<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Anderson CFO’s Blog</title><description>Fractional CFO in Portland, Oregon. Financial Planning &amp; Analysis (FP&amp;A) using Causal.  Cashflow analysis, Power BI, ERP systems, CPG experience.`</description><link>https://www.acfo.co</link><item><title>CPG Success Factors</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/001-cpg-success-factors</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/001-cpg-success-factors</guid><description>Explore how a Fractional CFO can improve your chances of success through product-market fit, competitive margins, and innovative forecasting. Don&apos;t become a statistic!</description><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Is Your Business Strong?</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0014-is-your-business-strong</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0014-is-your-business-strong</guid><description>Strong businesses have strong products.  Explore what to focus on, and what to pay less attention to.</description><pubDate>Sat, 22 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Should I Start a Business?</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0015-start-a-business</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0015-start-a-business</guid><description>Learn what makes a successful business. Do you have what it takes?</description><pubDate>Fri, 08 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What Makes a Successful Business</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0016-characteristics-successful-business</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0016-characteristics-successful-business</guid><description>Most entrepreneurs overcomplicate things. Learn what all successful businesses share.</description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Your Cash Runway</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/002-your-cash-runway</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/002-your-cash-runway</guid><description>Discover how cash flow forecasting prevents insolvency and ensures financial stability. Learn about how a Fractional CFO can help manage short-term cash flow.</description><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>You might need an ERP system</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/003-you-might-need-an-erp-system</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/003-you-might-need-an-erp-system</guid><description>Discussions about monolithic and best of breed ERP systems.</description><pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>You may not need an ERP system</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/003-you-probably-dont-need-an-erp-system</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/003-you-probably-dont-need-an-erp-system</guid><description>Discover ERP challenges and benefits for CPG manufacturers, plus the advantages of a best-of-breed approach to integrating essential business functions effectively.</description><pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Where to get money</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/004-where-to-get-money</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/004-where-to-get-money</guid><description>Explore early-stage equity and debt financing options for startups, from personal funds and angel investors to SBA loans and venture capital. Learn how to strategically fund your business and avoid common pitfalls.</description><pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Four things for your ERP system to work</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0040-four-things</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0040-four-things</guid><description>So many companies can&apos;t get their ERP system to work.  Yet only four things are necessary.</description><pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Benefits of Cin7 Core</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0045-benefits-of-core</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0045-benefits-of-core</guid><description>Like a car, sometimes the additional safety features of inventory system justify a higher price.  Learn how Cin7 Core keeps your financials correct.</description><pubDate>Sat, 15 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to Fail Out of the Gate</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0045-what-many-startups-share</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0045-what-many-startups-share</guid><description>Explore a bad characteristic that dooms many startups.  You will not be able to make any progress or grow if your financial hygiene is poor.</description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>What Investors Want</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/005-what-investors-want</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/005-what-investors-want</guid><description>This blog entry discusses the most critical business metrics for success in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG):  Gross Profit Margin, Trade Spend, and Gross Profit.   Controlling these are a requirement for investor interest and for a healthy business.</description><pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Legal and Finance Basics</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/006-legal-finance-basics</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/006-legal-finance-basics</guid><description>Discover the essential legal steps for starting a business, from choosing a name and incorporating to managing share registers and complying with investor regulations.</description><pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Which Legal Form For Your Business?</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0065-corp-form</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0065-corp-form</guid><description>The type of corporate form you choose can affect your taxes and how easy it is to raise money in the future.  Learn the basics in this article.</description><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>You Must Pay Workers</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/0068-worker-pay</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/0068-worker-pay</guid><description>Learn the basics of employment law.  Employers must pay all workers a minimum wage in cash and must pay employer taxes.  This is not only the law, it is respectful.</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>The Purpose of Accounting</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/007-the-purpose-of-accounting</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/007-the-purpose-of-accounting</guid><description>Understand the crucial role of accounting in securing investments and maintaining financial health for CPG businesses. Learn how to manage costs, chargebacks, and ERP systems for better financial transparency.</description><pubDate>Sat, 02 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How You Show Up is Important</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/008-how-you-show-up-is-important</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/008-how-you-show-up-is-important</guid><description>Learn how to avoid common mistakes and successfully pitch your business to investors as a Fractional CFO shares essential tips for impactful presentations.</description><pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Forecasting Your Business</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/009-forecasting-the-future</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/009-forecasting-the-future</guid><description>Learn how FP&amp;A tools like Causal help businesses predict outcomes and manage uncertainty, essential for management and impressing investors.</description><pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>About You</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/010-about-you</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/010-about-you</guid><description>Explore the key qualities and experience required for a CEO to ensure business success, from industry knowledge to management skills and strategic decision-making.</description><pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>You May Not Expense Your Inventory</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/011-you-may-not-expense-your-inventory</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/011-you-may-not-expense-your-inventory</guid><description>Uncover the truth about inventory tax deductions for small businesses, IRS regulations, and compliant accounting practices.</description><pubDate>Sat, 20 Apr 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Don&apos;t Blame UNFI for Food Inflation and Your Failure</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/020-distributor-chargebacks</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/020-distributor-chargebacks</guid><description>Uncover the truth about what causes brands to fail, the impact of distributor chargebacks, and the true causes of food inflation.</description><pubDate>Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>A Simple Plan</title><link>https://www.acfo.co/999-a-simple-plan</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.acfo.co/999-a-simple-plan</guid><description>Learn how to manage sales pipelines and predict outcomes using FP&amp;A tools like Causal. Explore probability models and take on a $50 challenge to improve the model&apos;s accuracy.</description><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>