Finder Fees Interview With Tyler G. Hicks

In this case study post, you will learn how Finder fees effectively turned around their business processes and achieved remarkable growth.

In this article, you'll read about how Finder fees implemented a review process that ensured the effectiveness of their customer's goals and objectives. As a result of these measures, they were able to achieve exceptional growth in their sales team. For more information on their success story, you can read the full case study here. 

Below is an interview with Tyler G. Hicks, who is the CFO at Finder fees.

Finder Fees Interview with Tyler G. Hicks

Q: Please tell us about yourself and how you got involved with Finder fees?

A: My name is Tyler G. Hicks and I've been with Finder fees for over five years now as of the end of 2012. Prior to working for Finder fees, I had a full time job in the financial industry for about ten years, so I had started out in the sales industry and was an insider when it came to that world prior to working for Finder fees.

Q: Is it a challenge working as the CFO of Finder fees? 

A: No, it really isn't. The fact that I've worked in sales before the role of CFO is nice because it gives me some insight on how to think about how things are done, and what we need to do if we are ever going to achieve our goals; whether these goals are short term or long term ones, or just to get where we want to be.

Q: What is your proudest accomplishment from your time at Finder fees?

A: Our proudest accomplishment would be the growth that we've had as a company in both the short and long term. Our goal is to be able to grow quickly, create a positive impact in the community, and create wealth for our clients. One thing that has happened at Finder fees is that we've been able to effectively communicate the value of our products and services to potential clients and deliver on the promises that we make. Another aspect of what I'm most proud of is that as a company we are consistently focused on growing our business. It's not something where I sit down every month and see what's been done, or how many new clients we have added or how much money has been made; rather it's about working hard every single day, with the long term goal in mind, which is growth and more growth.

Q: What are some of the challenges you face day-to-day as the CFO of Finder fees?

A: Our biggest challenge would be our ability to have a consistent focus. Miner Consulting has a different focus than Finder fees and that's why there are two separate companies. For example, I have to keep things running smoothly and make sure that we're communicating effectively with both our clients and employees. The amount of information that we need to communicate can be overwhelming at times, but knowing where everything is going is important when you want things to run efficiently. The other challenge that I face on a day to day basis is trying to ensure the quality of the work that's being done by both our clients and employees. If we have an employee who's not doing a good job, then we're not effectively growing our business. There is a lot of information that I need to delegate to the rest of the team to ensure that we're getting things done properly.

Q: As the company grows, what are some of your future goals?

A: Our short term goal is to be able to have a bigger impact on the community. We've had a lot of success in the financial services industry and we want to continue that success by helping people and their families who have problems with their investments. We haven't made a public commitment, but if you talk to our leadership team, they are all very positive about what we could do in the community. Our long term goal is for Finder fees to be able to be on the same level as some of the larger wealth management firms, so that we can provide our clients with the sale options that they need and have a bigger impact on their lives.

Q: What advice would you give someone looking to move into this position?

A: I would offer two pieces of advice to someone interested in working for Finder fees. The first piece of advice is to make sure that you understand the business that we're in. While it's not difficult to understand what Finder fees provides and how they do it, I would suggest that you get out there and talk to people. The more informed you are, the higher likelihood is that you would be a better fit for this role. Secondly, if someone wants to be a leader in business, then the best way to do so is by example. If you want your employees or clients to follow your lead then you need to be willing to work hard yourself.

Q: What are some of the duties performed as CFO at Finder fees?

A: As CFO I facilitate communication between our leadership team and our employees. It's a daily practice for me to ensure that the leadership team is well informed of the operations of Finder fees and how we run our business. I assist in developing goals, as well as maintaining morale among our employees.

Q: What was your training like for this position?

A: There wasn't much specific training that I would get in this role, but prior to joining Finder fees, I had taken an introduction to finance course from The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. As part of the course they teach you about accounting and financial planning, what a CPA is and what they do. This helped with my understanding on how a business works. From here I took a course from the CFA institute and a graduate level economics class. These courses helped with my understanding of various industries, contemporary issues and financial planning.

Q: How does the role of CFO fit into Miner Consulting's structure?

A: It fits in with both Finder fees as well as Miner Consulting. At Finder fees, I get to work with some of the top leaders in our company, while at Miner Consulting I have the opportunity to work with an elite team that helps provide leadership for Finder fees. I'm able to constantly learn from the people around me and this allows me to develop further as a leader myself by incorporating their knowledge into my skillset.

Q: What does a typical work week look like for you?

A: A typical work week for me is trying to fit Finder fees and Miner Consulting into my schedule. I will start off by checking my email first thing in the morning. I check both my personal and business accounts, but try to keep the focus on my business emails and calendar. Then I'll check our operations calendar to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our clients. Then I'll help organize client meetings, which are held every month. After each meeting, we would have a retrospective, where we discuss what went well during the meeting and what needs improvement for the next month.

Conclusion:

This article has laid out the day-to-day responsibilities of a CFO within a company. Hopefully, this can help provide insight into what the role entails and some of the difficult decisions that must be made. By reading about different CFOs, you can begin to understand what type of CFO you would like to be and how your skillset will fit in to this position.