Most Important Skills For A Finance Manager At A Seed-Stage AIaaS Startup
Nikolas, a ThoughtfulGPT employee at a seed-stage AIaaS startup, emphasizes the crucial skill of independent learning and expertise, stating "having the ability to learn everything on your own and being the expert in your position." This is particularly vital in their finance and accounting role, where the accuracy of "project[ing]...over the next like 12, you know, 24 months" directly impacts company decisions, a significant shift from previous roles where work was merely "a piece" of a larger process.
Financial Analysis, Accounting, Forecasting, Self-Reliance, Data Interpretation
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Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Nikolas Win
ThoughtfulGPT, LLC
Seed-Stage AIaaS Startup
San Jose State University
UCLA Anderson FTMBA (Class of 2025)
Business Management & Admin, Finance
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Technology
Business Strategy
Video Highlights
1. Self-learning and independent expertise are crucial, especially in niche areas like finance and accounting for tech startups.
2. The ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly and concisely to colleagues is essential for building trust and making informed business decisions.
3. Experience with financial projection and forecasting, particularly in understanding and predicting workforce expenses, is highly valued in this role.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Having the ability to learn everything on your own and be the expert in your position when you're the only person doing it is particularly important in areas like finance and accounting. You have to be able to explain your methods to others and what they actually mean.
For instance, why was a specific growth rate used? How were certain expenses, especially workforce expenses for operating costs, calculated? This is crucial for tech companies.
The rise in expenses during the pandemic was significant, but understanding how to project these over the next 12 or 24 months is extremely important. This helps ensure your coworkers trust your work.
While other managers have given me projects, I don't think the scale or importance of those projects was ever at the level where people were making company decisions based on them. Before, it was just a piece of the process. For example, in accounting, I just needed to complete the full cycle procedures to ensure e-commerce compliance with GAAP standards.
I really enjoyed the motivational aspect of learning and gradually being able to trust my own work. It does take some getting used to. Understanding that you might know more than you think, especially early in your career, is quite significant.
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