Ken Kaufman - Scaling a remote finance team

CFO Leader

Episode Content Outline

• General Discussion
  • Building a Remote Finance Team
    • Ken to give overview of structure of current team
    • Ken to talk through closing calendar structure
      • How do you manage your close calendar?
      • What are the critical monthly deadlines?
      • When are the books closed?
    • The Virtual Assistant to the CFO
      • How do you currently leverage a virtual assistant(VA)?
        • Their duties/responsibilities?
        • Gaining trust with a new VA
      • When should a CFO hire a VA?
      • Effective communication with your VA
      • Finding a VA
    • Project Manager
      • What is the purpose/role of the PM
      • Structure
    • Onshore vs Offshore
      • Which roles are better suited for Offshore/onshore?
      • Issues to consider when choosing whether to find onshore/offshore remote talent.
    • Recruiting
      • Onshore
        • How do you interview for remote finance hires?
          • What do you look for in a remote candidate?
          • What are the warning signs that a candidate isn’t suited for remote work?
          • What working hours expectations do you set with your teams? Especially offshore or people who are in different time zones?
        • What do you recommend for equipment policy for your onshore hires?
      • Offshore
        • Where to look when searching for Offshore help?
          • Websites?
        • Tips for interviewing/etc.
        • Paying Offshore contractors/tax issues?
        • Using an agency vs direct contractor hire
        • Using part-time contractors?
    • Onboarding/Training
      • Once you have hired people, what advice would you give regarding the onboarding and training process in a 100% remote environment?
    • Maintaining Culture and Morale
      • How do you build and maintain relationships with a 100% remote team?
        • What do you do for team building, etc?
        • How do you gauge if an employee is at risk of leaving or is having an issue with engagement?
        • Is there an expectation to have the onshore team at the same place together at some interval (once or twice a year?)
    • Summary:
      • Advice for those building a team from scratch
      • Advice for those who are transitioning from a local team to a remote team
  • Running a Remote Finance Team
    • What is your meeting cadence with your team and how often do you touch base?
      • Dealing with time zone differences
    • How do you keep on top of your team?
      • How do you know if deliverables are being worked on, and your team is running efficiently?
    • What tools do you use to run your team?
      • Task Management?
      • Communication?
      • Document/workpaper storage?
      • Monthly Accounting Calendar?
    • Any other considerations?

• Wrap Up
  • What are your top “Do” and “Do not” regarding managing a remote finance team?
    • Do
    • Do Not