidman