Scott Brown

Atlanta, GA, United States

Member since September 20, 2016

Scott has extensive experience working with high growth businesses in many capacities. He finds that a solid foundation in accounting and operations helps him better guide the financial planning and decision-making process. He has consulted with a number of different service and manufacturing businesses helping with capacity planning, incentive plans, business plan development, and developing driver-based rolling forecast processes.

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Career Highlights

Managing Director/Owner
The Shared Finance Center
Finance Director
OVE.com
Director of Sales Finance
AutoTrader.com

Education

Master's degree
Southern Methodist University
Bachelor's degree
Southern Methodist University

Case studies

Business Plan and Model Development
- Business Planning
- Marketing Strategy
- Fundraising
Business Stress Test Model
- Financial Modeling
- Three Statement Operating Model
- SWOT Analysis
- Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Investment Fund Model
- Financial Modeling
- Fundraising
- Three Statement Operating Model

Expertise

Business Planning
Business Process Refinement
CFO
Controller
Incentive Plan Design
Lean Startups
Three Statement Operating Model
Valuation Modeling

Employment

Managing Director/Owner
2013 - PRESENT
The Shared Finance Center
- Helped various high growth businesses develop their financial and resource plans in their first years of operation.
- Built financial reporting dashboards for monitoring periodic KPIs by integrating a number of different data sources.
- Implemented capacity planning tools to accommodate manufacturing outages, connecting the FP&A and supply chain functions.
- Modeled numerous scenarios for the business model pivot and worked with ownership to determine the best course of action for the business.
- Built a multi-currency customer reporting tool with FOREX conversion abilities for single currency reporting.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Financial Modeling & Valuation, Three Statement Operating Model, Budgeting
Finance Director
2008 - 2013
OVE.com
- Assumed ownership of the financial process of a startup digital subsidiary of an established business, eventually merging it into the parent’s operations through the development of a shared service center.
- Reduced month end close process from five days to three days, establishing a best practice for the company.
- Worked extensively with external consultants to restructure the organization and reduce the run rate by 20%.
- Implemented a twelve-month rolling (metrics and driver based) forecast process integrating both Opex and Capex into one cash flow forecast.
- Developed an integrated monthly reporting package for the executive leadership team and board.
Focus areas: Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Strategic Planning, Accounting, Financial Analysis, Forecasting, Business Cases, CAPEX Planning
Director of Sales Finance
2002 - 2008
AutoTrader.com
- Managed the consolidation and communication of monthly forecasts, variance reports, and annual budgets.
- Directed design and development of improved revenue forecasting tools.
- Restructured commission plan to reduce volatility while keeping the alignment to corporate goals intact.
- Developed territory assignment and metrics to better evaluate and monitor effectiveness of sales staff, increasing productivity in excess of 30%.
- Worked with business owners to turn around product line by providing forecasts, analysis, and reports to drive decisions, making it contribution margin positive.
Focus areas: Budgeting, Forecasting, Commission Reporting, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Sales Territory Planning, Variance Analysis
Controller
1998 - 2001
HealthAxis.com
- Led accounting team through Great Plains migration and reduced close cycle by 35%.
- Coordinated a five-year audit with external audit team for IPO.
- Managed the successful integration of accounting function as part of a reverse merger with a public shell company.
Focus areas: Accounting, Forecasting
Financial Analyst
1997 - 1998
Sigma Capital, LLC
- Worked with entrepreneurs to prepare business plans and financial models for fundraising presentations.
- Contacted venture capital investors to raise interest in client ventures.
Focus areas: Venture Funding, Business Plan Development, Financial Modeling

Other Experience

Hiring a Startup CFO - When to Hire a CFO and Why You Need One (Publication)
https://www.toptal.com/finance/interim-cfos/hiring-a-startup-cfo
For young companies, the value of a full-time CFO is hotly contested. At the debate’s core, is the trade-off between the sheer expense of an experienced CFO at such an early stage (not cheap), and the value said individual posits to confer where growth, strategy, fundraising, and operations are concerned. Borrowing elements from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and adapting them for this purpose, Toptal Finance Expert Scott Brown introduces a unique framework for how startups might go about thinking through and making this decision.

Education

Master's degree in Finance
2000 - 2002
Southern Methodist University - Texas
Bachelor's degree in Business Administration
1985 - 1989
Southern Methodist University - Texas