In episode 20 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Jim Emerich, Founder of Backbone CFO, as he reflects on the invaluable lessons learned while helping others build their enterprises and emphasizes the importance of taking risks to achieve one's own entrepreneurial dreams.

Tune in to learn about the challenges and rewards of starting a business and how Jim's experiences have shaped his approach to financial strategy.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:02] Entrepreneurial journey of Backbone CFO.

[00:04:24] Fractional CFO services framework.

[00:10:57] Simplifying client tech stack.

[00:13:43] Financial roadmap for business growth.

[00:17:06] Client communication frequency.

[00:20:10] Faith's impact on business.

[00:25:33] Starting a business risk.

[00:27:31] Business scaling and reinvestment.

[00:32:19] Raising the floor concept.

QUOTES

• " So we go through a particular financial control framework, we call it. So we talk about cash, profit, people, systems, and position, and we really coach our clients in those five areas of their business on a continuous basis. Now, what becomes unique is every client has their own challenges and opportunities and issues that they're solving, right? So in that way, every client. Engagement can be a little bit different because the CFO is solving different problems, helping the client tackle different opportunities, but we're using the same framework, the same process to do it." - Jim Emerich
• " And you also really have to assess what the client's needs are, right? Because, you know, most construction manufacturing companies are not very tech savvy. You know, it's very different if you're working with like a software AI company, right? They might want a little bit more sophisticated system. But like for my clients, you know, it really depends on who they are, you know, how tech savvy are they? Are they fine with just Google Sheets? Are they fine with Excel or a little bit more of a cloud FP&A system like Causal or Jirav? " - Laurie Chen

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Jim Emerich

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backbonecfo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesemerich/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Backbone CFO: https://backbonecfo.com/

In episode 19 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Joseph Dunaway, a Marine Corps veteran and founder of VICI Financial, as he discusses how technology and AI are transforming the accounting landscape, allowing for more personalized and efficient services.

Tune in to hear Joe’s insights on building a business with integrity and the importance of adapting to the future of accounting.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:04] Future of accounting services.

[00:06:06] Investment in accounting services.

[00:10:27] AI in tax planning strategies.

[00:13:34] Real estate tax strategies.

[00:16:10] R&D tax credit complexities.

[00:21:20] Bookkeeping services offered.

[00:27:06] Strategic planning in accounting.

[00:28:37] Investment in accounting services.

[00:32:07] Slack as a communication tool.

[00:37:15] Favorite workout: box jumps.

[00:40:50] Scaling smarter and harder.

QUOTES

• "I wanted to build something that I could continue to help people, which is the core of what we do." -Joe Dunaway
• "Your accountant should be an investment, not a sunk cost." -Joe Dunaway
• “The first one to three years makes or breaks any new business." -Joe Dunaway

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Joe Dunaway

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoedunaway/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-dunaway

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

VICI Finance: https://www.vicifinance.com/

In episode 18 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. — This episode shares a never-before-read excerpt on why “Fail Fast” is essential to growth. Laurie reframes failure as deliberate experimentation: define your hypothesis, read the signal, and plan the next iteration you’ll start by Monday.

QUOTES

• "Fail fast. It is better to experience failure than to not take any shots in life or in business, making decisions in the risk worthy framework in pursuit of the best version of yourself and your best possible future does not mean that you won't experience failure along the way."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

In episode 17 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She discusses risk, regret minimization, and decisions that compound—covering practical risk tolerance (why many successful founders start as side hustles), lowering uncertainty through iteration, and using your “80-year-old self” as a filter, echoed by lessons from Jeff Bezos and Dharmesh Shah.

QUOTES

• "You won't know all the answers, but you can move closer to the answers. You move closer to the answers by taking the action risk and minimizing regret. What would your 80 year old self say? One question that we must ask ourselves when it comes to assessing risk and uncertainty, is whether or not making the decision will lead to more regret in the long term."
• "We don't have to live in fear of uncertainty or live in the fear of chaos, because we do smart things to lower risk and become the best version of ourselves in the process."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

In episode 16 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares key insights from her upcoming book Risk Worthy. She explains how to define your best possible future, focus on meaningful returns—not just quantitative returns—and take intentional steps to make your vision inevitable. She also offers a simple action prompt and invites listeners to join her early reader list.

Tune in for valuable strategies to grow your business intentionally and effectively!

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:18] Best Possible Future Defined.

[00:05:33] Die With Zero concept.

[00:07:31] Accumulating money vs. life fulfillment.

QUOTES

• "Just knowing that I had the best possible future and that I was working towards it with intention made all the difference in the world."
• "Human beings are pulled forward by the future we're most committed to."
• "The Die With Zero theory illustrates how accumulating the most money in retirement or getting the best quantitative return on investment is not the most important result in life."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

In episode 15 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Nnamdi Oparanozie, a strategic CFO and purpose-driven entrepreneur, who shares how he integrates faith, fitness, and finance into both business and life, and why serving others is at the core of his mission.

Tune in to discover how to build a profitable business while staying true to your core values.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:58] F5 core values framework.

[00:05:06] Transition from corporate to ministry.

[00:07:48] Stewardship in financial management.

[00:10:44] Entrepreneurship and fitness journey.

[00:15:33] Financial clarity and health.

[00:19:51] Building long-term business value.

[00:22:03] Purpose, impact, and freedom.

[00:25:08] Scripture shaping leadership approach.

[00:27:56] Scaling smarter and efficiently.

QUOTES

• "The foundation is my faith, which ultimately says, you know, love God and love and serve people." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "When you're faithful with little, you'll be faithful with much." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "Cost is not an expense, but an investment." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "Oftentimes, your good thing that you're looking for is on the other side of hard." -Nnamdi Oparanozie

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Nnamdi Oparanozie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obk.fitness/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnamdioparanozie/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

OBK Fitness: https://www.obkfitness.com/

In episode 14 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Kelsey Daingerfield, a Powerhouse in Operations and a Fractional COO, as she shares her journey across industries—from aerospace to higher education—and how she discovered her passion for operations and change management.

Tune in to discover insights on how to work smarter, not harder, and the value of operational excellence in driving business growth.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:13] Operations and process optimization.

[00:04:06] Fractional COO considerations.

[00:09:21] Tools for business operations.

[00:12:24] Custom GPTs for branding content.

[00:17:08] Human risk and communication gaps.

[00:18:41] Force versus flow in decision-making.

[00:25:21] Biggest risk in entrepreneurship.

[00:26:30] Risk-taking and personal growth.

[00:30:42] Embracing career pivots.

[00:34:43] Who not how approach.

[00:38:54] Voice note conversations for connection.

QUOTES

• "I help people just reel it in, get focused, put a strategy in place, get our operations and our processes moving along." -Kelsey Daingerfield
• "It's about the best version of yourself, the 10.0 version, or it's about your best possible future." -Laurie Chen
• "When you make the decision, you make that jump, and you're committed to being that best version, and you're committed to your best possible future, then it will come." -Laurie Chen
• "Embrace the squiggle in your career." -Kelsey Daingerfield

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Kelsey Daingerfield

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseydaingerfield/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseydaingerfield/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Kelsey Daingerfield: https://www.kelseydaingerfield.com/

In episode 13 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares insights from her upcoming book, "Risk Worthy", emphasizing the importance of making choices that align with the best version of oneself and prioritizing qualitative returns on investment over purely quantitative measures.

Tune in for valuable strategies on becoming your best self and making risk-worthy decisions.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:33] Best version of yourself.

[00:04:54] Financial metrics tracking.

[00:07:15] Turning insights into income.

QUOTES

• "You must activate the best version of yourself if you are making decisions that are risk-worthy."
• "Deciding to become the best version of myself led to visible changes in my body, but it was a lot of discipline and commitment to become that person."
• "If you're proactively tracking the financial impact of your decisions, then you are actively becoming the best version of yourself."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/