Founder Files

Cypher
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Founder Files is a podcast about the real decisions behind scaling a business. Hosted by Salma Hatim, Founder and CEO of Cypher, the show features candid conversations with founders, operators, and industry leaders building and supporting high-growth companies. We unpack what actually happens behind the scenes as companies scale, from financial systems and forecasting to revenue, funding decisions, and the tradeoffs leaders make along the way.

  1. MAY 12

    37. Payroll Is 50% of Your Expenses: Here's How to Make It Work (David Hori)

    Payroll is typically 50% or more of expenses, the single biggest spend on the P&L. David Hori, Principal at Topline Operators, joins Founder Files to clarify how payroll, HR, and operations work together in scaling companies, and where they fall apart. (00:00) Introduction (00:38) How can you tell if a payroll setup isn't really a system? (01:36) What is the go-to systems solution you would recommend to other founders? (02:58) What would happen to the payroll, HR, and operations departments if workflows are not properly implemented? (04:36) What are some good incentive ideas for your employees? (05:52) What type of creative incentive would you suggest? (07:34) Key considerations before hiring a new employee (08:57) What advice would you give to a founder or CEO for managing a remote team? (10:11) Expert tips David also hosts a weekly webinar for business owners. You can find the link on his Instagram: @TheDavidHori

    13 min

  2. APR 14

    36. Accounts Receivable, Collections, and Bad Debt: Fix Your Cash Flow Problems

    Accounts receivable is one of the most common sources of cash flow pressure in growth-stage companies. Revenue can look strong on paper, but when collections don’t keep up, cash becomes constrained. In this video, I break down how AR and collections actually work, where they start to break down, and how to fix them. I also cover how to think about bad debt strategically and what it means for your financials. (00:00) Introduction(00:54) The real problem behind cash flow issues(01:46) Early warning signs of AR problems(03:44) Collections escalation and use of agencies(04:51) Systems between sales, billing, and accounting(06:02) Core metrics that matter (DSO, aging, AR vs revenue)(08:14) Thinking about bad debt strategically(10:36) How to improve your collections process

    13 min

  3. APR 9

    35. CEO Answers the Top 8 Questions on When You Need a Fractional CFO

    What does a fractional CFO actually do, and when does a company need one? Here are the most common questions founders and CEOs ask as their business grows beyond basic accounting. From cash flow management and capital allocation to forecasting, reporting, and decision-making, the role of a CFO is about turning financial data into direction. If your numbers exist but aren’t helping you plan, allocate resources, or make decisions, this is where the finance function needs to evolve. (00:00) Introduction (00:56) If my books are clean and taxes are filed, what’s the gap a CFO actually fills that I won’t see on a P&L or tax return? (03:40) What are the first symptoms that feel like ops or sales problems, but are actually CFO problems? (05:22) What’s the simplest way to audit if I have bookkeeping, or if I actually have a finance function? (06:27) When are you too big for just a bookkeeper plus CPA setup? (08:53) What are the specific triggers where you needed a fractional CFO six months ago? (09:45) What are the red flags that founders and CEOs are doing the CFO’s job themselves? (11:00) What does a good fractional CFO setup look like versus hiring a full-time CFO? (12:13) What’s the difference between a CFO and a controller?

    14 min

  4. MAR 31

    34. Financial Dashboards: How CEOs Turn Metrics Into Decisions

    Rows of numbers and clean reporting might make it look like the dashboard is doing its job. But the real question to ask is: “Can leadership look at it and know what to do next?” In this conversation, I sit with Nick Jain to explain what makes a financial dashboard useful, how companies should think about dashboards from day one, and why visual, dynamic, decision-oriented dashboards matter as the business grows. (00:00) Introduction(01:10) What real-time financial visibility actually means(03:05) How to know when a company has outgrown static reports(04:13) Building dashboards: choosing a platform or hiring(05:19) Messy data: build the dashboard first or clean the data first Useful dashboards follow three core principles: → Dynamic: the metrics should evolve as the business evolves. → Visual: leadership should understand what is happening in seconds. → Actionable: metrics should help answer what to do next. A dashboard is not just a place to display KPIs. It is a tool that helps leadership understand performance quickly, spot issues earlier, and make better operating decisions. Dashboards should exist from day one, and they do not need perfect data to start being useful. Metrics are a means to an end. The end is better decision-making.

    9 min

  5. MAR 24

    33. What Is Strategic Finance: How It Helps CEOs Make Decisions

    Clean books and polished dashboards might make it look like the finance function is working. But the real question to ask is: Would leadership make different decisions this week with or without those numbers? In this conversation, I sit with Nick Jain to explain the difference between transactional finance and strategic finance, with a focus on companies growing in the $1M–$30M range. (00:00) Introduction (01:48) Strategic Finance and Business Decision-Making (02:33) What Strategic Finance Actually Means (04:10) Warning Signs of Transactional Finance (05:29) Dashboards and KPIs: Metrics Are a Means to an End (06:51) What a Practical CFO Actually Does (07:58) Should CFOs Teach CEOs Finance? (09:14) How Much to Invest in Accounting and Finance (10:35) CFO Cost Benchmarks and Rules of Thumb Finance has three core pillars:  → Accounting: recording what happened → Treasury: managing cash in and out → FP&A: interpreting the numbers and supporting decisions When finance stops at accounting and treasury, it remains transactional. Strategic finance lives in FP&A and CFO-level thinking, where financial data gets translated into decisions about hiring, investments, and growth. Metrics are a means to an end. The end is better decision-making.

    13 min

  6. MAR 17

    32. When Audits Hit Growth Companies: VC, PE, & Lender Expectations

    Stakeholders may request audits when companies are raising capital, bringing on private equity, expanding credit facilities, or entering serious M&A discussions. That is when expectations change. In this conversation with Rawan Sakatan, CPA, Director at Weaver, we discuss why audits appear as companies scale and how investors, lenders, and buyers think about financial reporting. (00:00) Introduction(00:49) Topics covered: audits, diligence, and investor expectations(02:26) Why growth-stage companies begin needing audits(06:00) Are M&A-ready founders also audit-ready?(08:09) What companies actually need in place to pass an audit(09:13) The top three mistakes founders make before their first audit(12:33) What expertise a finance team needs to support audit readiness An audit is not the same as due diligence. → An audit looks backward and tests whether financial statements are fairly presented under GAAP. → Due diligence is broader. It evaluates risk, quality of earnings, working capital, and whether the business supports the valuation and deal assumptions. → A company can complete due diligence successfully and still not be ready for an audit, and the reverse can also happen. Growth-stage companies often encounter challenges in areas such as accruals, revenue recognition, equity tracking, documentation, and internal controls. Audit readiness is less about “perfection” and more about financial maturity. If you’re scaling past the early stages or planning for capital or an exit, understanding this difference protects credibility and valuation.

    16 min

  7. MAR 3

    31. Profitable But Broke: The 6-Week Runway Crisis (Part 2)

    Carter Looney, Operating Partner at Albatris and M&A advisor with 25+ years of experience, breaks down how a $12M SaaS company with strong margins and over a year of runway nearly ran out of cash. Revenue looked strong. EBITDA was positive. But accounts receivable ballooned, hiring outpaced collections, and timing killed liquidity. Profit doesn’t equal cash, and growth without cash discipline can cost you valuation, leverage, and investor trust.

    13 min

  8. FEB 24

    30. Budget vs Forecast: Where Founders Get Confused (Part 1)

    Carter Looney⁠, Operating Partner at Albatris and M&A advisor with 25+ years of experience, explains the real difference between budgeting and forecasting, and why confusing the two leads founders to hire too early, overestimate revenue, and ignore cash timing. Budget is direction. Forecast is reality. Learn why pipeline isn’t revenue, why hiring to plan is dangerous, and why timing of cash matters more than hitting a target.

    11 min
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About

Founder Files is a podcast about the real decisions behind scaling a business. Hosted by Salma Hatim, Founder and CEO of Cypher, the show features candid conversations with founders, operators, and industry leaders building and supporting high-growth companies. We unpack what actually happens behind the scenes as companies scale, from financial systems and forecasting to revenue, funding decisions, and the tradeoffs leaders make along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Cypher
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Cypher
  • Show Website
    Founder Files