About
Mark is one of the pioneers in the CFO and Controllership professional services industry…
Articles by Mark
Contributions
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What do you do if your architecture firm is struggling financially?
There are a multitude of reasons. Is there a product-market fit issue? Is it a sales issue in not closing projects fast enough? Is WIP management painfully sluggish, which impacts billings? Start there. Financial management is easy to fix if that's the issue. Occasionally, the back office has grown lax with its daily, weekly, and monthly administrative and cash management practices. Or it can be burdened with too much work. Always start upstream to determine if there's a marketing or sales problem. WIP management can easily become a black hole in large and lengthy projects, and most of the financial issues are found there. Downstream, we find financial management habits where such practices must be applied consistently on a timely basis.
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You’re a freelance technical analyst. How can you make sure your network is helping you get more business?
I teach the Refer-to-Network™, a tool that is anything other than asking for referrals. We start with a list of 25-30 professionals we are already close to. We ask them who their ideal customers are so that we can refer people their way. I also find out as much as I can about their business model and how it benefits others. That's helpful when I refer others to them. Nearly always, the people you are conversing with will ask what you do, and you can take it from there. Just don't be salesy in the process. The ultimate aim is twofold. Obviously, we want high-quality clients flowing our way who are pre-disposed and pre-qualified for our services. Secondly, we want long-term trusted friendships in our Refer-to-Network™, which works.
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How can you teach financial literacy to customers more effectively?
I prefer the CRAM technique when doing this in the context of an informal conversation. CR - go over Current Reporting a customer is exposed to regularly. Step through the most critical key numbers and ideas in that reporting. Keep the conversation simple and practical. A - ask questions. Take your time to answer, as their financial acumen could range from low to high. M - make suggestions before you wrap up a financial literacy conversation. Suggestions include having the customer follow up with a book, a video, or a podcast episode. Find suggestions relevant to the customer's field.
Activity
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Kicking off our HOF Spotlight is Bobby Diebold - The Big Ticket! You always know when Bobby Diebold is in the office - the energy shifts, and…
Kicking off our HOF Spotlight is Bobby Diebold - The Big Ticket! You always know when Bobby Diebold is in the office - the energy shifts, and…
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Great leadership begins with asking the right questions, fostering empathy, and adapting to uncertainty. These principles aren’t just ideals—they are…
Great leadership begins with asking the right questions, fostering empathy, and adapting to uncertainty. These principles aren’t just ideals—they are…
Liked by Mark Gandy
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attended first c12 in Fort Wayne indiana. what an encouraging experience. I'm in my 5th decade as ceo and learned a great deal from these committed…
attended first c12 in Fort Wayne indiana. what an encouraging experience. I'm in my 5th decade as ceo and learned a great deal from these committed…
Liked by Mark Gandy
Experience
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G3CFO
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Education
Licenses & Certifications
Honors & Awards
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2018 Quora Top Writer
Quora
The Quora Top Writer recognition is for writers providing highly-valued contributions to Quora over the previous year.
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Columbia South Rotarians always believing in the Tigers!
Columbia South Rotarians always believing in the Tigers!
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Hello all, For those of you who don't know, I recently wrote a book called Pause to Think. It is about mental models and frameworks to help the…
Hello all, For those of you who don't know, I recently wrote a book called Pause to Think. It is about mental models and frameworks to help the…
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I’m honored to be a co-chair the American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section’s Arbitration Committee, which will be presenting Kelly…
I’m honored to be a co-chair the American Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Section’s Arbitration Committee, which will be presenting Kelly…
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Columbia Business School Management Division Rocks! As the chair of the Management Division at CBS I started sending out ‘MGMT Rocks!’ emails to…
Columbia Business School Management Division Rocks! As the chair of the Management Division at CBS I started sending out ‘MGMT Rocks!’ emails to…
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The Economist once concluded: Nobody really knows what strategy is. Willie Pietersen does know. Drawing from his vast CEO experience, he combines as…
The Economist once concluded: Nobody really knows what strategy is. Willie Pietersen does know. Drawing from his vast CEO experience, he combines as…
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Besides me celebrating my third year at the sweetest nonprofit in Columbia, today we had a gratitude grazing table with our volunteer packers at…
Besides me celebrating my third year at the sweetest nonprofit in Columbia, today we had a gratitude grazing table with our volunteer packers at…
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London at Christmas; they know how to do it right!
London at Christmas; they know how to do it right!
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I'm writing again—but not on LinkedIn. Head over to Substack. Thanks to my motivators (cheers to you—you know who you are), more will come. Two…
I'm writing again—but not on LinkedIn. Head over to Substack. Thanks to my motivators (cheers to you—you know who you are), more will come. Two…
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Today, Foster Hope Day, is your chance to make a meaningful difference for our children and the amazing people supporting them!…
Today, Foster Hope Day, is your chance to make a meaningful difference for our children and the amazing people supporting them!…
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