Episode Content Outline

General Discussion
- Building a Remote Finance Team
  - Ken to give overview of structure of current team
  - Ken to talk through closing calendar structure
    - How do you manage your close calendar?
    - What are the critical monthly deadlines?
    - When are the books closed?
  - The Virtual Assistant to the CFO
    - How do you currently leverage a virtual assistant(VA)?
      - Their duties/responsibilities?
      - Gaining trust with a new VA
    - When should a CFO hire a VA?
    - Effective communication with your VA
    - Finding a VA
  - Project Manager
    - What is the purpose/role of the PM
    - Structure
  - Onshore vs Offshore
    - Which roles are better suited for Offshore/onshore?
    - Issues to consider when choosing whether to find onshore/offshore remote talent.
  - Recruiting
    - Onshore
      - How do you interview for remote finance hires?
        What do you look for in a remote candidate?
        What are the warning signs that a candidate isn’t suited for remote work?
        What working hours expectations do you set with your teams? Especially offshore or people who are in different time zones?
      - What do you recommend for equipment policy for your onshore hires?
    - Offshore
      - Where to look when searching for Offshore help?
        Websites?
      - Tips for interviewing/etc.
      - Paying Offshore contractors/tax issues?
      - Using an agency vs direct contractor hire
      - Using part-time contractors?
  - Onboarding/Training
    - Once you have hired people, what advice would you give regarding the onboarding and training process in a 100% remote environment?
  - Maintaining Culture and Morale
    - How do you build and maintain relationships with a 100% remote team?
      - What do you do for team building, etc?
      - How do you gauge if an employee is at risk of leaving or is having an issue with engagement?
      - Is there an expectation to have the onshore team at the same place together at some interval (once or twice a year?)
  - Summary:
    - Advice for those building a team from scratch
    - Advice for those who are transitioning from a local team to a remote team
- Running a Remote Finance Team
  - What is your meeting cadence with your team and how often do you touch base?
    - Dealing with time zone differences
  - How do you keep on top of your team?
    - How do you know if deliverables are being worked on, and your team is running efficiently?
  - What tools do you use to run your team?
    - Task Management?
    - Communication?
    - Document/workpaper storage?
    - Monthly Accounting Calendar?
  - Any other considerations?

Wrap Up
- What are your top “Do” and “Do not” regarding managing a remote finance team?
  - Do
  - Do Not