C-Suite Secrets

Heather Parsons
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

C-Suite Secrets is the go-to podcast for entrepreneurs ready to scale smarter and lead stronger. Hosted by Heather Parsons—Fractional CFO, business strategist, and real estate investor—each episode features candid conversations with high-performing founders and C-suite executives. Get real-world strategies on cash flow, operations, leadership, and growth from experts who’ve been in the trenches. It’s not just theory—it’s the secrets behind sustainable success.

  1. 5d ago ·  Video

    How Data Driven Marketing Helps Businesses Scale Faster

    Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.   What if the biggest problem with your marketing isn't your ads...it's the fact that you're measuring the wrong things? In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Andy Janaitis, founder of PPC Pitbulls, to discuss why successful marketing starts with strategy, measurement, and understanding the data behind every decision. Drawing from his background in engineering and data science, Andy explains why too many businesses invest in Google Ads and Meta Ads without first defining what success actually looks like. Instead of chasing clicks, impressions, and other vanity metrics, he shares the key performance indicators that truly determine whether your marketing is profitable. Heather and Andy also explore why authentic relationships continue to outperform shortcuts, how AI should support rather than replace human connection, and why referrals alone are no longer enough to build a predictable growth engine. Whether you're investing in paid advertising for the first time or looking to improve your marketing ROI, this episode delivers practical insights that every business owner can apply immediately.   Bio:   Andy Janaitis started his career as an industrial engineer, not a marketer. That background shapes everything about how he runs PPC Pitbulls: find the waste, fix the system, then scale what works. He built the agency three months before his first child was born, on the strength of a colleague’s challenge and a belief that manufacturers deserved better than the generic digital advice being sold to them.   After a decade managing millions in ad spend across ecommerce and B2B, Andy turned his focus to the companies he understands best: manufacturers, distributors, and technical service businesses whose buyers are already researching, comparing, and building vendor shortlists online before anyone picks up the phone. Companies that make great products, but are invisible where it counts. He fixes that. On podcasts and stages, Andy skips the buzzwords, shares real experiments, and shows exactly where marketing systems quietly leak profit.   To connect with our guest, click on the links below:  https://ppcpitbulls.com  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyjanaitis/   Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  2. Jul 21 ·  Video

    How AI Is Changing Podcast Marketing and Business Visibility with Tom Schwab

    Show Notes:       Most business owners still think podcasting is about getting more downloads, more followers, or more exposure. Tom Schwab believes that's the wrong strategy. In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with the founder of Interview Valet to explore how podcast guesting has evolved from a branding tactic into one of the most powerful ways to build trust with both buyers and artificial intelligence. Tom explains why podcasts have become one of AI's preferred sources of authentic human content, why reputation matters more than reach, and why entrepreneurs who continue chasing vanity metrics risk being left behind. Together, Heather and Tom discuss how to build authority intentionally, create content that resonates with ideal clients, and position your business to become the recommendation AI makes when buyers ask for help. Bio:    Have you noticed marketing is getting more efficient at things that are less effective? Funnels, hacks, and ads dominate the digital world, but they rarely win trust. Tom Schwab says the real opportunity isn’t one funnel away it’s one conversation away. Known as the Godfather of Podcast Interview Marketing, Tom has helped over 1,500 thought leaders grow their businesses by leveraging the power of podcast interviews. Get ready to discover how conversations, not campaigns, can transform your brand, your marketing, and your results.   To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamtomschwab/ https://www.facebook.com/IAmTomSchwab/ https://www.youtube.com/@interviewvalet https://www.instagram.com/interview_valet https://www.tiktok.com/@interview.valet/   Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  3. Jul 14 ·  Video

    The Five Key Questions That Reveal If Your Revenue Is Building Or Breaking Your Business

    Show Notes:     In this episode of C Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons dives into a truth most business owners never hear. More revenue does not automatically mean a better business. Heather has been in boardroom meetings where record quarters marked the start of a company falling apart, not because the numbers were fake, but because the revenue was not good revenue. Heather breaks down why two companies can report the same ten million dollars in annual revenue and be completely different businesses underneath. One is a healthy compounding machine that gets more valuable every year. The other is a ticking time bomb held together by a handful of fragile relationships. Heather also walks through the five signals that separate revenue volume from revenue quality: Predictability. Recurring subscription revenue and multi year contracts are a fundamentally different animal than one off project fees, even when the dollar amounts look identical on your P and L. Margin. Not all dollars cost the same to deliver. Heather shares how companies can grow top line revenue by 30 percent in a year while profitability barely moves, because the growth itself was margin negative. Customer concentration. If losing your top three customers would sink your business, your revenue quality is objectively lower than a company with the same revenue spread across hundreds of customers. Heather shares a firsthand story from a recent acquisition she evaluated where concentrated clients were able to dictate terms. Acquisition cost versus lifetime value. If it costs more to acquire a customer than that customer will ever generate, you are buying a vanity metric. This quietly kills more companies than almost anything else, and it always gets exposed during a sale, funding round, or investor review. Churn and retention. Revenue that walks out the door in six months is not the same as revenue that sticks around for six years. Constantly replacing lost customers drains your team and your margins.   Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders   Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  4. Jun 23 ·  Video

    How Data and Culture Drive Business Success with John C. Scott

    Show Notes:   What separates companies that scale successfully from those that struggle? In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with John Scott, CPA and Virtual CFO at Anders, to discuss the financial principles, leadership lessons, and growth strategies that have helped transform a 50 person accounting firm into a nationwide organization with more than 500 team members. Drawing from decades of experience, John shares how business leaders can use data, cash flow forecasting, culture, and long term thinking to create sustainable success. The conversation also explores AI's impact on accounting, private equity trends, talent retention, and common tax mistakes entrepreneurs should avoid. To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-c-scott-cpa/ https://anderscpa.com/  Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  5. Jun 16 ·  Video

    From the Jungle to the Boardroom: Rewiring Leadership from the Inside Out

    Show Notes:   What if the biggest obstacle to your company's growth isn't strategy, talent, or market conditions, but the stories you've been carrying since childhood? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with executive coach and creator of Inner Architecture Work, David Heaps, for a powerful conversation about self-awareness, leadership, and the hidden patterns that shape how founders operate. David shares his extraordinary journey from serving as COO of a debt-buying company to leaving corporate life behind, traveling the world, and spending years in isolation in the Peruvian jungle. What began as a quest to become a shaman ultimately led him to discover the deep internal beliefs that drive human behavior and business performance. Together, Heather and David explore why many entrepreneurs unknowingly create the very problems they struggle to solve, how unresolved childhood experiences continue to influence leadership decisions, and why difficult conversations are often the key to unlocking growth. They also discuss the fears leaders rarely talk about, the impact these internal struggles have on teams and families, and practical ways to recognize and interrupt self-sabotaging patterns. Whether you're a founder, executive, or aspiring leader, this conversation offers profound insights into the connection between personal transformation and business success.   Bio:   David Heaps spent years studying with indigenous teachers in the Amazon, including over ten thousand hours in silent isolation. The methodology came out of that, and he has worked with it for more than a decade since. It is a way of seeing the hidden architecture built early in life that is ruling people's leadership and producing the same breakdowns no matter the effort. He calls it Inner Architecture Work, and founding CEOs have found him through word of mouth alone. His clients are capable operators who built something real and hit a wall effort could not move. David helps them see what is causing it, name it precisely, and change it. He works in structured six-month engagements with a defined end, because the goal is for clients to walk out leading from choice instead of reflex, carrying the work forward on their own. To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-heaps-leadering/ https://www.leadering.com/   Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  6. Jun 9 ·  Video

    From Creative Design to Operational Excellence With Founder of Gundo Group, Lindsey Breeden

    Show Notes:   In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Lindsey Breeden, founder of The Gundo Group, to discuss his unique path from designing Barbie packaging at Mattel to becoming a sought-after fractional COO helping companies scale efficiently. Lindsey shares how his creative background became an unexpected advantage in business operations, why many founders hire the wrong people at the wrong time, and how AI is reshaping leadership, operations, and the future of work. He also reveals the most common mistakes founders make when scaling, building teams, and implementing systems. Whether you're a founder feeling stretched too thin, considering hiring operational leadership, or trying to navigate AI's impact on your business, this conversation offers practical insights for building a company that can grow without relying on the CEO to do everything.   Bio:   Lindsey Breeden is the Founder and CEO of The Gundo Group, providing fractional C-level support for agencies, brands, founder-led businesses, and investment firms. A self-described Creative Operator, he has spent more than twenty years across creative, marketing, and technology, scaling global teams and agencies. He is a former Division I athlete and long-time volleyball coach, and brings that team-first mindset into how he builds operating models for the companies he serves. To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://gundogroup.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseybreeden/ Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders   Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?  Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in   🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  7. May 26 ·  Video

    How Successful Entrepreneurs Think Differently About Growth and Failure

    Show Notes:   What separates successful entrepreneurs from those who stay stuck? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Chris Hilgers, entrepreneur and founder of Peak Franchising, to discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, franchising, personal growth, and building a life with purpose. Chris shares lessons from his journey from the corporate world to business ownership and explains why success is about much more than financial gain. The conversation dives into clarity of purpose, overcoming fear, building the right support systems, and why entrepreneurs who embrace uncertainty often create the most meaningful results. Bio:    Chris Hilgers has a successful track record as a Franchise Coach, Business Owner and Corporate Leader. He has placed many people in successful franchises as well as lead organizations and brands for companies like Maytag, Toro and Electrolux domestically and internationally.  Chris will help to make your journey into franchising a very empowering and rewarding process. These will be the steps that propel you to take control of your life and fulfill your dreams. To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hilgers-969b98/ Website:  https://peakfranchising.com/ 🎁  https://podcast.peakfranchising.com/sample Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders Ready to finally understand your numbers & access the capital you need to grow?   Join me in OneRoom:  https://oneroomhq.com/boardroom-opt-in 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

  8. May 19 ·  Video

    Your Business Has No Value If You Are the Business How to Build a Company You Can Actually Sell

    Show Notes:   What if the thing that's quietly killing your business growth is you? In this episode, Heather sits down with Chris Burke and they dive into exactly what separates businesses that scale from ones that stall, and the moves that most founders wait too long to make. Serial entrepreneur Chris Burke built two companies across 25 years.  A global consultancy that did a quarter billion in sales with zero funding, and a SaaS platform now live in 40 countries, and the hardest lesson he kept learning was that the founder is almost always the bottleneck.    Bio:   I'm an Australian entrepreneur who's spent the last 25 years in London building businesses — not studying them, not advising from the sidelines, actually inside the machine. The first was a global consulting firm called Brickendon. We worked with the world's biggest banks — JPMorgan, Citi, UBS — delivering the kind of programmes where failure genuinely wasn't an option. Regulatory deadlines, credit risk systems or rescuing programmes that had gone off track. Sixteen years of that. At the same time, I co-founded a software business called Hybrid Hero — a workplace platform that's now live in 40 countries, clients like Dyson, BMW, Pepsi. Built it before COVID validated the thesis, which I'm quietly proud of. But here's what those 25 years actually taught me: the thing that breaks most businesses isn't a bad idea or a bad market. It's that the systems, the structure, the people architecture — none of it keeps pace with the growth. The founder who got you to ten million is often the exact bottleneck that stops you reaching fifty million. And most of them don't see it, because they're too close to it. That pattern kept showing up — in my own businesses, in the businesses around me. And I kept finding myself at dinners, on calls, sketching out what needed to change. People would come back months later and say: we followed that conversation, and it worked. At some point you have to decide whether to keep doing that informally or build something real around it. That's Aduvo. We work inside founder-led businesses doing five to fifty million — not handing them a report, but actually getting in there with a full team and building what comes next   To connect with our guest, click on the links below: https://www.instagram.com/aduvo.dk/  https://chrisburkeexec.com/    Connect with me:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-parsons-cfo/ https://heatherparsons.com/links https://oneroomhq.com/   Join the C-Suite Insiders Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/csuiteinsiders 🎁Get your free checklist to Turn Your Business Success into Lasting Wealth  https://info.thesummitcfo.com/investment-readiness-checklist

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About

C-Suite Secrets is the go-to podcast for entrepreneurs ready to scale smarter and lead stronger. Hosted by Heather Parsons—Fractional CFO, business strategist, and real estate investor—each episode features candid conversations with high-performing founders and C-suite executives. Get real-world strategies on cash flow, operations, leadership, and growth from experts who’ve been in the trenches. It’s not just theory—it’s the secrets behind sustainable success.

Information

  • Creator
    Heather Parsons
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    C-Suite Secrets