“As soon as I got serious about managing my finances and investing in people to help me, that is actually when my business took off.”
Christine Pilkington, CEO, Crisp
Recently, our CEO Christine was the inaugural guest on Plooto’s new podcast, Greater than the Sum. In the interview with Plooto’s Senior Product Marketing Manager, Mark Assini, Christine shared some financial advice for startups drawn from her own entrepreneurial journey and Crisp’s startup phase, including early misconceptions and pivotal moments around business finances.
“I hired a bookkeeper pretty much right away, and I had hired an accountant, and I thought I was off to the races. But what I didn’t realize is that I actually don’t know if I took it seriously enough. I know that sounds really weird and maybe a little naive and immature, but I don’t think I really realized this true connection: if your finances aren’t in order for your business, you really don’t have a business.”
Her “aha” moment when it came to managing the financial processes of her company came during a financial workshop:
“It wasn’t until maybe ten years into my business and I thought, okay, I think I need to get serious, and I think I need to really learn this. I took a workshop. I even went into that workshop a bit cocky about what I knew and what I didn’t know. And I think it was five minutes in. She showed something on the balance sheet that I actually didn’t know. I was embarrassed to say that I didn’t know something on this balance sheet, or the way my own income statement was set up. And then I was like, ha! I have something to learn, and then it just kicked off more.”
Catch the full episode at the links below to hear more financial advice for startups, or check it out on YouTube.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
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