Carl Seidman, CSP, CPA’s Post

Launch Your FP&A Rocket: Essential Tips for Aspiring Stars The world of FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) is a launchpad for strategic finance careers. It offers a captivating blend of number-crunching, big-picture thinking, and storytelling with data. But for aspiring professionals, navigating this exciting yet competitive landscape can feel like prepping for liftoff. Here are two crucial facts to fuel your ascent: 1. The FP&A sky is the limit! The demand for FP&A professionals is soaring. A study by Robert Half found a 42% increase in FP&A hiring intentions over the past year. 2. Technical prowess is essential, but so is your soft side. Communication, collaboration, and the ability to translate complex data into clear narratives are key differentiators in FP&A. Stay tuned for my next post where I'll unveil a roadmap to propel your FP&A career to new heights! #FinancialModeling #AccountingNetwork #FPnAJourney #TheFinanceForce #FPNA #FinanceCareers #AimHigh

Need help elevating yourself in your FP&A role? Take something annoying off your boss’ plate. They’ll thank you and you’ll have a chance to prove you can play 1 level up. Just make sure your current job is being done 100%.

Managing others, not just yourself. That’s the biggest challenge new FP&A managers face. One trick that’s helped me with that challenge? A simple team meeting to kick off the week. Sounds obvious, but not everyone does it. Your new team will appreciate it 👊 Here’s way more info on all the FP&A job levels including the challenges you’ll face and how to overcome them. https://lnkd.in/d4HAbwf7

As someone new to the FP&A field, I prioritize scheduling regular calls with industry leaders to gain valuable insights from their expertise. I believe it would be beneficial to share these insights here and hear your thoughts as well. Just last Friday, I had a chat with a new VP of FP&A from one of the fastest-growing companies in San Francisco. She told me, "In this environment, waiting until month-end feels like walking blindfolded through traffic." And she’s right. If you can’t deliver real-time insights, you’re already behind. Teams need accurate data at their fingertips—every single day—to pivot, adapt, and make smart decisions as conditions shift. What really hit me was when she said, "Finance used to just report the numbers, now we’re the ones deciding what the company should do next." That’s what it’s about: empowering your business with timely, actionable insights so they can stay ahead of the curve. It’s not just about data—it's about helping the business thrive in real-time. I wonder, how do you ensure providing insights fast enough in your business? #FP&A #RealTimeInsights #DecisionMaking #FinanceTransformation

I remember the day vividly. I had just taken on a new FP&A role at a company. And was attending corporate offsite to improve teamwork and alignment during our efforts to regain market share and increase profitability. During a break, as I stepped into the washroom There, beside me, was the CEO, a figure I had admired from afar but had never spoken to directly. As I washed my hands, The CEO, standing next to me, glanced over and said, "I've been meaning to ask. How are we looking for this quarter's revenue? And that new marketing push we started last month, Is it making the impact we hoped for on our sales? Caught off guard, I hesitated for a moment, My mind racing to gather the figures That should have been at the forefront. "Well," I started, trying to muster confidence, "I believe we're tracking... um, we're on target with our projections, and the marketing campaign... it’s... um, it's certainly generating buzz." The CEO raised an eyebrow, a slight smile forming. "I was hoping for numbers, Asif. Buzz is good, but numbers tell the story. Keep them on hand next time, will you?" "Yes, of course," I stammered, feeling my face flush. "I’ll make sure to have the numbers ready." As we exited, the CEO patted my shoulder lightly. "No worries, just keep me updated. Knowing our numbers offhand is crucial, especially in these times." That brief exchange, seemingly inconsequential, was a profound learning moment for me. As FP&A Professionals, You are expected to know your numbers in your sleep! That's what you are an expert at and paid for! ---------------------------------------------------- I'm Asif Masani On a mission to help 1M Finance Professionals Master FP&A Skills. Click my Name + Follow + 🔔

Ask any great finance leader how they got where they are and they’ll all come back with a similar answer: *It’s some mysterious blend of luck, natural gifts, right-place right-time, and hard work* Which isn’t very helpful for the rest of us. In tomorrow morning's newsletter I'll break down how you can reverse-engineer FP&A career success: https://lnkd.in/gQhwyGmZ

FP&A Champs: Power Up Your Career with These 10 Moves The FP&A world thrives on sharp minds and strategic thinking. But what about taking charge of your own career path? Here are 10 moves you'll thank yourself for later: 1- Embrace the Challenge, Ditch the Comfort Zone. 2- Become a Data Storytelling Master. 3- Befriend the Business Acumen. 4- Champion Automation & Efficiency. 5- Build Bridges, Not Silos. Collaboration is key. 6- Embrace Continuous Learning. 7- Sharpen Your Soft Skills. 8- Find Your Mentorship Match. 9- Give Back to the FP&A Community. 10- Celebrate Your Wins (Big & Small). Bonus! Cultivate a Growth Mindset. Believe in your ability to learn and improve. Embrace challenges as opportunities to develop new skills and refine your expertise. What are your go-to career power moves? Share your tips in the comments! —————————————- 📥 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲: Download my work in PDF format by visiting my profile ➡️ and clicking (𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐅𝐏&𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬). Your journey toward financial excellence begins. —————————————- 🤝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 ⤵

You can work in consultative FP&A even if you’ve never been formally employed in FP&A. Expertise and ability mean a lot in this field. They're usually more important than formal titles. The easiest way to showcase expertise and ability has less to do with where you worked (ie. the ex- in taglines and resumes) and far more about highlighting: What you did there. Why it mattered. What you can do next. We meet plenty of people with lots of experience who are unable to deliver. And we meet plenty of people who are immensely talented with little experience. Don’t confuse experience with expertise. Formal titles and tenure on a resume mean little if they don’t translate to ability.

Want to make the leap from accounting to FP&A? 🌟 Tune in as we chat with Carl Seidman about how to make this transition. Curious about how? Here’s how you can do it... Here are three key takeaways from our chat with Carl Seidman: 1. 🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 : Focus on how you think about your work, not just what you do. 2. 📚 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Ask questions and always seek to understand more. 3. 🔀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀: Develop skills that go beyond numbers to succeed in FP&A. What else would you like to know? Drop your thoughts in the comments! https://lnkd.in/gh2dVXSB