Run the Numbers (CJ Gustafson)
CJ Gustafson
Run the Numbers is a business podcast about financial metrics and business models for CFOs, aspiring CFOs, finance leaders, and ambitious people operating tech startups. Hosted by CJ Gustafson, CFO and writer of Mostly Metrics, the show shares lessons, frameworks, and operator insights from the trenches as a tech exec. Think of it as a playbook for the things CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, covering SaaS metrics, annual budgeting, forecasting, headcount, equity, dilution, fundraising,…
Recent Episodes
Building an AI-Native Finance Team with Plaid CFO Seun Sodipo
Aug 3, 2026Seun Sodipo, CFO of Plaid, discusses how her finance team is leveraging AI to improve speed, accuracy, and strategic ambition. She explains Plaid's three-layer business model (connectivity, financial identity, and intelligence), the importance of combining top-down vision with bottom-up AI experimentation, and her philosophy on building durable, resilient companies that thrive through macroeconomic headwinds.
How to Tell a Demanding Founder They’re Wrong
Jul 27, 2026CJ and Ben discuss the nuanced art of disagreeing with a demanding founder or CEO, using historical examples like Steve Ballmer's dismissal of the iPhone and drawing on wisdom from multiple CFO guests including Kurt from Cleo, Daniel Kang (now CFO of Mercury), Adam Anti (formerly CFO of Paycor), and David Lapter (5-time CFO). The episode explores the 'Triangle of Doom' positioning of CFOs, when to push back versus when to listen, how to earn trust before challenging leadership, and the importance of culture and data-driven conversations in enabling honest feedback.
The Four Stages of World-Class FP&A with Datadog’s AJ Ljubich
Jul 23, 2026AJ Ljubich, SVP of FP&A at Datadog, discusses the evolution of FP&A from a traditional reporting function to a strategic business partnership. He outlines his framework of four maturity stages for world-class FP&A teams: foundational (data and ledger understanding), analytical (forecasting and contextual analysis), data-driven decision-making, and strategic integration where finance dissolves into business operations. Ljubich shares his experience taking both Datadog and UiPath public, and emphasizes the importance of pre-socializing decisions, continuous revenue forecasting (Datadog runs weekly forecast meetings), and building FP&A as a product with five dedicated sub-teams aligned to different business functions.
Dave McClure and Aman Verjee on Angel Investing at Scale, 500 Startups, and Practical VC
Jul 20, 2026Dave McClure and Aman Verjee, co-founders of Practical VC and former PayPal executives, discuss their evolution from early-stage angel investing through 500 Startups to secondary venture investing. They explore the history of accelerators, the power of writing and speaking for building credibility, and their transition from seed-stage volume investing to later-stage secondary fund acquisitions and buyouts.
Gas Earns More Gross Profit Than the Snickers. And Nobody Knows That.
Jul 17, 2026The New Career Track Nobody Saw Coming: The Forward Deployed Banker
Jul 16, 2026The Cumberland Farms IPO Has One Big Problem
Jul 16, 2026Finance Is the Goldilocks Zone for AI. Here's Why
Jul 14, 2026Why “Token Maxing” Is a Trap | Rahul Rekhi on AI ROI and Banking
Jul 13, 2026Is Jersey Mike's Worth $12 Billion? Let's Run the Comps.
Jul 12, 2026
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