Topic: Starting and Successfully Running a Fractional CFO Business

Speaker: Mark Blackton, a fractional CFO and the Founder of Insights3 Consulting and Blackton Resource Management and The FENG “Stop By My Office” speaker

Presentation:
Many members of The FENG have been in the business of being Fractional CFOs by making themselves available, and marketing themselves, as being able to serve multiple clients as a part-time CFO, bringing to those clients the same level of expertise a company would expect from a fulltime CFO.   

For those of us who have been practitioners, the first question involves whether or not you bring the right mix of skills and experience to the fractional CFO game.  Other questions are whether or not you bring the right mix of other complementary skills -- the skills of marketing, entrepreneurship and sales, along with the right specific expertise for the particular client in question... at the right price.

Our speaker, Mark Blackton, has a lot of experience under his belt doing exactly this, as well as teaching it to others.  In this presentation, Mark will be giving us insights into such things as:

- How do you decide whether a career choice of being a fractional CFO is right for you?

- What do you need to do to set yourself up in the fractional CFO business, to get clients and to deliver on their expectations?

- What experiences must you have in your background to boost your chance of success at this?

- What experiences are helpful, but by no means essential, to succeeding as a fractional CFO?

- Are communication skills a nice-to-have, but not one of those critical make-or-break talents to enable you to succeed in this game -- or will you fail without them?

- Soft skills like networking, ethical sensibility, integrity, cultural adaptability -- how do they fit into the mix?

- Business planning: do you have to do it, or can you dispense with that and forge ahead directly into your client work?

- Can you short-circuit many of the classic startup issues by affiliating with an existing fractional CFO business? If so, what are the tradeoffs?

- How do you price yourself and your talents?

- Is it better to offer a broad array of services, or to specialize in a market niche and build a stellar reputation at that?

Mark is going to explore these issues and much more in his deep look into the world of the fractional CFO.  He's worked inside companies in the traditional model.  He's worked as a fractional CFO, both in his own business and as part of a larger group.  He's developed a course to teach to others the skills required for success at this.  He's got a lot to teach us, a fun way of teaching it... and he is absolutely passionate about the joys of being a fractional CFO!  Come and hear him speak -- you'll be glad you did.

About our speaker: 

Mark Blackton is the founder of Insights3 Consulting, a business transition advisory firm focused on valuation services, financial strategy and M&A transaction services; and Blackton Resource Management, as a fractional CFO providing high level financial and strategic planning assistance to businesses.  Until very recently, Mark was also the 8-year chairman of the Kansas City Metro Area FENG chapter.

Mark is passionate about providing fractional CFO services to companies, and began doing this some years ago even while serving in full-time capacities in other jobs.  That passion has motivated Mark to more recently focus his full attention on his fractional CFO work and on teaching others the whys, wherefores and how-to's of getting into the fractional CFO business and doing it well.  Mark also has co-authored a digital course that provides a step-by-step process for executives to create their own fractional business. 

Mark's background has prepared him well for what he is doing now, with his previously having held positions as CFO, Controller, VP of FP&A and VP of Business Development in companies from small to Fortune 100 size.

Mark served as Vice President of Molliter Advisory, LLC in Kansas City, advising clients on mergers & acquisitions, taxation issues and asset valuation. Prior to that, Mark was Managing Director of the Triton Investment Group, focused on investment advisory, due diligence and other services to companies and capital providers in the energy sector.  Mark was previously Executive Vice President of Endure Energy, prior to which he was Vice President at the investment research and valuation firm of Duff & Phelps -- where he actually had the honor of valuing Michael Jackson's ownership of the Beatles music portfolio.

Mark previously held key positions in business development, financial analysis, strategic planning and financial controllership, and served 10 years with KPMG as CPA and tax manager.

His experience has spanned multiple industries from energy, medical practices and wireless communication to commodities, equity investment and multi-industry asset valuations. 

Mark obtained his BA in accounting and business management from Eastern Michigan University, in addition to which he is a certified Exit Planning Advisor and a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA).