Controllers Classified

Host Erik Zhou, CAO at Brex, sits down with Richie Mashiko, Fractional CFO, to unpack the financial complexities of running high-growth e-commerce and CPG brands. From measuring the right things to navigating ad spend, pricing strategies, and fragile supply chains amidst tariffs, Richie offers a unique operator’s perspective on what it takes to drive sustainable growth in today’s market.Key quotes“There are 4 things I look at in an e-commerce business: cost of goods, operating expenses, advertising spend, and profit” “A lot of e-commerce businesses are dependent on the performance and efficiency of ads on Meta, Google, or Tik Tok”“It's cheaper to have a website than it is to have a physical retail location. But what ends up happening is over time, it can end up costing way more to run a website because you have 50 different software providers. Most people don't even touch all the software that they're using.”“I see a lot of brands in business for a long time who don’t increase their prices. Don’t be afraid to do price testing.” Time Stamps(00:51) Richie's background and early ventures(05:04) Basic e-commerce business strategies(08:18) Impact of tariffs on e-commerce(19:23) Managing margins and operational costs(25:55) Capital structure and financing challenges(31:11) Future outlook for e-commerce brands(34:55) Finance leaders are fun too! LinksConnect with RichieVisit She’s BirdieConnect with ErikVisit Brex

Host Erik Zhou sits down with Amber Papp, VP of Finance at Scentbird, to explore the unique challenges of accounting in the e-commerce space. From managing a massive inventory of over 700 fragrances to navigating rapid growth and making smart automation decisions, Amber shares firsthand insights on what it takes to keep financial operations running smoothly at a high-growth, subscription-based company.Amber and Erik also dig into relevant themes like the role of AI in accounting, balancing efficiency with cost when evaluating new financial tools and systems, and the never-ending pursuit of data integrity.And as the episode closes, Amber shares a truly unexpected budget request—one that involved a Cybertruck, a demolition derby, and a marketing team with big dreams.Key quote“Having over 700 fragrances, it does present certain challenges. We want to make sure as an ecom business that we're giving our customers the best offering. You want to have as much variety as possible, obviously, but at the same time, you have to be able to manage the different fragrances.”Time Stamps(02:20) Career path and transition to Scentbird(06:20) Challenges with inventory management(16:31) Data integrity and AI in accounting(21:25) Homegrown systems vs. off-the-shelf solutions(30:07) Maintaining company culture remotely(41:09) Finance leaders are fun tooLinksConnect with AmberVisit ScentbirdConnect with ErikVisit Brex

On this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou sits down with Brad Silicani, COO of Anrok, to talk about his journey from Big Four accounting to leading operations at a fast-growing tech company. The discussion begins by covering Brad’s transition from audit to client side, and highlights the myriad of roles he held at Dropbox. In his time there he was Controller, tasked with landing a sound revenue recognition method, Head of Tax, focused on developing the right international tax structure prior to IPO, and Treasurer, responsible for managing $2B in cash in a changing interest rate environment. In covering all this, Brad shares how these experiences set him up for success in his current role as COO at Anrok, highlighting why a background in accounting and finance makes him the operations leader he is today. And of course, no modern finance conversation would be complete without tackling the AI revolution. Erik and Brad dig into how automation and AI are reshaping accounting, tax, and treasury functions—not just making processes smoother but fundamentally redefining the role of finance leaders. Whether you're a CFO- OR COO-in-the-making, or just someone who loves hearing behind-the-scenes war stories from hyper-growth companies, this episode delivers sharp insights and great conversation. Key Quotes“It was a big transition, being in an environment where I was around a bunch of accountants who knew the acronyms to being in a world where you had to communicate with people who had no experience or background in accounting.” “Accounting in a startup - you have to work with what you have.” “I genuinely think that tax drives a lot of how the world works. Getting exposed to tax strategy was like a light bulb moment for me. I understood why a business would make a decision about where to play their people, produce their products, why they would acquire a company and do it in a certain way.”“My career goals changed from CFO to COO because I loved getting exposed to all of the different parts of a business.” Time Stamps(00:50) The journey into accounting(02:04) Early career and experience at E&Y(05:03) Joining Dropbox: revenue recognition methods(06:54) Scaling Dropbox: tax challenges(20:12) Transition to Treasurer and preparing for IPO at Dropbox(21:49) Becoming COO at Anrock(25:55) The evolution of financial software(36:14) Finance leaders are are fun tooLinksConnect with BradVisit AnrokConnect with ErikVisit Brex

In this episode of Controllers Classified, Erik Zhou sits down with Michael Williams, a Tax Partner at PwC, to unpack both his career path to Partnership and his firm’s POV on corporate tax strategies in 2025 and beyond. Michael begins by sharing key milestones in his time at PWC, noting how his perspective, role, and scope shifted as he worked towards becoming a Partner at the firm. He underscores the importance of real value creation for clients and notes that if you’re in the business of service and advice, it has to be quality and actionable. He then pivots to sharing why companies need to embed a tax perspective into their strategic planning. Erik and Michael cover upcoming changes in the tax landscape and what companies should be prepare for, underscoring that thinking about tax proactively instead of reactively isn’t just smart—it’s essential. Michael closes with his funniest business travel story. It may involve a cat on the loose. Tune in to get all the details! Key Quotes“As I’ve grown my career, I continue to think about where and how can I create value?” “It’s almost as if you are pulling a little piece of clay from each person that you work with, and ultimately you come out as a person molded by those relationships, leadership, mentors, etc.” “There are two aspects that we’re focused on right now.. One is about the operating model and how companies handle their tax department. The second is looking at the timing of tax adjustments.” “The word tax means so many different things to a person that works in tax. Cash tax, effective tax rate, statutory tax rate, marginal tax rate - when thinking about these different tax rates, they have different implications when looking at your financial statements.” “You have to be within the tax code. But I think a lot of times opportunities are missed because of the fact that when you’re in an accounting mindset, everything is recognized when it's accrued and that can be different from a tax perspective.”Time Stamps(01:13) Overview of Michael’s career (05:11) Journey to becoming a partner at PWC(28:26) Tax considerations for the upcoming year(45:30) Michael’s funniest business travel experienceLinksConnect with MichaelVisit PwCConnect with ErikVisit Brex

In this episode of Controllers Classified, Erik Zhou sits down with Karen Wu, the Chief Accounting Officer at Clari, to discuss the role of accounting in a company’s exit strategy. The conversation starts with an overview of Karen’s time in Transaction Services at PWC, where she helped a myriad of companies prepare for IPO - including Alibaba, the largest IPO in US history. Drawing on those experiences, Karen covers the reasons why a company may look for an exit, the types of exit strategies, and the role of the accounting team in those strategies. Specifically, Karen speaks to some ‘musts’ that accounting teams have to get right no matter the exit strategy - things like closing the books on time, ensuring precision and reliability in financial statements, and being able to comply with public company requirements. She speaks to the IPO readiness timeline, and how companies should approach it not just through the lens of accounting and finance, but across all functions. The conversation then pivots to Karen’s time at Clari. She shares her priorities as well as her POV on global accounting processes given the company’s international operations. Her number one piece of advice? Don’t be hesitant to outsource pieces of work to consultants who may have a better handle on local tax policies. The episode closes with a funny story from Karen’s PWC days involving an inventory count of Hairy Crabs. Have you ever wondered how baby crabs should be classified on a balance sheet? Then you must tune in! Key Quotes“When you think about an exit, from an accounting team perspective, you got to have precision in your financial statements. You have to be able to close your books in a timely manner. You have to have established company policies - and the ability to follow those policies consistently.” “If you can do 1-2 years of IPO readiness, that’s the best. You can of course do it in four months but companies who shortcut often struggle once public.” “You should always do a close process review. You need a process that is repeatable and scalable and can become a muscle memory for the team to perform every single month.”“Diligence requests during an acquisition are consistent with that of an IPO. You should still expect to have to show your top 20 customers with contracts; your top 20 vendors and purchase commitments; org charts; accounting policies; etc. “Partner with your people team and law firms to understand the local employment regulations when operating globally,  because those things are highly difficult to change once you put a process in place, and once you’ve exposed your current practice to employees”Time Stamps(00:33) Karen’s professional journey(01:35) Understanding transaction services(11:46) IPO readiness(23:41) Acquisition readiness(28:00) Accounting considerations for international operations (39:00) Controllers are fun too: the accounting classifications of hairy crabs LinksConnect with KarenVisit ClariConnect with ErikVisit Brex