(Disclaimer: I am not endorsed by or receive compensation for working with Strategic Finance Careers. I just like what they do and want to support them).

I had a blast talking to Zu Daya on the Strategic Finance Careers podcast a few weeks ago and sharing some thoughts on Strategic Finance as a function and what to look for in high quality candidates.

Here’s some highlights:

• Strategic Finance ≠ FP&A: Both are strategic but Strategic Finance focuses on supporting cross-functional teams in building zero to one initiatives and deeply understanding unit economic models & ROI whereas FP&A systematizes these models into repeatable forecasts and reporting while designing the KPIs that drive the business forward

• How to find your way to Strategic Finance: Given the nature of the work, there’s no one defined path. My path was circuitous. I wanted to be a doctor at first but by chance ended up focusing on economics. In college I interned at a newly incubated VC incubator that was incubating mobile game studios (say that three times fast). I started my career in investment banking but found startups early. All that said, I think Strategic Finance Careers has nailed their academy concept and Zu is a great teacher

• What I look for in strong Strategic Finance candidates: For me, it’s less about your knowledge of complex financial modeling and more about your ability to adeptly problem-solve in ambiguous environments, understand key business model drivers and convey them in everyday language

You can find the full podcast here:

If you are a Strategic Finance operator looking to build out your team or you're interested in breaking into the space, I can't really think of a better team to work with than Strategic Finance Careers and my good friend Zu Daya. As us StratFin nerds know, beyond the buzzwords, the Strategic Finance Function is just so different than your typical Finance function and the skills you need to drive zero to one initiatives, understand unit economics, handle data analysis and develop ROI-based models is unique. That's why I was blown away by how Zu, who just loves to teach, has designed this awesome StratFin Academy to drive our function forward.If you want to learn more feel free to message me directly or just shoot a note to Zu!