https://seacloudconsulting.com/Practical FP&A thinking for growth companieshttps://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/08/09/ai-adoption-framework/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/08/09/ai-adoption-framework/Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 -0700A reference guide on where AI works in FP&A today, how adoption usually progresses, and the use cases I have actually implemented. Created with AI, heavily influenced by my professional experience.https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/03/07/testing-claude-for-excel-practical-lessons-from-a-lifetime-excel-user/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/03/07/testing-claude-for-excel-practical-lessons-from-a-lifetime-excel-user/Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:43:54 -0800Testing Claude for Excel using real sample files. Lessons on checking AI output, cleaning data, and using AI to improve Excel workflows.https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/03/01/ai-coordination-costs/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/03/01/ai-coordination-costs/Sun, 01 Mar 2026 17:21:18 -0800AI makes building tools cheap but coordination expensive. Lessons on ownership, integration, and avoiding burnout.https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/02/24/when-ai-makes-thinking-too-easy/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/02/24/when-ai-makes-thinking-too-easy/Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:25:56 -0800AI facilitates System 1 thinking and may suppress System 2 thinking. This is a hypothesis that I have been reflecting on lately. As Daniel Kahneman explained in 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸, there are two types of thinking: 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝟭 – automatic and intuitive, but prone to mistakes𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝟮 – deliberate…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/02/10/ai-broke-every-saas-ltv-forecast-what-can-fpa-teams-do-about-it/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2026/02/10/ai-broke-every-saas-ltv-forecast-what-can-fpa-teams-do-about-it/Tue, 10 Feb 2026 22:15:51 -0800At a dinner event recently, someone floated the idea that every SaaS company that forecasted customer lifetime value (LTV) before AI was wrong. I had not made this connection before, but it makes sense that many companies overestimated LTV. It would have been impossible to predict the competitive…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/guide-to-identifying-key-strategic-questions-in-finance/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/guide-to-identifying-key-strategic-questions-in-finance/Sat, 24 May 2025 10:02:40 -0700As strategic planning starts to pick up for most companies, finance teams should start to zero in on the most important strategic questions facing the company. 🎯 Do you know how to do this? Here’s a practical guide to identify strategic issues that need to be addressed: 🔍𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/leading-strategic-planning-in-fpa-first-steps/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/leading-strategic-planning-in-fpa-first-steps/Sat, 24 May 2025 09:57:24 -0700You’re in FP&A and the CFO suddenly asks you to lead strategic planning out of the blue. You just joined a few weeks ago.⚡Do you know where to start? There is a lot to consider, but one of the first steps is a kickoff meeting with senior leaders. Here are some practical questions (not exhaustive)…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/transform-your-fpa-team-with-these-strategic-frameworks/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/transform-your-fpa-team-with-these-strategic-frameworks/Sat, 24 May 2025 09:52:00 -0700Stop being just the FP&A reporting team—lean into strategy. This post shares a practical framework any FP&A leader can apply to sharpen strategic thinking. 🎯 In Good Strategy / Bad Strategy, Richard Rumelt introduces the “kernel of strategy” and breaks it down into three components:• Diagnosis•…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/4-roles-that-are-essential-for-successful-strategic-planning/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/05/24/4-roles-that-are-essential-for-successful-strategic-planning/Sat, 24 May 2025 09:45:15 -0700Strategic planning isn’t easy. When multiple teams and diverse skills come together, the process can go off the rails. 🛤️ Based on my past experiences, I have realized that there are four roles that are essential for successful strategic planning. Some people can play multiple roles, and multiple…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/04/08/strategic-planning-in-fpa-a-guide-for-success-1-of-6/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/04/08/strategic-planning-in-fpa-a-guide-for-success-1-of-6/Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:03:49 -0700Q2 is when many companies kick off strategic planning, and this process is one of the best opportunities for FP&A to help drive impact. The stakes are high, as bad decisions or lack of action could hurt the company’s growth or focus. Over a series of posts, I’m going to share what I have learned […]https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/30/understanding-long-term-sp-500-performance-for-investors/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/30/understanding-long-term-sp-500-performance-for-investors/Sun, 30 Mar 2025 21:58:45 -0700I received my first stock investment in the 6th grade when my mom gifted me a single share of Disney. At the time, this included a free trip to Disneyland! 🎢 I’ve basically been invested in the stock market ever since, but it can feel unsettling at times, especially with recent headlines and the…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/20/rethinking-roi-in-finance-key-questions-to-ask/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/20/rethinking-roi-in-finance-key-questions-to-ask/Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:13:44 -0700“What’s the ROI?” 🤔 This is a fair question that I have often asked during my FP&A career, but it’s not always the right one. To be clear, if the amount is large enough and/or the return is forecastable, then ROI is the right way to go. However, for ‘small-to-medium-sized’ requests with uncertain…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/20/building-scalable-hiring-processes-in-finance/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/20/building-scalable-hiring-processes-in-finance/Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:05:24 -0700Current and future headcount data is critical for a financial forecast but can become a massive time suck 🌀 for FP&A teams if a scalable workflow is not created from the beginning. Lately, I’ve been working with two clients, one early-stage and one more mature, which has made me reflect on how to…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/02/follow-up-to-growing-an-fpa-team-from-0-to-5/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/03/02/follow-up-to-growing-an-fpa-team-from-0-to-5/Sun, 02 Mar 2025 17:30:53 -0800Last week, I wrote about growing an FP&A team from 0 to 5, based on my experience. This week, I hand-picked sources, added them to Google’s NotebookLM, and used the software to summarize insights. By selecting the sources myself, I avoid the ‘average answer’ that AI models like ChatGPT might…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/22/building-an-fpa-team-from-0-to-5/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/22/building-an-fpa-team-from-0-to-5/Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:54:53 -0800Last week, somebody asked me about how I would build an FP&A team from 0 to 5. Here is how I would approach it. 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿Start by hiring someone with a broad skillset who is eager to learn and comfortable taking on everything. Strong financial modeling skills and the ability…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/15/launch-of-sea-cloud-consulting-strategic-fpa-for-early-stage-growth-companies/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/15/launch-of-sea-cloud-consulting-strategic-fpa-for-early-stage-growth-companies/Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:24:08 -0800I’m excited to announce the launch of my FP&A consulting business, Sea Cloud Consulting. When I was working full time, I always wished that I had an experienced resource that I could call when times were busy, either for project-based work or as a second set of hands. That is what I’m now offering.…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/15/4-strategic-approaches-for-finance-in-rd-management-cost-savings-3-of-4/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/15/4-strategic-approaches-for-finance-in-rd-management-cost-savings-3-of-4/Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:20:20 -0800During an interview for an FP&A role at a biotech company several years ago, the head of R&D asked how I would evaluate their sizable annual R&D investment. I suggested project-level discounted cash flows (DCFs), but my answer was impractical and incomplete. R&D is often a challenging area for…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/09/maximizing-ga-efficiency-cost-cutting-strategies-cost-savings-2-of-4/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2025/01/09/maximizing-ga-efficiency-cost-cutting-strategies-cost-savings-2-of-4/Thu, 09 Jan 2025 09:25:30 -0800When the pressure is on to reduce costs, G&A often finds itself on the chopping block. It’s seen as an easy target (“just overhead”), but this view can be oversimplified and even misleading. This is the second post in my series on cost-cutting strategies. In the first I covered how to cut costs…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2024/12/29/strategic-cost-cutting-without-layoffs/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2024/12/29/strategic-cost-cutting-without-layoffs/Sun, 29 Dec 2024 10:47:23 -0800Controlling costs is a critical part of FP&A, both during budgeting and as actuals are reviewed each month. However, catalysts such as a revenue shortfall or an acquisition may require rapid cost-cutting measures. In these cases, you need to maximize savings without compromising the company’s…https://seacloudconsulting.com/2024/12/16/what-makes-a-great-financial-model-in-excel/https://seacloudconsulting.com/2024/12/16/what-makes-a-great-financial-model-in-excel/Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:52:21 -0800In past FP&A roles, I often used the slower days around the holidays to refine and improve my models. It’s a great time to step back and reflect, and ask the same question that I have posed to candidates over the years: What does good financial modeling look like in Excel? Below is my answer: The…