financeability

Stephanie Sims is a capital strategist, startup advisor, and the Founder of Finance-Ability, where she helps founders build economic stories that make dollars and cents. After nearly a decade in investment banking and having worked with the likes of Goldman, Lehman and CSFB on over $5 billion of transactions, Stephanie rode the high tech startup rollercoaster in Europe, complete with angels, venture capitalists, and the coveted exit to a publicly traded company.

Stephanie has educated and mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs across three continents and has helped her clients raise over $30 million dollars in early stage capital. She is frequently asked to judge startup competitions and to speak about venture capital, angel investment and alternative sources of funding.

Stephanie is also the host of the "What's Your Ask Podcast', where she talks to investors and entrepreneurs about the different ways they've asked and been asked for money, references, introductions, and more.

In this episode…

Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on many people's lives, especially on women in business. They’ve been forced to work from home and juggle business with motherhood. However, these circumstances could provide a good opportunity for women to figure out what their businesses actually need.

At this time of limited movements and interactions, it is important for women entrepreneurs to take advantage of the situation, sit down and get clear on what you want. You need to remember what got you excited about your work in the early days of your business and find out what gives you joy right now. This way, it will be easier to figure out what works well for you and use that to improve both your personal and professional life.

Stephanie Sims, the Founder of Finance-Ability, is Andrea Heuston's guest in this week's episode of the Lead Like a Woman Show where she shares her expertise on entrepreneurial finance and venture funding. She also talks about her own entrepreneurial journey that led to the founding of Finance-Ability and her work with organizations that serve startup founders. Stay tuned.

Today, I’m excited to talk to Tiffany Bisconer, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 20 years of experience in the fields of accounting and tax. 

Tiffany has worked with one of the top 10 Certified Public Accounting and Consulting Firms in the nation and is currently the Director of Acena Consulting focusing on providing specialty tax incentive consulting services. 

Combining her private industry and public accounting experience, she works with CPA firms and directly with business owners and leadership teams in multiple industries at all levels of growth, to help educate and identify opportunities for the utilization of tax credits for infusion of cash flow. 

Tiffany also spends her time mentoring early-stage start-ups to build a bridge between innovation and business foundations.

Her desire to give back to the community and humanity as a whole has been a driving force in her path of life. She is originally from San Francisco, CA, and came to live in Phoenix, AZ 10 years ago via Miami, FL.

Welcome Tiffany!

In this episode…

Tiffany explains how the toughest questions are the ones you ask yourself.

Stick to your way of doing what you envision. Don’t allow others to tell you your way is the wrong way. As long as it moves you towards your goals, don’t be afraid to do it differently.  

Give yourself the space and time to check-in and be sure what you’re doing is still in alignment with who you are and where your goals are taking you. 

Listen for more on how being the best version of yourself allows you to make better decisions for your business.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

• Tiffany Bisconer on LinkedIn
• Marie Forleo episode talking about Bronnie Ware
• Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
• Finance-Ability
• Stephanie Sims
• Stephanie Sims LinkedIn

Sponsor for this episode...

Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible.

Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out.

Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.

Stephanie Sims is a Capital Strategist and the Founder of Finance-Ability, a boutique consulting firm focused on helping entrepreneurs get the funding they need to grow their business.

Stephanie founded Finance-Ability after more than 20 years of working on both Wall Street and Main Street. Now she teaches entrepreneurs to paint a picture with numbers that helps them make confident decisions and captivate people with money to say yes. 

In this episode…

One critical mistake that startup companies make is failing to captivate potential investors—and ultimately losing out on the funding you need. Because the founders aren’t ready or prepared to seal the deal, this same mistake ends up making startup accelerator programs look bad on Demo Day. Are you doing this? If you are, Stephanie Sims is here to help you in this episode of the What’s Your Ask show. 

According to Stephanie Sims, founders make a (huge!) mistake when they don’t know their numbers since they’re unable to show investors why investing in their company is a potentially profitable investment. So, how do you rectify this? Which numbers are critical for founders to know and how can you get it right? Listen to this episode of the What’s Your Ask show with Stephanie Sims as she breaks down the details of knowing your numbers, why it is crucial for your success on Demo Day, and how to go about learning your numbers.