“CFOs, THIS is a balance sheet!”
Ok, perhaps that declaration doesn’t land with quite the same impact as when Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi made his original statement in 1961 when he famously said, “Gentlemen, this is a football!” And maybe CFO.com’s new bespoke look isn’t quite the same as what Lombardi was trying to accomplish following a crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the previous season’s NFL Championship Game.
But what I believe is similar is that, even when you are building a successful model of anything, whether it be a winning football team, a website, or a PB&J, you should always have the courage to go back to the basics, examine your foundation, and be willing to make changes when necessary.
Our world here at CFO is shifting today from the old to the new. If you’re on our website today, you’ve already noticed it looks markedly different than it has over the past 18 months. Why did we change it? It is, in part, because there are times when “the good” can become the enemy of “great.” Jim Collins, the author and researcher who coined the term “Good to Great,” espouses that if you want to continue your trajectory, you have to continue the process. You can’t ever become complacent. I think Lombardi, coming off that championship loss, would have agreed.
What do we want to achieve in this current version? It is what we’ve been hearing from you, our finance executive readership. It involves focus, speed, and frequency.
Focus. The new car smell, chassis, and detailing arrive with a redoubled effort to continue to serve and impact you, the finance executive. Everything will continue to be tailored around the idea that you don’t have a ton of time to waste each day, so if you invest some of that time with us, we will make sure it is worth your while. From our enterprise reporting to our data analysis, in-depth series, research, surveys, profiles, Q&As, and conference coverage, everything is purposed to ensure it impacts you, your job, and your career.
Speed. Our website and newsletter will continue to have great insights, analysis, data visualization, profiles, and first-person perspectives, and our new model allows us to deliver it to you quickly, clearly, and with minimal distractions. Our speed to your browser, smartphone, and inbox allows you to consume, digest, synthesize, and move forward with equal velocity.
Frequency. The website will continue to be your destination of choice for all corporate finance-related news and analysis. In addition, because of your investment and engagement with our newsletter, we can share that, starting next week, The Balance will become a daily inbox experience. We will be changing from three times per week to every single day.
Additionally, for those who prefer a weekend reading experience, we’re excited to announce that our Saturday morning newsletter, The Weekly Close, will also arrive in your inbox. We want to offer you options so you can get the best CFO experience possible, and our subscriptions are easy to manage to suit your needs.
Technical note — to ensure we make it into your inbox on the frequency you prefer, be sure to add us to your “allow” list, mark us as a safe sender, or simply email us here. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of.
Thank you for abiding with us. We’re excited to move forward with these changes and more to come as we continue to evolve. One thing that never changes — this space is for CFOs, by CFOs, and I and my team are here to deliver value to you and get out of the way.
Thoughts? Feedback? Feel free to reach out.