“FP&A consultant” is one of those job descriptions that can mean almost anything. Build a forecast. Fix a model. Help with the budget. Prepare something for the board. Figure out why margins are falling. Untangle a reporting process that apparently requires three people, six spreadsheets and one person who absolutely cannot take vacation. All technically […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-artempodrez-6779567-2-modified-1.jpg6751200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-27 12:42:542026-09-27 12:42:54What Does an FP&A Consultant Do? A Practical Guide
I don’t start reviewing a financial model with the formulas. This occasionally bothers people. They’ve spent a lot of time building those formulas. There may be nested IF statements. INDEX MATCH. XLOOKUP. Maybe something involving OFFSET that nobody wants to discuss. I’m sure it’s all very impressive. I want to know why revenue grows 12%. […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-leeloothefirst-5561913-modified-1.jpg8011200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-27 12:35:312026-09-27 12:35:31How to Review a Financial Model Before You Trust It
There is something about cash that improves everyone’s interest in Finance. Revenue misses forecast? We should discuss it. Gross margin moves? Let’s understand the drivers. Cash gets tight? Suddenly the CFO, CEO, Controller, three department heads and someone who hasn’t spoken to Finance since the Christmas party would like an update. Preferably this afternoon. That’s […]
I have a fairly simple test for a forecasting process. When the forecast changes, can anyone explain why? Not which cell changed. Not which department submitted a new number. Not that revenue is now $600,000 lower than it was three weeks ago. What changed in the business? That question sounds embarrassingly basic until you’ve sat […]
I have a strong opinion about building an FP&A function from scratch: Don’t start by hiring FP&A people. I realize this is an inconvenient opening for an article about building an FP&A function. But I’ve seen companies decide they need FP&A and immediately jump to the org chart. We need a Director. Maybe two analysts. […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-pavel-danilyuk-7654493-modified-scaled.jpg17092560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 23:18:022026-09-26 23:33:16How to Build an FP&A Function From Scratch: A Practical Guide
I’ve noticed something slightly strange about the way I learn. Whenever someone explains something new to me, my brain immediately starts looking for something old. A person. A meeting. A mistake. A company I worked for. Something my mother said 25 years ago. A completely unrelated Tuesday in 2011. Anything, apparently, that will give the […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-cottonbro-5723883-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 20:29:152026-09-26 20:31:09How Past Experiences Help Us Learn New Things
I can usually tell pretty quickly when a finance function isn’t working. Not because the forecast is wrong. Forecasts are wrong all the time. If being wrong disqualified a finance team, we’d have to shut down the profession. It’s usually smaller things. Someone says, “Let me check with Mike.” Then someone else says it. Then […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-yankrukov-7792840-modified-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 06:00:542026-09-26 08:49:10Things I Notice When a Finance Function Isn’t Working
I have trust issues with beautiful financial models. Not because I don’t like them. I do. Give me clean tabs, consistent formatting, sensible colors and a model where I don’t need an archaeological expedition to find the assumptions. I’m happy. But I’ve been around Finance long enough to know that a beautiful spreadsheet and a […]
I have a slightly inconvenient habit in Finance. When the numbers are bad, I ask questions. When the numbers are good, I ask more questions. Revenue is $800,000 ahead of forecast? Great. Why? Gross margin improved three points? Wonderful. What happened? Cash collections suddenly accelerated? Now I’m suspicious. This is probably not the personality trait […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-karola-g-6028573-modified-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-25 08:59:252026-09-25 09:00:59Good News Makes Me Nervous
I started my career as a billing temp. Not exactly the traditional origin story for a finance executive. No investment banking. No glamorous rotational program. No dramatic montage involving Wall Street, three computer monitors and someone yelling about EBITDA. I was billing people. But one of the first things I remember doing was asking if […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-googledeepmind-17485658-modified-scaled.jpg14402560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-24 16:29:302026-09-24 22:06:29Finance Is Supposed to Know the Business. Somehow We Made That Optional
What Does an FP&A Consultant Do? A Practical Guide
“FP&A consultant” is one of those job descriptions that can mean almost anything. Build a forecast. Fix a model. Help with the budget. Prepare something for the board. Figure out why margins are falling. Untangle a reporting process that apparently requires three people, six spreadsheets and one person who absolutely cannot take vacation. All technically […]
How to Review a Financial Model Before You Trust It
I don’t start reviewing a financial model with the formulas. This occasionally bothers people. They’ve spent a lot of time building those formulas. There may be nested IF statements. INDEX MATCH. XLOOKUP. Maybe something involving OFFSET that nobody wants to discuss. I’m sure it’s all very impressive. I want to know why revenue grows 12%. […]
13-Week Cash Flow Forecast: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
There is something about cash that improves everyone’s interest in Finance. Revenue misses forecast? We should discuss it. Gross margin moves? Let’s understand the drivers. Cash gets tight? Suddenly the CFO, CEO, Controller, three department heads and someone who hasn’t spoken to Finance since the Christmas party would like an update. Preferably this afternoon. That’s […]
FP&A Forecasting Process: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
I have a fairly simple test for a forecasting process. When the forecast changes, can anyone explain why? Not which cell changed. Not which department submitted a new number. Not that revenue is now $600,000 lower than it was three weeks ago. What changed in the business? That question sounds embarrassingly basic until you’ve sat […]
How to Build an FP&A Function From Scratch: A Practical Guide
I have a strong opinion about building an FP&A function from scratch: Don’t start by hiring FP&A people. I realize this is an inconvenient opening for an article about building an FP&A function. But I’ve seen companies decide they need FP&A and immediately jump to the org chart. We need a Director. Maybe two analysts. […]
How Past Experiences Help Us Learn New Things
I’ve noticed something slightly strange about the way I learn. Whenever someone explains something new to me, my brain immediately starts looking for something old. A person. A meeting. A mistake. A company I worked for. Something my mother said 25 years ago. A completely unrelated Tuesday in 2011. Anything, apparently, that will give the […]
Things I Notice When a Finance Function Isn’t Working
I can usually tell pretty quickly when a finance function isn’t working. Not because the forecast is wrong. Forecasts are wrong all the time. If being wrong disqualified a finance team, we’d have to shut down the profession. It’s usually smaller things. Someone says, “Let me check with Mike.” Then someone else says it. Then […]
I Have Trust Issues With Beautiful Financial Models
I have trust issues with beautiful financial models. Not because I don’t like them. I do. Give me clean tabs, consistent formatting, sensible colors and a model where I don’t need an archaeological expedition to find the assumptions. I’m happy. But I’ve been around Finance long enough to know that a beautiful spreadsheet and a […]
Good News Makes Me Nervous
I have a slightly inconvenient habit in Finance. When the numbers are bad, I ask questions. When the numbers are good, I ask more questions. Revenue is $800,000 ahead of forecast? Great. Why? Gross margin improved three points? Wonderful. What happened? Cash collections suddenly accelerated? Now I’m suspicious. This is probably not the personality trait […]
Finance Is Supposed to Know the Business. Somehow We Made That Optional
I started my career as a billing temp. Not exactly the traditional origin story for a finance executive. No investment banking. No glamorous rotational program. No dramatic montage involving Wall Street, three computer monitors and someone yelling about EBITDA. I was billing people. But one of the first things I remember doing was asking if […]