The CEO’s Fork in the Road: Do You Want a CFO Who Operates… or a CFO Who Leads?
By TED ROSE, ROSE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS
Financial Clarity = Confidence
For decades, companies have placed an impossible expectation on their CFOs: run every financial operation and drive strategic leadership. Accounting. Month‑end close. Billing. Compliance. Reporting. Audit prep. System integrations. And on top of that—forecasting, cash strategy, pricing, margins, growth planning. But the world has changed.
We’re in the middle of the largest accounting talent shortage in decades, with increasing technology complexity and rising expectations from CEOs, boards, and investors. The result?
CFOs are stuck running the machine instead of improving it. It's no wonder that most CFO's don't have a comprehensive AI strategy for financial operations.
Today’s CEO faces a defining question:
Do you want your CFO focused on transactions—or focused on strategic growth?
You cannot have both without modern financial infrastructure.
Where Companies Break
Most organizations don’t fail because of bad CFOs. They fail because the CFO is buried in operational work they shouldn’t be doing.
- CFOs drowning in operational tasks: Close cycles, reconciliations, billing issues, compliance questions—it never ends.
- Delayed reporting → delayed decisions: When data is late or questionable, leadership hesitates. Momentum stalls.
- No bandwidth for forecasting, pricing, and margin strategy: The work that drives value creation gets pushed aside.
- Systems that can’t scale with the business: A new ERP implementation alone can’t solve workflow gaps or staffing shortages.
- Advisory turns into firefighting: The CFO becomes reactive, not strategic.
This isn’t a financial leadership issue.
It’s a financial infrastructure issue.
The New Model: CFOs Lead, FaaS Operates
Modern CFOs are shifting to a hybrid model:
Finance‑as‑a‑Service (FaaS) runs the back office. The CFO focuses on strategy, performance, pricing, and value creation.
A CEO would never ask a CTO to run the help desk. So why ask the CFO to run bookkeeping, reconciliations, and transactional workflows?
FaaS is becoming the operating backbone for modern finance teams—especially in GovCon and regulated industries where accuracy and compliance are non‑negotiable.
Enter Easby: The System of Engagement for Modern Finance
Most CEOs believe their ERP runs the business. But here’s the truth: Your ERP wasn’t designed to run your workflows. It was designed to store data—not manage day‑to‑day financial execution.
This is where Easby changes the game. Easby is a system of engagement—an agility layer that:
- Sits on top of your existing ERP (no migration needed)
- Will automate 85% of finance workflows by 2030 (using Agentic AI)
- Improves accuracy, consistency, and compliance
- Reduces operational workload for CFOs and their teams
- Creates real‑time visibility and actionable insights
- Integrates seamlessly with FaaS delivery
In short:
Easby modernizes your back office without replacing your ERP.
The cost savings are significant. The information and value creation is even greater.
Why CEOs Should Care
Companies that modernize finance operations through FaaS + Easby gain:
- Real‑time financial visibility - guaranteed
- Higher margins through a smarter cost structure - guaranteed
- Better pricing, bid strategy, and forecasting
- Lower operational and compliance risk - audit certainty - guaranteed
- A CFO who spends their energy on growth—not spreadsheets
This is the shift that separates stagnant companies from market leaders.
The Question Every CEO Must Answer
If your CFO had an additional 20–40 hours per week, what would they focus on?
Margins? Cash? Pricing? Growth strategy? Preparing for a sale or raise? AI readiness for the rest of your business?
Whatever the answer—that is what drives enterprise value. Not reconciliations.
Unlock What Your CFO Could Do If They Weren’t Trapped in Operations
If you're ready to give your CFO the financial infrastructure they need to lead—not just operate—now is the time. The AI roadmap for financial operations is already operational and proceeding towards 85% automation by 2030.
Easby + FaaS provides the operational backbone. Your CFO provides the strategic lift. Your business gains clarity, control, and confidence.
To Discover How, DM me at (Ted Rose) or contact ROSE at
https://www.rosefinancial.com/contact-us
Ted Rose
In 1994 Ted Rose founded Rose Financial Solutions (ROSE), the Premier U.S. Based Finance and Accounting Outsourcing Firm. In 2010, the Blackbook of Outsourcing named ROSE the #1 FAO firm in the world based on client satisfaction. As the president and CEO of ROSE, he provides executives with financial clarity. Ted has also acted as the CFO for a number of growth companies and assisted with various rounds of financing and M&A transactions.
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