Hardware Podcasts

#56 First Hire Series: Finance & Accounting with William Finkelstein

The Startup CPG Podcast · 9 Aug 2022 · 42m · Episode 33

What this episode covers

William Finkelstein, Senior Vice President of Finance at Yamamotoyama (owner of Stash Tea), advises CPG founders on hiring their first finance hire, distinguishing between bookkeeping and strategic finance. He outlines when to hire a bookkeeper versus a fractional CFO, emphasizing the importance of CPG-specific knowledge for handling COGS, deductions from distributors like UNFI and Keiki, and inventory accounting. Finkelstein highlights key metrics such as sales velocity and gross margin, and warns against common pitfalls like hiring without checking references or delaying accounting until revenue is established.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Yamamotoyama, Stash Tea
Also
UNFI, Keiki, Shopify

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