Launching The Startup Finance Lab

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Ever felt like you're trying to build a rocket ship with directions scribbled on a napkin? You're juggling product development, building out a killer team, and chasing product-market fit – and suddenly, you're supposed to be a finance whiz too? Been there.

Or perhaps you've joined your startup's finance team and inherited a financial model - a junkyard of rushed updates and hard-coded formulas from multiple predecessors. You're busy trying to get to grips with the numbers, manage cash flow, and build the financial foundations of a sustainable business, yet you can barely keep your head above water. Been there, too.

Let's be real: you know you probably need the guidance of a seasoned CFO, but right now, that's just not in the budget. So, you're relying on gut feelings, ever changing (untrustworthy) financials, and hoping for the best.

It's a common startup struggle, and I've seen it all when it comes to startup finance:

• ❌ Teams not really sure what they're doing.

• ❌ No budget for outside help.

• ❌ Financial chaos slowing down the business.

Fixing this takes time, money and energy - resources most startups can't afford to waste. Worse, financial mismanagement can sink even the most promising companies. Not because they lacked vision, but because they made high-stakes decisions based on bad data (or no data at all).

Why “The Startup Finance Lab”?

Getting your financial foundation right early is crucial, yet many founders and finance teams are left to navigate it alone.

Since my early corporate days and getting Big-4 qualified, I've spent years in startups - as a founder, Finance Lead, and CFO - and like you, have experienced the brutal early-stage grind firsthand.

I've experienced the high-growth startup lifecycle from every angle: 

• 📈 from bootstrapped beginnings to multi-million-dollar fundraises

• 🌍️ from setting up finance teams from scratch to scaling others internationally

• 🔥 from wild success stories...

• 💩 ...to turning around 'shitstorms'.

I've learned what works, what doesn't, and how financial clarity can transform a startup. I've discovered the delicate balance of corporate rigor with startup agility, and how to build an exceptional finance function that supports both.

This newsletter is here to share those hard-won lessons and give you actionable guidance - practical tools, insider insights and strategies to help you build a financially resilient business. 

Let's make startup finance insanely simple, so you can get back to doing what excites you.

Welcome to The Startup Finance Lab. Let's get to work.

Here's what you can expect:

• ✅ Real-world insights from the trenches of startup finance - not just theory.

• ✅ Practical, actionable guidance you can use today.

• ✅ The big picture view to help you prioritize what truly matters.

• ✅ Tools and frameworks to simplify processes and supercharge decision making.

• ✅ No fluff, no jargon - just the answers you need

• ✅ A weekly startup finance rhyme (to disrupt finance with some questionable poetry...)

Startup finance doesn't need to feel like being thrown into the deep end with no floaties. It can be insanely simple, and maybe even a little bit…enjoyable.

We're launching very soon, and I'm genuinely excited to share this journey with you! Subscribe now and be notified as soon as the first edition leaves my outbox.

One quick question before you leave (to help me understand you better)....

See you in May,

— Dexter

PS - I'd love for this newsletter to help as many startups as possible. If you know a fellow founder or startup finance team who'd find this valuable, please forward it along!

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