Ambereen Toubassy, the CFO of Airtable, has experience as an advisor, an investor, and an operator. In this episode, she joins CJ to talk about how this experience informs her role as a CFO. The two delve into the complexities of navigating investor feedback and how to take criticism without getting defensive. They also discuss how to build the right advisory network, red flags to watch for, and the importance of scaffolding your weaknesses with external expertise. The episode also highlights the value of specificity in the role of a finance leader. Ambereen shares insights from her extensive career, including her time at Quibi, explaining what she learned from this moonshot idea that didn’t work out as hoped and her approach to balancing fiduciary duties with the human side of leadership.

If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.

—

SPONSORS:

Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Brex makes it easy to control spend before it happens, automate annoying tasks, and optimize your finances. Find out how Brex can help you make every dollar count at brex.com/metrics.

Vanta's trust management platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation. Over 9000 businesses use it to automate compliance needs across over 35 frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Centralize security workflows, complete questionnaires up to five times faster, and proactively manage vendor risk. For a limited time, get $1,000 off of Vanta at vanta.com/metrics.

Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. It doesn’t just show you where the problems are—it helps you solve them. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities, like duplicative spend, to automating those painful procurement workflows, to giving you the best market data that turns every vendor negotiation in your favor. Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn how

MUFG is the largest bank in Japan and a global banking powerhouse with a focus on empowering Growth and Middle Market stage companies in North America and Europe. MUFG provides comprehensive banking services for VC-backed, PE-backed, and public companies with revenues starting at $40M. The bank combines its global capabilities with deep operational understanding to help companies accelerate their growth trajectory. Contact group head Bob Blee at bblee@us.mufg.jp to find out more.

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.

RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. Whether it's multi-element arrangements, subscription renewals, or complex usage-based contracts, RightRev takes care of it all. That means fewer spreadsheets, fewer errors, and more time for your team to focus on growth. For modern revenue recognition simplified, visit rightrev.com and schedule a demo.

Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.

—

@cjgustafson222 (CJ)

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:25) Sponsor – Brex | Vanta | Tropic

(06:55) What Ambereen Has Learned from Being an Investor

(10:53) Dealing with Investor Feedback

(18:09) Sponsor – MUFG | NetSuite | RightRev | Planful

(22:54) Tips for Not Taking Feedback Personally

(24:12) When to Bring Founders into Meetings with Investors

(25:52) Scaffolding Your Weaknesses

(30:59) Whether or Not to Pay More for Great Advisors

(34:12) How to Identify the Right Banker or Consultant

(35:13) Banker and Consultant Red Flags to Watch Out For

(39:11) “In the Particular Is Contained the Universal”

(42:42) How the Specific Plays a Role in the Job of a Finance Leader

(46:46) Quibi, the Moonshot Idea That Didn’t Land as Planned

(50:16) Fiduciary Responsibility When Things Don’t Go as Planned

(55:00) Long-Ass Lightning Round: A Career Mistake

(55:48) Advice to Younger Self

(57:14) Finance Software Stack

(58:26) Craziest Expense Story

Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe

Taking Criticism Like a Pro: Airtable's Ambereen Toubassy on Investor Feedback and Curiosity

Powered by Wave AI