Art Zylstra - The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business

The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work

Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

1234567...20

Contents

2021 by Art Zylstra

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to , or mailed to Permissions, Indie Books International, 2424 Vista Way, Suite 316, Oceanside, CA 92054.

The views and opinions in this book are those of the author at the time of writing this book, and do not reflect the opinions of Indie Books International or its editors.

Myers-Briggs is a registered trademark of The Myers & Briggs Foundation in the United States and other countries. MBTI is a trademark or registered trademark of The Myers & Briggs Foundation in the United States and other countries.

Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering legal or other professional services through this book. If expert assistance is required, the services of appropriate professionals should be sought. The publisher and the author shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information in this publication.

ISBN-13: 978-1-952233-73-9
eISBN: 978-1-9522337-4-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021916727

Designed by: Joni McPherson

INDIE BOOKS INTERNATIONAL, INC.

2424 VISTA WAY, SUITE 316
OCEANSIDE, CA 92054

www.indiebooksintl.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

Many people have influenced and impacted my life in various ways. Each of these people have played a part in shaping and molding me to be the person I am today. There is not room on this page to acknowledge them all.

To my parents, Clarence and Theresa Zylstra, who did not live to see me write this book, for instilling in me a work ethic and a desire to volunteer in the community.

To my wife, Ronda Zylstra, for her patience with me as I traveled, got my degrees, volunteered, all while we raised three children.

To my children, Clayton, Kari, and Laura, for helping me be a better parent.

To Bakke Graduate University for giving me the words and platform to build on my stewardship theme.

To Michael Oskouian, a friend, mentor, and the person who encouraged me to expand my business, as a way to reach more business owners with my message.

To Henry DeVries, who was instrumental in guiding me through writing this book.

CHAPTER 1

Why Start A CFO Business

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

If you havent found it yet, keep looking. Dont settle.

STEVE JOBS

Do you work with a mission-driven company that aligns with your values and your dreams? Are you being paid for the value that you bring to your employer?

You have worked hard to build a career in the corporate world. Businesses need your insights and expertise. Owners you have worked for have built successful companies and wealth. Accomplishments like this should define a successful and satisfying career for most accounting and finance professionals. And yet there still is this nagging thought in your mind that asks, What am I missing? Why am I not more satisfied with my career? In the following chapters, I will lay out an alternative career path that, if followed, will allow you to experience the satisfying and well-paid career you have always dreamed of having.

Perhaps you have committed to spending more time focused on your family and not climbing the corporate ladder. Good for you. But now you are looking at your retirement funds, and you realize that being family-oriented has had an impact on your career earnings. Or you have helped owners accomplish their dreams at the expense of putting your life vision on the back burner. Sure, each business you worked with created jobs in the community, but did you have a sense of pride in the companys mission? How many times did you feel pressure to make decisions that did not align with your values? What dreams have you given up on to pursue your career? I have experienced each of these questions throughout my career. My quest has been to find a job that provided me with career satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment without sacrificing my integrity and a salary I could build a retirement on. However, each position has left me with the same question, What am I missing?

I thought that my last W-2 job checked as many boxes as possible on the career satisfaction indicator. I had always looked at my career as a means to do the things that I truly enjoyed doing. As long as my job allowed me the capacity to spend time with my family, travel, educate myself through reading, and impact the community, that is all I needed. Bakke Graduate University (BGU) was the dream job that combined all these desires and packaged them in a job. I was confident that this would be the job that carried me to retirement.

BGU is a mission-driven organization leveraging a global network of leaders and partners to deliver a values-based education to urban students worldwide. BGU combined a whole-church theology with a quality academic discipline designed to empower the underserved to transform unjust laws and oppressive public structures. BGU recognized that local and global business has a growing influence in our world and an increasing crisis of purpose and ethics.

The mission of BGU was a perfect fit for me. I love to travel and experience different cultures around the world. I believe that the unity of faith-based organizations collaborating with values-driven businesses can transform communities in ways we can only imagine. I know that contextual and experiential education rooted in todays global realities will have a community impact.

The work environment at BGU was collaborative and included clerical, teaching, and leadership in all educational processes. I knew I had found a home when I learned that the department, traditionally known as Human Resources, was called People Development. One of the founders of BGU began to refer to me as the Chief Stewardship Officer instead of Chief Financial Officer. This label was an affirmation that the culture of BGU was the right place for me.

Could it be possible that I finally had found a job that checked all the boxes for what I was looking for in a career? I enjoyed working with the staff at BGU. I was developing authentic relationships with students and staff alike. I was able to operate in integrity in fulfilling my duties as CFO. Stewardship was an essential value of the school, and I was able to follow an extraordinary path of stewardship. Pursuing an attitude of service was honored, encouraged, and highlighted through the principles of servant-leadership. Each staff member and each student was valued as an individual pursuing their path of accomplishment. Mistakes were considered opportunities to learn. Operating in grace was standard practice.

Had I discovered the holy grail of jobs? A mission and values-driven organization that valued and developed people was as good as it gets, right? Other than the forty- minute commute into the city, it was perfect. Oh, and getting paid at the bottom of the pay scale for a CFO role. Not to mention a business model highly dependent on the contributions of a few major donors. In the end, donor money dried up during the recession of 2008, and the university had to lay off many of its staff, including myself. BGU was forced to reinvent itself and since that time BGU has moved locations, developed a new financial model, and is now a vibrant global university. Yet as they spent a decade reinventing themselves, I also had to invent a new way to use my gifts and calling in ways that created value for others while providing financial sustainability for my family.

Next page

1234567...20

Light

Font size:

↓

↑

Georgia Tahoma Arial Verdana

Reset

Interval:

↓

↑

Bookmark:

Make

Similar books «The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business»

Look at similar books to The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.

Chris Coultas

Driven Not Drained

Frank Burtnett

Bound-For-Career Guidebook: A Student Guide to Career Exploration, Decision Making, and the Job Search

Rhonda Schaller

Create Your Art Career: Practical Tools, Visualizations, and Self-Assessment Exercises for Empowerment and Success

Ron Elsdon

How to Build a Nontraditional Career Path

Barbara Fulmer

Ditch Your Career Plan: An Uncommon Guide To Freedom, Fulfillment, And Financial Success

Dan Ramsey

The Everything Start Your Own Consulting Business Book: Expert, step-by-step advice for a successful and profitable career

Michelle Gibson-Morgan

Changing Career Direction?: 7 Steps to Transition to a New Career Path

Bukky Ekine-Ogunlana

The Career Success Formula: Proven Career Development Advice and Finding Rewarding Employment for Young Adults and College Graduates

Jillian Ventrone

From Boots to Business: Transitioning from the Service to a Career in Business

Lassiter

The new job security: the 5 best strategies for taking control of your career

Kerry Dawkins

Navigating your Career

Ronald L. Krannich

The educators guide to alternative jobs & careers

Discussion, reviews of the book The Noble CFO: How to Start and Grow a Flourishing CFO Business and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.