askthecfo

Most small and midsized businesses don’t have a marketing problem — they have a measurement problem.

You’re spending time (and probably money) on websites, social posts, trade shows, maybe even ads. But if you asked, “What return are we getting on all this?” the answer usually sounds something like:

“We’re getting our name out there.”

That’s not a strategy. That’s hope. And as a CFO, I’ll tell you — hope doesn’t make for a good business plan.

Marketing Should Work Like Any Other Invest…

Every month in Ask the CFO, I like to pull back the curtain on what’s really happening behind the numbers. Not the polished version we present in board meetings or end-of-year reports — but the real, everyday decisions that shape a company’s direction. Running a business isn’t just about spreadsheets and forecasts; it’s about how you spend your time, where you focus your energy, and what trade-offs you’re willing to make along the way.

What I’ve noticed lately — across clients in different indu…

Reflections from the October Ask the CFO Session

In our October Ask the CFO session, I decided to take a break from the usual financial headlines — tariffs, cost-cutting, and global uncertainty — and focus on something closer to home: the human side of being a CFO in a family-owned or privately held business.

After all, numbers are the easy part. It’s people, relationships, and trust that make the work meaningful — and often, challenging.

The Six Cornerstones of a Great CFO (Fractional or Ful…

Recap from September 16, 2025 — Ask the CFO with Lowell Mora

This month’s Ask the CFO conversation touched on some of the toughest financial choices family-owned and privately held businesses face today. We covered everything from owning vs. leasing property and equipment, to rising interest rates, vendor complacency, and the long-term strategy behind insurance captives.

These are not theoretical discussions—they’re real issues my clients are wrestling with every day.

Owning vs. Leasing Pro…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’m bullish on Mexico.

During this month’s Ask the CFO session, we turned our focus to nearshoring—an increasingly important strategy for small and mid-sized businesses that want more control, better cost structure, and protection from global uncertainty.

This isn’t just about headlines or political trends. It’s about practical operations, risk mitigation, and long-term financial strategy. For business owners thinking about outsourcing, relocating, or…

The Real Risk Lurking in Your Revenue: Customer Concentration

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always make it onto the dashboard but has an outsized impact on your financial health: customer concentration.

If more than 30–40% of your revenue is coming from just one or two clients, your business is more exposed than you might think. Whether you're planning to grow, transition, or eventually exit—this is a number worth paying attention to.

Why It Matters

Customer concentration doesn’t j…

Are You Relying Too Heavily on One Customer?

Let’s talk about something I see far too often—and that too many business owners ignore until it becomes a problem: customer concentration.

In our August session of Ask the CFO, we dug into what happens when a significant portion of your revenue comes from just a handful of clients. For some of the business owners I work with, it’s one client making up 50%, 60%, or even 70% of the total top line. That might feel like stability—but the risk is real, …

This month’s Ask the CFO session was all about automation—and not just the futuristic kind. We focused on real, practical ways to automate and streamline processes in small and mid-sized businesses using tools that are already available and often underutilized.

For years, I’ve talked about shifting finance teams from being stuck in transactional work to delivering more strategic, value-added insight. The truth is, many businesses still run on spreadsheets, green bar reports, and systems that ha…

We kicked off July’s Ask the CFO with a bit of classic irony — tech issues on a day I planned to talk about… tech. After a brief detour into split screens and microphone mysteries, we got rolling.

And honestly, it felt like the perfect metaphor.

Because when it comes to business operations, most of us are still dealing with a lot of “split screens.” Systems that don’t talk to each other. Processes that eat up valuable time. People working harder than they should just to keep things from fallin…

Let’s talk tariffs.

If you’re like most companies I work with, you’re staring down unclear rules, surprise charges on invoices, and vendors shrugging when you ask what’s going on. Right now, one of my clients is dealing with a 25% tariff—originally aimed at China—but it’s hitting their steel imports from Mexico. We’re asking basic questions like: Do we keep buying from Mexico and eat the tariff, or just shift sourcing to the U.S.? No one’s giving clear answers.

The bottom line? You can’t wait …