Hey Reader,

Welcome to lesson 2 of your journey to building a successful fractional CFO business!

(If you missed lesson 1, you can find it here)

Let me quickly remind you that each lesson comes in two formats. While I'll cover the core insights right here in these emails, I've also recorded in-depth videos for those of you who want to go even deeper.

Think of the videos as bonus content where we can really explore every detail.

Speaking of which, here's today's video...

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You know what kept me up at night when I first started my firm?

It wasn't the fear of failing (though that was there too). It was the pressure to say YES to everyone who might become a client.

I thought I knew it all back then. When someone would ask about my target audience, I'd always say the same thing: "Anybody and everybody who's willing to pay me!"

I mean... why turn down money, right?

Well, I learned this lesson the hard way, and today I'm going to save you from making the same expensive mistake I did.

Here's the reality that changed everything for me:

If you had a magic wand that could reach every potential customer on the planet, sure, you could afford to be generic. You'd get so many leads that even if only a tiny percentage were qualified, you'd still have plenty of great clients.

But here's where the challenge lies: you don't have a magic wand. None of us do.

What you do have are two precious resources: time and money. Both are limited.

So the real question becomes: with limited time and a limited budget, who is MOST likely to convert from prospect to customer?

When I finally got serious about this, I sat down and created what I call my "Perfect Client Profile." Here were my criteria:

Was I turning away potential clients who didn't fit this profile? Absolutely.

But something magical happened: My conversion rate tripled. Why? Because every conversation was with someone who actually needed exactly what I offered.

Now, let's talk about the three main ways to reach these perfect clients:

One of our biggest growth channels came from partnering with venture capital firms. They had a constant stream of portfolio companies needing CFO services, and they already trusted us. But don't just limit yourself to VC firms. Think about:

• Other accounting firms that serve different audiences
• Accounting firms that serve the same audience but offer different services
• Recruiting firms targeting the same companies
• Law firms working with startups
• Business consultants

Remember: landing one good partner can bring you dozens of clients. It's like having a sales team that doesn't appear on your payroll.

Most accounting firm services sell for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a month. At these prices, trust is everything. That's why warm intros are so powerful.

Here's what makes them work:

• You can leverage mutual connections on LinkedIn
• Your existing clients might work with investors who can introduce you to their portfolio companies
• Every client you work with knows other CEOs who need your services

And here's a pro tip: when you're doing outbound campaigns (cold emails, LinkedIn messages, phone calls), always look for a common connection first. A totally cold outreach might work, but having even a slight connection can dramatically increase your chances of success.

You might have found me through my LinkedIn content. I now reach over 400,000 people, but it started with just one post.

Want to know what really works with content? Here are my three non-negotiable rules:

a) Post beautiful visuals

Invest in a good designer. Yes, it costs money, but it's worth every penny. Your content needs to stop people from scrolling, and professional design does exactly that. (Don't worry - in a future lesson, I'll show you exactly how to find and hire the right designer.)

b) Post EVERY single day

I mean it. Weekends. Holidays. Your birthday. The algorithm rewards consistency, and your audience comes to expect and look forward to your content. Miss a few days, and you'll see your engagement drop dramatically.

c) Build relationships with other creators

This is the secret sauce that nobody talks about. Engage genuinely with other finance and accounting creators. Comment on their posts. Share their content. Build real relationships. When they start engaging with your content, their audience notices you. It's like getting a seal of approval from someone their audience already trusts.

But here's the most important part - your content doesn't need to reach everyone. It needs to reach YOUR perfect client.

Let me share a mistake I made: When I first started posting on LinkedIn, I created content for startup CEOs. I thought, "They're my target audience, right?" Wrong approach. CEOs don't spend their days learning about deferred revenue accounting or the nuances of ASC 606.

But you know who does? Other finance professionals who could refer clients to me.

The moment I shifted my content to serve other finance professionals, everything changed. My audience grew faster, and ironically, I started getting more CEO clients through referrals from these finance professionals who followed my content.

In our next lesson, we'll talk about how to actually close these leads once you get them. But for now, I want you to do something:

Write down your Perfect Client Profile. Be ruthlessly specific. Think about:

• What industry are they in?
• How big is their team?
• Are they pre-revenue or post-revenue?
• Where are they located?
• What's their buying capacity?
• Who makes the decision to hire someone like you?
• What are their pain points?
• How can your solutions help them?

Reply to this email with your Perfect Client Profile. I read every response, and I'm curious to know.

Talk soon.

P.S. Start engaging with other creators' content today. Don't wait until you start posting. Build those relationships now. When you do start creating content, you'll already have a supportive network ready to engage with your posts.