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But some of the more common ones that I'm seeing that I'm able to diagnose pretty quickly when I start an engagement is one is is the founder the bottleneck for all big decisions, all decisions?
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Welcome to Financial Forward.
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I'm Jim McCarthy.
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Today I'm joined by Tanya Pura, a seasoned leader with over 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, investment management, and strategy and operations.
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Tanya has built her career at the intersection of finance and execution, and now she's taken that experience to the next level.
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In this episode, we talk about her transition from traditional corporate roles into building her own consulting practice, where she serves as a fractional executive, helping companies raise capital, scale operations, and navigate critical growth stages.
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This is a conversation about what it really takes to move from strategy to execution, how businesses can scale intelligently, and why more leaders are choosing independence to create impact across multiple organizations.
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Here's my conversation with Tanya Pura.
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Hey, Tanya, nice to see you.
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Hopefully I said it right.
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Tanya, is that right?
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Hi, Jim.
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Yeah, you said it perfect.
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Great to see you as well.
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Great to see you.
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Hey, tell us about who you are and tell the audience kind of where you're at and how you got to where you're at today.
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Yeah, so um I have about 15 years of experience uh in my professional career.
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I've started across financial services, your traditional investment banking, investment management, you know, then went and got my MBA and really spend the last, I want to say almost eight years in this strategy and operations role.
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Um I'd say my career spans finance, strategy, and operations, and recently broke away from traditional employment or really start my own consulting practice where I work as a fractional executive with a variety of different companies across different industries and sizes and sort of help them with whatever stage they're at, um, either raising capital, scaling to have better operations, or really thinking through what their next strategic goalposts should be.
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Um, I live in California with my husband and my two-year-old.
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Um, and yeah, I'm just excited to chat with you more about um what I do with my clients and learn from your experience as well.
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That's absolutely fantastic.
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So it's great to have you, and I think this is going to be an important conversation because it really lands where most of the confusion is today.
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And that that confusion is really around what do we do?
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Um it reminds me a lot of the dot-com era back in the mid-90s and later 90s.
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Um of those confusion about what was happening, what was going to happen, how do you predict it, how do you leverage it, what do you do, what do you not do, feels like this current environment.
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And so I think the skills that you bring to the table are really important.
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Would you agree with that?
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You're so right.
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I think, I think it's easy, and you have this amazing experience to leverage that, you know, that last sort of inflection point, if you will, that it's really easy to get caught up for a lot of companies in the buzzword, whether it's AI or a dot-com or whatever of the moment, and sort of lose sight of, you know, what are we doing as a company?
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What's our clear product?
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What do our customers pay us for?
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And what are we trying to achieve?
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And get sort of caught up with should we be doing more of this or should we be messaging this to our customers and kind of lose sight of what they um what their moat, if you will, actually is.
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And so I think you're so right.
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This moment right now can be really confusing to a lot of founders, um, and certainly the ones that I'm working with, um, about um how should they position themselves right now, and all of a sudden they're questioning um if what they thought was their path forward should now look different.
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Yeah, and you've spent your career helping founders, you know, really to focus on what what really matters to them, right?
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And so yeah.
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Yeah.
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So tell me when you first meet a startup founder today, as an example, um, what are some of the most common strategic mistakes that you're seeing out there in the marketplace?
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Yeah, that's a that's a great question.
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Um, and it's funny because I I'm actually working with three clients in such completely different industries, um, but it's still really, really interesting to see that if they're all sort of in the same um phase of growth uh or similar phase of growth, they are sort of all dealing with very similar problems.
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Um, so that's been interesting for me to learn.
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But some of the more common ones that I'm seeing um that I'm able to diagnose pretty quickly when I start an engagement is one is is the founder the bottleneck for all big decisions, all decisions.
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You know, it's a company structured in such a way where makes sense in the early days, founder wants to be involved in everything, makes perfect sense.
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But as a company starting to grow and scale, you're now becoming a bottleneck.
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And that's a big strategic mistake that I see across clients that they're not set up for scaling success.
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They're sort of still working every decision to the founder, uh, you know, in their brains is where all the information lives.
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Um, and so that's a huge strategic and very costly mistake that I come in day one to help them sort of undo.
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Another one is, and they're all kind of coupled together, um, is hiring when your processes are just not set up.
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So, you know, another one is which ties into what I said, it all lives in the founder's brain.
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Nothing's documented.
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Um, and this is it's it's a it's a it's a symptom that's actually a great symptom because it means you grew very fast, right?
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You grew so fast you didn't have time to stop and document and write things down and have processes set up.
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So it's not a bad thing, but you need to now diagnose and bring someone like me in to sort of help prevent this from being a costly mistake going forward.
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So now when you bring the new hires in, because your first, you know, your first thing is, oh, I need someone to help me, everything's flowing through me, but then you don't have anything set up, you bring on a new hire, you don't have any processes or documentation for them.
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So your ROI on that hire is going to be negative to start off with because you're spending that much more time training them, getting things up to speed, they're coming to you with all the questions because, like I said, it all lives in your head.
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So that's another really costly strategic mistake I see founders making, hiring when none of their processes exist.
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And I think sort of again, coupled with the first two is really just not investing in the right tools at the right time.
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So when they're seeing these symptoms, one of the knee-jerk reactions is I should hire someone, right?
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And that can end up being costly, like I said.
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And the other piece is sort of thinking, oh, we're not big enough or we're not at the right stage where I should get this type of tool, you know, whether it's timekeeping or, you know, expense tracking, or they sort of think, oh, whatever lives in my spreadsheets right now, or in this one file somewhere is good enough.
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And I think that's a really costly strategic mistake because that's preventing you from um the founders shouldn't be spending their time past a certain stage doing those admin cleanup tasks.
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But so many of the founders I work with are saying, you know, I spend three days staying up all night doing my taxes because I know where every cost goes and where everything does.
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And it's it's great that you do that in the first two years.
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You should not be doing that anymore.
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And so that's a really costly strategic mistake.
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And again, having the right tools and the right person come on and help you get those tools set up is again something that I do.
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But to me, those are the three most common mistakes that I'm seeing in founders at this sort of inflection point would have grown really fast and they're starting to scale, but nothing's really set up to help them support that.
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Yeah.
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Have you ever seen the opposite of your third one where they outsource everything, but no one is talking to the other one and they're not synthesizing and accumulating the information properly within the company?
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Yes.
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But yeah, that's being taken care of.
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Yeah, but that needs to be informed by a different channel and so on and so forth.
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You ever see that?
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A hundred percent.
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That's another, I've definitely seen that as well.
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Um, and it it all I think still comes back to um a founding team that realized they need support, which is a great first step, and went out to get that support.
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But then, you know, there's one or two steps like you pointed out after that that really set up, set this up for success.
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Are they talking to each other?
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Are they getting the right context?
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Um, is everything flowing back to where it should?
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Um, and I think that's a big mistake that also ends up being very costly because um you hire three or four people, you outsource something, but discrete tasks are getting done.
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But the overall sort of picture and moving your company forward strategically is still kind of sitting in the middle of nowhere.
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And I think that's another really big question that founders need to sort of address and understand that it really, and this is one of the big, big sort of things that I work with founders.
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I call it my decision matrix, is there's a lot of things that should move off of your plate as a founder when you're at a certain point of growth in your company.
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There's some things that should still stay with you.
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And sort of at some point, being that central point where you're getting the right information from different, whether it's outsourced support or any or tools, and you're the one who's able to synthesize it.
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Because at certain stages, you're still the one who knows your trajectory better than anybody else you could have hired.
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Um, and in some cases, the founding team is still the one who can say, um, you know, even if the numbers are telling me this is the right project or type of client to invest in, I may know the market better as a founder.
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And so, like you said, sometimes those things aren't connected because people are doing things in silos, but really being able to know when to step in as a founder is critical, uh, but also equally when to step away and offload things from your plate.
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Absolutely.
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So listen, you've worked at institutions like Morgan Stanley, uh, BlackRock, and you're part of the Chicago Booth Angels Network.
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Is that is that true?
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Yes, all of that's true.
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All right.
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So the and I want to know more about the Booth Angels Network, but how does understanding the investor mindset change the way founders should approach, say, fundraising?
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Yeah, that's a great question.
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I'd say, I'd say having been on both sides of the table, so both sort of, you know, investing in companies and then also now advising companies who are looking to raise capital is, I think, one of my invaluable um skill sets, just kind of knowing how both sides of the table think and what they're looking at.
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It's a pretty unique uh standpoint, I think.
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Um, and I think one thing that I'm talking to my founders who are looking to raise is that there's so many external factors or factors external to their own company, their product, their service, their traction that really determine their success that they need to get very smart on very quick.
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So things like what's the market environment, where are interest rates at, how much dry powder these funds have, investing trends, these can dictate a startup's fundraising success dramatically.
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And like I said, some of that has nothing to do with your own, your company's product or what you're offering or how successful you've been.
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Sometimes just knowing that right now all funds care about its AI is a really important piece of information.
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That was, you know, I'm exaggerating, but that's a kind of piece of information that founders should know when they go in those conversations because things like that can really affect the outcome.
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And I and like I said, founders need to get smart really fast on all of these macro trends in order to go in those conversations, sort of equipped to have those conversations and end up with a successful outcome.
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And having been on both sides of the table, I can advise them on things like that.
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Like, okay, I'm hearing funds are only looking at these kinds of products.
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I mean, one example is we really are in a very different fundraising environment than you know, even four or five years ago.
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Things like investing in pre-revenue companies is in my um current experience is unheard of.
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When it would be something that you could easily, not easily, but you could for sure go to a fund and say I'm pre-revenue, but here's my pipeline, and here's sort of what I might believe, and and here's my IP and here's my product, and you could get funding.
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Today that's seeming to be a lot harder.
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So, and that kind of information that I'm able to share with the founders I'm working with, I think is a really big game changer.
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And I think that's a big, that's what I'm advising them when they're coming to fundraising, sort of really being nuanced when they talk about what their company is talking about, um, why this is the right time for that product, why they have a really unique um hold on the market and somebody or some AI or a service can't come in and disrupt them, um, and why that market's growing.
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So I think being able to kind of um tell them how investors will look at um their deck or or their pitch um has been pretty helpful um in the few few with the few engagements I have that are around fundraising.
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That's absolutely fantastic.
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So let's transition that into another part of that.
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So we all have a story, right?
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And that story is important to each of us founders.
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So you often help founders ref refine um uh how they tell their company story to investors.
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So what would you say separates what a pitch is uh that raises capital from one that gets politely say declined?
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What's the real magic sauce?
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Yeah, and it's uh that's a tough one because it's you know, some funds will tell you they all have their like calculators and they weigh certain parts of your deck differently than others because it comes down to what that fund's looking to do and looking to invest in.
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But I think I can you know bring all of that a couple levels up and distill it in a few different points.
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Um this one's kind of it's hard to say because there's not much we can do about it, but sometimes it does really come down to founders who show passion and coachability.
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So, in my experience, funds typically really want to work with founders who are easy to work with, are extremely knowledgeable about their space, their product, the market they're in, and have a really solid plan in place with what they're gonna do with that capital that they're getting.
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Um the second piece, which I think is super important in today's sort of AI world, is, and I talked about this a little bit briefly a couple of seconds ago, is why is what you're doing not easy to replicate or be disrupted?
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Why is it so important for us to invest in this now, not two years from now or three years from now?
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And and what can you do that's not being replicated by anybody else?
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So I think that's sort of even more important than showing that you've had traction and you have paying customers.
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And I think the third piece is I think I mentioned this a little while ago as well, but they want to be in growing markets, right?
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So you can have a really niche, cool product where you have paying customers, but an investor wants to know that that market is growing as well.
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Like, is there gonna be two extra TAM or three extra TAM in the next 10 years?
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Um, to them, that's a really big positive signal as well, where they want to put their money.
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So I think for me, having a story that really combines those elements, putting your founder, you know, coaching them to where they're in a point where they can answer these questions really well and tell the story in a very conversational manner, answer these questions, you know, show they've done their diligence.
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Um, all of this really sets them apart versus the usual 10 or 12-page slide deck about, you know, here's my company, here's my product, here's what it does, here's the team.
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But I think really stepping back and being able to tell that story why you're unique, why your product is unique, um, gets an investor's attention and gets you sort of that next meeting.
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Yeah, that's absolutely that that's absolutely valuable to the listeners.
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I think it's very important to understand that it still comes down to being knowledgeable about what it is that you're doing in the market that you're working in and being passionate about what it is that you're delivering.
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You know, here at McCarthy Hatch, our our uh our um claim to fame, if you will, is I want to improve the human condition, right?
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And that that sounds crazy and lofty, but there's a lot of work that we do that actually does that, right?
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So um we've got a product that that looks at consumer sentiment and delivers that in a report fashion back to the client so they know where their customers are at any given point at any given time, right?
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What's better about that, right?
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That's helping move that needle of human condition.
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And I think when you do these quote unquote pitches, it comes out to me when someone's not fully invested or engaged in what they're what they've built.
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Is that consistent with what you're saying?
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It's so true.
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It's so true.
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I mean, you can you can have a really polished looking, professional looking deck, but when you put a founder in front of in front of investors and and and they, you know, this isn't their soul and their baby, you can tell that immediately.
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Um, and it's one thing to be a serial entrepreneur and have done different things.
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I think that's fine as well.
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But I think, you know, when you go in front of investors and ask them for capital, and this isn't something you're living and breathing every day, and you've put your blood, sweat, and tears behind, it does kind of come across very clearly.
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Um, and I think, and no one's saying that that's you know, you you have to be sort of torturing yourself to be successful, but I think there is a clear difference between that's clearly this person's passion.
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They know so much about it.
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Um, and they can talk about the product's ins and outs and why it's the right product versus someone who has just done a really great deck can talk about what's on those 10 slides very well, and and not detracting from that.
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That's half of the job.
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But I think you know, we're talking about what gets you that next conversation versus what gets you just a foot in the door.
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And there is a clear difference between those two stages.
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And I think so much of what you said as well is is is so spot on.
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Yeah, so let's carry that forward.
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Um, let's let's say that um let's say that we're successful and we have growth, we have takeoff, right?
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So you help founders not lose their sanity or the soul of the company when that growth takes off, uh as I read.
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So, what are some of the operational mistakes that often derail fast growing startups in in your experience?
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Yeah, and I think I think that really, you know, that's so much, that's literally my bread and butter that I work with with founders.
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Um, and and so I love talking about this.
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Um, and some of it is stuff we touched on before because it all kind of bleeds into um similar themes, if you will, like the strategic mistakes they're making, or or you know, where they sort of they're going fast, but they haven't quite figured things out.
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I think the first one that comes to mind that I think is it's boring, it sounds boring, but it's so critical.
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It's just not documenting anything.
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And I think I've talked about this with you a few minutes ago, but um to me, this isn't just a today's problem or a problem because you grew fast.
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Like this has compounding effects of nothing was documented, then you hired someone, then that person didn't document anything.
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If you don't have a culture where things are organized and documented and processes exist for a reason that are followed the T, then you're kind of just flying blind.
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And I think it's, you know, I've said this before, it works when you're at a certain stage of your company and you're just trying to grow and get traction and survive.
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But I think, you know, we're talking about higher growth companies who sort of gotten the capital now and are scaling.
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For them, the ways they operate have got to be different than what they did five years ago or when they had five employees and now they have 20.
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Um, and so not documenting anything and not having processes is just one that I see all the time, and one that I come in and I help them get um better at.
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Um, I think the key to this is not doing something overly complicated.
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Like it doesn't have to be this like binder of 10 different things, and it's most complicated.
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Google spreadsheet.
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You know, as long as you have a new higher handbook, you have processes for information.
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Voicing, your processes for how you track POs, your processes for how you track revenue coming in by customer, by program.
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It just needs to be things that you can do on your own easily.
00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:13.200
So when I leave, because I'm a fractional, I come in for three months or six months at a time.
00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.359
When I leave, I want to set you up for success.
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:20.240
And so it's got to be something that they can do on their own and follow and replicate.
00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.519
So it's got to be simple.
00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:29.839
But honestly, it's so like I said, it sounds boring, but not having anything documented is a huge mistake that I see in a lot of these companies that I work with.
00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:38.799
And I think the second point is again something I hinted at, but I I read this term, I think on LinkedIn and I loved it and I've stolen it or borrowed it.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.400
But it's when founders don't know how to share their Legos.
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:46.960
Um I love that term because it's so, you know, it's it's very visual.
00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:52.240
Um, and I'm a I'm a pyramid toddler, so it resonates with me exceptionally well right now.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:58.400
But I think, you know, so much of an early startup success is the founder being so entrenched.
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:02.079
We talked about that, the one who knows everything and passionate and really understands their business.
00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:06.480
But you get to a certain point and you've got to start losing your grip on some of those Legos.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:18.640
And having someone like me or someone in my with a similar experience come in and help you prioritize which Legos really you shouldn't be owning anymore is so critical at this point of their growth.
00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:28.240
Um, because you're either gonna lead to founder burnout, or you're gonna lead to a company that moves excruciatingly slow because every decision goes to the founder, neither of which are good outcomes.
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:44.799
Um, or you're just gonna have um, you know, a company that's just not achieving their potential because um, you know, they're they're just they're not, they don't have a culture where um they're bringing up new growth in the company in terms of personnel and headcount.
00:23:45.200 --> 00:24:05.279
And so I think for me, a delicate part of my job is for sure working with founders and helping them prioritize accurately and helping them sort of see the value of sharing some of their Legos and understanding that there's some that they might never give away, which is completely appropriate, but then for sure some they need to part with.
00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:13.440
So, Tanya, you've worked with organizations like Credit Karma during the periods of extremely rapid expansion.
00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:18.400
I mean, that's a ride that not a lot of people have been on, but you've been there.
00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:30.880
So going back and thinking about that rapid expansion at Credit Karma, um, what lessons from those experiences translate most directly to today's startup founders?
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:32.559
Yeah, that's a great question.
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:36.160
My time at Credit Karma was it certainly felt like being on a rocket ship.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:41.279
I think they like multiples by multiples grew revenue.
00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:42.960
It was a very exciting time to be there.
00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.319
And I learned so much.
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:46.240
I'm very grateful for that experience.
00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:53.920
And I really think they did two things extremely well, which I've taken with me as I now work with um startup founders.
00:24:54.079 --> 00:25:04.559
One was um Kernakarma was ruthless about asking this question anytime they were launching a new product or testing a new feature.
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:10.240
They're they were ruthless about asking what is the benefit to a customer from doing this?
00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:16.799
And they didn't work on things that they couldn't tie directly to the benefit of a consumer.
00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:27.599
Um, you know, so even if it made you money and it it was a great thing to have for engagement or something else, if it didn't ultimately benefit the consumer, um, they didn't think that it was worth investing in.
00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:31.759
I think that was such a wonderful um value for that company.
00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:40.559
And so one of the things I work with my founders for is do you have a clear line of sight of what your customers are looking for?
00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.799
And how are you servicing that need?
00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:47.279
How are you uniquely servicing that need better than any other of your competitors?
00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.720
Um, do you know what it is?
00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.240
Have you have you figured it out?
00:25:50.400 --> 00:26:02.559
Because a lot of times you might be generating revenue and be profitable, but you're performing a service or you have a product, you haven't quite figured out what it is that you're uniquely doing that's making you successful.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:10.000
So one of my one of my first clients, actually, um they're in like a hardware tech um uh space.
00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:25.599
And what they realized and my work with them helped them uncover was it wasn't even the product that they were, that they were creating, it's how they managed their relationships with their clients that met led the customers to go back and say, oh yeah, I want to get that from that person.
00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:38.880
There were other competitors making the exact same product or you know, variations of it, but the client relationships that they had built got them to winning those clients, those, those contracts again and again and again and getting bigger contracts down the line.
00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.480
And they haven't figured out that actually that was their secret sauce.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:49.279
And so one of it's I think this is such a key strategic question for companies is where you think growth is going to come from.
00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:50.640
Sometimes you're wrong.
00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:57.279
And of course, you have to have a product that you're generating revenue from, but that might not be your secret sauce.
00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:07.599
And so I think really uncovering what you're doing for the customer uniquely is such a game changer for so many of the founders that I work with that I learned from my time at Credit Karma.
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:14.240
And it's great to know that there's there are resources out there that can help through this process.
00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:16.000
You do not have to do this alone.
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:27.359
And I can tell you, as a as one of the two founders of our company, I can tell you it's hard to figure it out alone because oftentimes you don't pay attention to things until they hurt you.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:30.480
And that gets your attention in a big hurry.
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.640
Um, and so it's important to to know that there's resources out here.
00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:38.400
So talk to me a little bit about how does someone reach you?
00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:41.200
What what services do you do you offer?
00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.599
And um who do you work with?
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:46.319
And tell me a little bit about your world.
00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:59.359
Yeah, um, I work with early and mid-stage startups, uh, companies and really industry across the board, any industry, although I have a lot of experience in financial services and fintech, but I'm fairly industry agnostic.
00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:07.599
Um, and I help them with anything from raising capital, like we talked about, getting in front of investors, being successful with those pitch pitch decks and raising.
00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:15.359
And then once you've raised capital, or if that's not your path, really having the right strategic and operational foundation so you can scale successfully.
00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:19.440
Um, and so I really think of as a three-prong of strategy operations and finance.
00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:24.079
And I provide those services to founding teams as a fractional executive.
00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:33.359
So I come in for three to six month retainers, diagnose what your key blockers to success are, and really help them set up the right tools and systems.
00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:44.640
So when I leave in three or six months, they're ready to go, those those systems set up, and they don't um need any big overhaul to keep continuing down those um those pathways that are created for them.
00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:47.839
Um, I can be reached on email or my website.
00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:49.599
So my company's called Pure Insights.
00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.880
I don't think I shouted that out before, but No, shout it out.
00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:53.839
And how do you sell it?
00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:55.279
Is it just P-E-E-R?
00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:57.519
No, P-U-R insights.
00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:02.960
Um, and that is it's a play on my last name, Puri, so Pure Insights.
00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:08.640
And uh the website is pure insights.com, so PURINSights.com.
00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:14.160
Um, I have multiple links on the website to schedule quick, free introductory calls with me.
00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.200
And then of course, you can always reach out to me on LinkedIn.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:23.279
I'm very active on LinkedIn, but Tanya Puri and uh send me a message, uh comment and a post, anything.
00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:28.319
I love, I love even just sharing notes with founders and seeing what's working for them or not.
00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:33.119
Um, and uh and and yeah, so that's a little bit of what I do and how I can be reached.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:40.000
Um and you know, again, Jim, like I said, I'm I'm sort of new to the space, but really enjoying um what I'm doing so far.
00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.799
And it's um been such a crazy ride so far.
00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:46.880
I'm working with some amazing companies and just excited to see where it goes next.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:50.160
Yeah, and it's so great to see the results of your work.
00:29:50.319 --> 00:30:07.039
Like when you finish a project or you're in the middle of a project and you can bring a systemic operational process or or data governance, if you will, in the corporate world to a company and show them the results.
00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:16.960
It's it's it's efficiency plays, it's financial gains, it's um identifying your product is a massive growth strategy.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.720
All of those things are important.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:22.079
So tell me this: do you work only for founders?
00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:32.559
Are there people that maybe have positions that are within companies at a relatively senior level that might employ you to help them do their job?
00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.640
Yeah, I mean that's a great question.
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:38.000
Um, I haven't so far, but I'm absolutely open to it.
00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:49.039
I've just I've just I think so far worked with um you know the founders of certain companies because they're the ones who are feeling the pain the most.
00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:59.839
Um but I'm so open, you know, in my past life before I, you know, started my own company, I worked with, you know, heads of strategy or heads of business operations within companies.
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.319
And so I absolutely have that skill set as well.
00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:08.400
And I'm so open to um, you know, it's the skill set stays the same no matter who I'm serving.
00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:16.720
And I I'd love to help um any sort of leader within organizations um with any of these problems because this is the kind of work that I love doing.
00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:21.440
So now I'm gonna pull out of you the Chicago Booth Angels Network.
00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:22.880
Talk to me about that.
00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:27.759
Yeah, so I think um so Chicago Booth is where I went to um went for my MBA.
00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:30.559
It's the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:50.400
Um, and um while I wasn't so actively involved with venture when I was at uh Chicago Booth getting my MBA, but in the years since, especially since I'm um working with founders, raising capital, being on the Angel Network side has helped me, like I said, have that, you know, both sides of the table perspective.
00:31:50.559 --> 00:32:06.079
And so really the Angel Network is um booth alumni that are looking to put in funds at a very, very early stage, um sort of precede stage, um, the angel round, if you if you will a friends or family round into startups and um and see that growth.
00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:21.759
And obviously it's um mostly booth alumni that we invest in because you know it's sort of a booth network, but obviously the angel network is um is professionals who are looking to deploy small amounts of capital and anything that seems promising.
00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:22.960
That's fantastic.
00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:26.319
So you have a strong consistency amongst the things that you do.
00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.559
So, where can we find you in the future?
00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:31.759
Do you have any conferences planned or speaking events planned?
00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:36.160
Anything, any travel set on the calendar for this year?
00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:39.200
Um, not for any conferences just yet.
00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:44.720
I just spoke at the Cal Poly Women's Conference two weeks ago, um, which was a wonderful experience.
00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:50.240
Um, but I'm regularly in the Bay Area and for meeting with clients.
00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:55.200
Uh, so you know, travel is um is something that can be arranged very easily.
00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:59.839
If that makes sense for any future clients out there, it's not hard to make that happen.
00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:00.640
Sure.
00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:06.079
Well, listen, I want to thank you very much for taking time out of your day to roll up with us and talk to us about this.
00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.440
I think it's important.
00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:16.160
Um, I think we have a lot of founders in spirit that want to start new ventures and they'd like to know what happens when you do.
00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:29.440
And I think we have people that are currently in a founder position and need to hear things like this to make sure that they know that they're not insane, that they're experiencing the same things that other founders are experiencing.
00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:38.240
And then I think it's important to um deploy the right strategies at an early stage or mistakes multiply very fast.
00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:40.960
And so I really I appreciate that.
00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:54.799
Um, I appreciate you rolling up with us today, and uh the audience is gonna absolutely love this one, and we'll have all of your contact information in the show notes, and um thank you very much for for coming in today.
00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:56.640
Thank you so much for having me, Jim.
00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:58.319
I really enjoyed the conversation.
00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:06.880
Um, and yeah, I I hope to reach out to anybody who needs this help um and um and maybe help make their lives a bit easier.
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:10.639
That was my conversation with Tanya Pura.
00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:19.360
Tanya brings a sharp and practical perspective on what it takes to grow business from capital strategy to operational discipline.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:25.360
And her move into fractional leadership reflects a broader shift we're seeing across the market.
00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:29.280
Her experience highlights something important.
00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:38.880
Companies don't just need strategy, they need execution, alignment, and leadership at the right moments in their life cycle.
00:34:39.199 --> 00:34:49.599
If you're building, scaling, or thinking about how to structure leadership in a more flexible and effective way, this was a conversation worth paying attention to.
00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:52.719
Thanks for joining us on Financial Forward.
00:34:52.960 --> 00:35:04.000
If you found value in today's discussion, be sure to follow, share, and stay tuned for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of financial services and businesses.
00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:13.199
But some of the more common ones that I'm seeing that I'm able to diagnose pretty quickly when I start an engagement is one is is the founder the bottleneck for all big decisions, all decisions?
00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:14.960
Welcome to Financial Forward.
00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:16.399
I'm Jim McCarthy.
00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:28.399
Today I'm joined by Tanya Pura, a seasoned leader with over 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, investment management, and strategy and operations.
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:37.600
Tanya has built her career at the intersection of finance and execution, and now she's taken that experience to the next level.
00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:55.439
In this episode, we talk about her transition from traditional corporate roles into building her own consulting practice, where she serves as a fractional executive, helping companies raise capital, scale operations, and navigate critical growth stages.
00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:11.599
This is a conversation about what it really takes to move from strategy to execution, how businesses can scale intelligently, and why more leaders are choosing independence to create impact across multiple organizations.
00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.959
Here's my conversation with Tanya Pura.
00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:17.599
Hey, Tanya, nice to see you.
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:18.879
Hopefully I said it right.
00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:20.239
Tanya, is that right?
00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:21.280
Hi, Jim.
00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:22.640
Yeah, you said it perfect.
00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:24.000
Great to see you as well.
00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:25.200
Great to see you.
00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:32.640
Hey, tell us about who you are and tell the audience kind of where you're at and how you got to where you're at today.
00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:38.640
Yeah, so um I have about 15 years of experience uh in my professional career.
00:01:38.799 --> 00:01:53.680
I've started across financial services, your traditional investment banking, investment management, you know, then went and got my MBA and really spend the last, I want to say almost eight years in this strategy and operations role.
00:01:53.760 --> 00:02:24.319
Um I'd say my career spans finance, strategy, and operations, and recently broke away from traditional employment or really start my own consulting practice where I work as a fractional executive with a variety of different companies across different industries and sizes and sort of help them with whatever stage they're at, um, either raising capital, scaling to have better operations, or really thinking through what their next strategic goalposts should be.
00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:28.080
Um, I live in California with my husband and my two-year-old.
00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:36.400
Um, and yeah, I'm just excited to chat with you more about um what I do with my clients and learn from your experience as well.
00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:38.639
That's absolutely fantastic.
00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:47.520
So it's great to have you, and I think this is going to be an important conversation because it really lands where most of the confusion is today.
00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:52.000
And that that confusion is really around what do we do?
00:02:52.560 --> 00:03:00.159
Um it reminds me a lot of the dot-com era back in the mid-90s and later 90s.
00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:11.199
Um of those confusion about what was happening, what was going to happen, how do you predict it, how do you leverage it, what do you do, what do you not do, feels like this current environment.
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:14.719
And so I think the skills that you bring to the table are really important.
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:16.400
Would you agree with that?
00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:17.759
You're so right.
00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:40.240
I think, I think it's easy, and you have this amazing experience to leverage that, you know, that last sort of inflection point, if you will, that it's really easy to get caught up for a lot of companies in the buzzword, whether it's AI or a dot-com or whatever of the moment, and sort of lose sight of, you know, what are we doing as a company?
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:41.680
What's our clear product?
00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:43.840
What do our customers pay us for?
00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:45.759
And what are we trying to achieve?
00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:58.080
And get sort of caught up with should we be doing more of this or should we be messaging this to our customers and kind of lose sight of what they um what their moat, if you will, actually is.
00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:00.000
And so I think you're so right.
00:04:00.159 --> 00:04:19.120
This moment right now can be really confusing to a lot of founders, um, and certainly the ones that I'm working with, um, about um how should they position themselves right now, and all of a sudden they're questioning um if what they thought was their path forward should now look different.
00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:28.800
Yeah, and you've spent your career helping founders, you know, really to focus on what what really matters to them, right?
00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:30.959
And so yeah.
00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:31.600
Yeah.
00:04:31.759 --> 00:04:45.279
So tell me when you first meet a startup founder today, as an example, um, what are some of the most common strategic mistakes that you're seeing out there in the marketplace?
00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.399
Yeah, that's a that's a great question.
00:04:48.560 --> 00:05:12.160
Um, and it's funny because I I'm actually working with three clients in such completely different industries, um, but it's still really, really interesting to see that if they're all sort of in the same um phase of growth uh or similar phase of growth, they are sort of all dealing with very similar problems.
00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:14.480
Um, so that's been interesting for me to learn.
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:27.279
But some of the more common ones that I'm seeing um that I'm able to diagnose pretty quickly when I start an engagement is one is is the founder the bottleneck for all big decisions, all decisions.
00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:34.720
You know, it's a company structured in such a way where makes sense in the early days, founder wants to be involved in everything, makes perfect sense.
00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.879
But as a company starting to grow and scale, you're now becoming a bottleneck.
00:05:38.959 --> 00:05:45.920
And that's a big strategic mistake that I see across clients that they're not set up for scaling success.
00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:54.079
They're sort of still working every decision to the founder, uh, you know, in their brains is where all the information lives.
00:05:54.240 --> 00:06:01.839
Um, and so that's a huge strategic and very costly mistake that I come in day one to help them sort of undo.
00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:09.600
Another one is, and they're all kind of coupled together, um, is hiring when your processes are just not set up.
00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.480
So, you know, another one is which ties into what I said, it all lives in the founder's brain.
00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:16.319
Nothing's documented.
00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:22.879
Um, and this is it's it's a it's a it's a symptom that's actually a great symptom because it means you grew very fast, right?
00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:28.160
You grew so fast you didn't have time to stop and document and write things down and have processes set up.
00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:37.439
So it's not a bad thing, but you need to now diagnose and bring someone like me in to sort of help prevent this from being a costly mistake going forward.
00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:51.680
So now when you bring the new hires in, because your first, you know, your first thing is, oh, I need someone to help me, everything's flowing through me, but then you don't have anything set up, you bring on a new hire, you don't have any processes or documentation for them.
00:06:51.839 --> 00:07:03.360
So your ROI on that hire is going to be negative to start off with because you're spending that much more time training them, getting things up to speed, they're coming to you with all the questions because, like I said, it all lives in your head.
00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:09.920
So that's another really costly strategic mistake I see founders making, hiring when none of their processes exist.
00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:17.680
And I think sort of again, coupled with the first two is really just not investing in the right tools at the right time.
00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:24.000
So when they're seeing these symptoms, one of the knee-jerk reactions is I should hire someone, right?
00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:26.000
And that can end up being costly, like I said.
00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:45.279
And the other piece is sort of thinking, oh, we're not big enough or we're not at the right stage where I should get this type of tool, you know, whether it's timekeeping or, you know, expense tracking, or they sort of think, oh, whatever lives in my spreadsheets right now, or in this one file somewhere is good enough.
00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:58.560
And I think that's a really costly strategic mistake because that's preventing you from um the founders shouldn't be spending their time past a certain stage doing those admin cleanup tasks.
00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:09.519
But so many of the founders I work with are saying, you know, I spend three days staying up all night doing my taxes because I know where every cost goes and where everything does.
00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:11.920
And it's it's great that you do that in the first two years.
00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:13.920
You should not be doing that anymore.
00:08:14.160 --> 00:08:16.800
And so that's a really costly strategic mistake.
00:08:16.959 --> 00:08:24.000
And again, having the right tools and the right person come on and help you get those tools set up is again something that I do.
00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:37.840
But to me, those are the three most common mistakes that I'm seeing in founders at this sort of inflection point would have grown really fast and they're starting to scale, but nothing's really set up to help them support that.
00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:38.480
Yeah.
00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:52.080
Have you ever seen the opposite of your third one where they outsource everything, but no one is talking to the other one and they're not synthesizing and accumulating the information properly within the company?
00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:52.559
Yes.
00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:54.240
But yeah, that's being taken care of.
00:08:54.399 --> 00:09:00.960
Yeah, but that needs to be informed by a different channel and so on and so forth.
00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:01.919
You ever see that?
00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.039
A hundred percent.
00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.000
That's another, I've definitely seen that as well.
00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:19.120
Um, and it it all I think still comes back to um a founding team that realized they need support, which is a great first step, and went out to get that support.
00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:25.360
But then, you know, there's one or two steps like you pointed out after that that really set up, set this up for success.
00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:26.639
Are they talking to each other?
00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:28.320
Are they getting the right context?
00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.039
Um, is everything flowing back to where it should?
00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:42.480
Um, and I think that's a big mistake that also ends up being very costly because um you hire three or four people, you outsource something, but discrete tasks are getting done.
00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:49.440
But the overall sort of picture and moving your company forward strategically is still kind of sitting in the middle of nowhere.
00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:58.799
And I think that's another really big question that founders need to sort of address and understand that it really, and this is one of the big, big sort of things that I work with founders.
00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:07.840
I call it my decision matrix, is there's a lot of things that should move off of your plate as a founder when you're at a certain point of growth in your company.
00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.399
There's some things that should still stay with you.
00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:22.399
And sort of at some point, being that central point where you're getting the right information from different, whether it's outsourced support or any or tools, and you're the one who's able to synthesize it.
00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:27.679
Because at certain stages, you're still the one who knows your trajectory better than anybody else you could have hired.
00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:39.519
Um, and in some cases, the founding team is still the one who can say, um, you know, even if the numbers are telling me this is the right project or type of client to invest in, I may know the market better as a founder.
00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:55.919
And so, like you said, sometimes those things aren't connected because people are doing things in silos, but really being able to know when to step in as a founder is critical, uh, but also equally when to step away and offload things from your plate.
00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.039
Absolutely.
00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:06.000
So listen, you've worked at institutions like Morgan Stanley, uh, BlackRock, and you're part of the Chicago Booth Angels Network.
00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:07.919
Is that is that true?
00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.080
Yes, all of that's true.
00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:10.879
All right.
00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:21.039
So the and I want to know more about the Booth Angels Network, but how does understanding the investor mindset change the way founders should approach, say, fundraising?
00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:22.720
Yeah, that's a great question.
00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:41.919
I'd say, I'd say having been on both sides of the table, so both sort of, you know, investing in companies and then also now advising companies who are looking to raise capital is, I think, one of my invaluable um skill sets, just kind of knowing how both sides of the table think and what they're looking at.
00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.879
It's a pretty unique uh standpoint, I think.
00:11:45.039 --> 00:12:05.440
Um, and I think one thing that I'm talking to my founders who are looking to raise is that there's so many external factors or factors external to their own company, their product, their service, their traction that really determine their success that they need to get very smart on very quick.
00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:18.399
So things like what's the market environment, where are interest rates at, how much dry powder these funds have, investing trends, these can dictate a startup's fundraising success dramatically.
00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:24.879
And like I said, some of that has nothing to do with your own, your company's product or what you're offering or how successful you've been.
00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:31.759
Sometimes just knowing that right now all funds care about its AI is a really important piece of information.
00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:40.799
That was, you know, I'm exaggerating, but that's a kind of piece of information that founders should know when they go in those conversations because things like that can really affect the outcome.
00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:54.480
And I and like I said, founders need to get smart really fast on all of these macro trends in order to go in those conversations, sort of equipped to have those conversations and end up with a successful outcome.
00:12:54.559 --> 00:12:58.559
And having been on both sides of the table, I can advise them on things like that.
00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:02.399
Like, okay, I'm hearing funds are only looking at these kinds of products.
00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:09.519
I mean, one example is we really are in a very different fundraising environment than you know, even four or five years ago.
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:16.000
Things like investing in pre-revenue companies is in my um current experience is unheard of.
00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:30.080
When it would be something that you could easily, not easily, but you could for sure go to a fund and say I'm pre-revenue, but here's my pipeline, and here's sort of what I might believe, and and here's my IP and here's my product, and you could get funding.
00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:33.120
Today that's seeming to be a lot harder.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:39.679
So, and that kind of information that I'm able to share with the founders I'm working with, I think is a really big game changer.
00:13:39.759 --> 00:14:03.440
And I think that's a big, that's what I'm advising them when they're coming to fundraising, sort of really being nuanced when they talk about what their company is talking about, um, why this is the right time for that product, why they have a really unique um hold on the market and somebody or some AI or a service can't come in and disrupt them, um, and why that market's growing.
00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:16.720
So I think being able to kind of um tell them how investors will look at um their deck or or their pitch um has been pretty helpful um in the few few with the few engagements I have that are around fundraising.
00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:18.879
That's absolutely fantastic.
00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:24.080
So let's transition that into another part of that.
00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:25.919
So we all have a story, right?
00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:29.679
And that story is important to each of us founders.
00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:37.440
So you often help founders ref refine um uh how they tell their company story to investors.
00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:47.279
So what would you say separates what a pitch is uh that raises capital from one that gets politely say declined?
00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:49.600
What's the real magic sauce?
00:14:50.000 --> 00:15:04.720
Yeah, and it's uh that's a tough one because it's you know, some funds will tell you they all have their like calculators and they weigh certain parts of your deck differently than others because it comes down to what that fund's looking to do and looking to invest in.
00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:12.000
But I think I can you know bring all of that a couple levels up and distill it in a few different points.
00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:24.480
Um this one's kind of it's hard to say because there's not much we can do about it, but sometimes it does really come down to founders who show passion and coachability.
00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:42.000
So, in my experience, funds typically really want to work with founders who are easy to work with, are extremely knowledgeable about their space, their product, the market they're in, and have a really solid plan in place with what they're gonna do with that capital that they're getting.
00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:58.799
Um the second piece, which I think is super important in today's sort of AI world, is, and I talked about this a little bit briefly a couple of seconds ago, is why is what you're doing not easy to replicate or be disrupted?
00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:04.080
Why is it so important for us to invest in this now, not two years from now or three years from now?
00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:10.159
And and what can you do that's not being replicated by anybody else?
00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:15.600
So I think that's sort of even more important than showing that you've had traction and you have paying customers.
00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:22.720
And I think the third piece is I think I mentioned this a little while ago as well, but they want to be in growing markets, right?
00:16:22.799 --> 00:16:31.279
So you can have a really niche, cool product where you have paying customers, but an investor wants to know that that market is growing as well.
00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:36.320
Like, is there gonna be two extra TAM or three extra TAM in the next 10 years?
00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:41.039
Um, to them, that's a really big positive signal as well, where they want to put their money.
00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:57.360
So I think for me, having a story that really combines those elements, putting your founder, you know, coaching them to where they're in a point where they can answer these questions really well and tell the story in a very conversational manner, answer these questions, you know, show they've done their diligence.
00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:07.599
Um, all of this really sets them apart versus the usual 10 or 12-page slide deck about, you know, here's my company, here's my product, here's what it does, here's the team.
00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:19.039
But I think really stepping back and being able to tell that story why you're unique, why your product is unique, um, gets an investor's attention and gets you sort of that next meeting.
00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:24.240
Yeah, that's absolutely that that's absolutely valuable to the listeners.
00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:35.839
I think it's very important to understand that it still comes down to being knowledgeable about what it is that you're doing in the market that you're working in and being passionate about what it is that you're delivering.
00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:49.119
You know, here at McCarthy Hatch, our our uh our um claim to fame, if you will, is I want to improve the human condition, right?
00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:56.559
And that that sounds crazy and lofty, but there's a lot of work that we do that actually does that, right?
00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:10.559
So um we've got a product that that looks at consumer sentiment and delivers that in a report fashion back to the client so they know where their customers are at any given point at any given time, right?
00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:12.799
What's better about that, right?
00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:15.279
That's helping move that needle of human condition.
00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:25.039
And I think when you do these quote unquote pitches, it comes out to me when someone's not fully invested or engaged in what they're what they've built.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.279
Is that consistent with what you're saying?
00:18:27.680 --> 00:18:28.400
It's so true.
00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:29.200
It's so true.
00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:45.200
I mean, you can you can have a really polished looking, professional looking deck, but when you put a founder in front of in front of investors and and and they, you know, this isn't their soul and their baby, you can tell that immediately.
00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.640
Um, and it's one thing to be a serial entrepreneur and have done different things.
00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:50.160
I think that's fine as well.
00:18:50.240 --> 00:19:02.720
But I think, you know, when you go in front of investors and ask them for capital, and this isn't something you're living and breathing every day, and you've put your blood, sweat, and tears behind, it does kind of come across very clearly.
00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:15.519
Um, and I think, and no one's saying that that's you know, you you have to be sort of torturing yourself to be successful, but I think there is a clear difference between that's clearly this person's passion.
00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:17.359
They know so much about it.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:30.319
Um, and they can talk about the product's ins and outs and why it's the right product versus someone who has just done a really great deck can talk about what's on those 10 slides very well, and and not detracting from that.
00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.359
That's half of the job.
00:19:31.440 --> 00:19:37.440
But I think you know, we're talking about what gets you that next conversation versus what gets you just a foot in the door.
00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:40.079
And there is a clear difference between those two stages.
00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:43.680
And I think so much of what you said as well is is is so spot on.
00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:45.920
Yeah, so let's carry that forward.
00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:54.880
Um, let's let's say that um let's say that we're successful and we have growth, we have takeoff, right?
00:19:55.519 --> 00:20:04.799
So you help founders not lose their sanity or the soul of the company when that growth takes off, uh as I read.
00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:12.400
So, what are some of the operational mistakes that often derail fast growing startups in in your experience?
00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:21.519
Yeah, and I think I think that really, you know, that's so much, that's literally my bread and butter that I work with with founders.
00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.400
Um, and and so I love talking about this.
00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:38.000
Um, and some of it is stuff we touched on before because it all kind of bleeds into um similar themes, if you will, like the strategic mistakes they're making, or or you know, where they sort of they're going fast, but they haven't quite figured things out.
00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:44.400
I think the first one that comes to mind that I think is it's boring, it sounds boring, but it's so critical.
00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:46.319
It's just not documenting anything.
00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:56.559
And I think I've talked about this with you a few minutes ago, but um to me, this isn't just a today's problem or a problem because you grew fast.
00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:04.480
Like this has compounding effects of nothing was documented, then you hired someone, then that person didn't document anything.
00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:15.759
If you don't have a culture where things are organized and documented and processes exist for a reason that are followed the T, then you're kind of just flying blind.
00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:22.799
And I think it's, you know, I've said this before, it works when you're at a certain stage of your company and you're just trying to grow and get traction and survive.
00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:28.799
But I think, you know, we're talking about higher growth companies who sort of gotten the capital now and are scaling.
00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:35.759
For them, the ways they operate have got to be different than what they did five years ago or when they had five employees and now they have 20.
00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:46.000
Um, and so not documenting anything and not having processes is just one that I see all the time, and one that I come in and I help them get um better at.
00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:50.240
Um, I think the key to this is not doing something overly complicated.
00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:55.039
Like it doesn't have to be this like binder of 10 different things, and it's most complicated.
00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:56.400
Google spreadsheet.
00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.759
You know, as long as you have a new higher handbook, you have processes for information.
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:05.920
Voicing, your processes for how you track POs, your processes for how you track revenue coming in by customer, by program.
00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:09.279
It just needs to be things that you can do on your own easily.
00:22:09.440 --> 00:22:13.200
So when I leave, because I'm a fractional, I come in for three months or six months at a time.
00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.359
When I leave, I want to set you up for success.
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:20.240
And so it's got to be something that they can do on their own and follow and replicate.
00:22:20.400 --> 00:22:21.519
So it's got to be simple.
00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:29.839
But honestly, it's so like I said, it sounds boring, but not having anything documented is a huge mistake that I see in a lot of these companies that I work with.
00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:38.799
And I think the second point is again something I hinted at, but I I read this term, I think on LinkedIn and I loved it and I've stolen it or borrowed it.
00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:42.400
But it's when founders don't know how to share their Legos.
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:46.960
Um I love that term because it's so, you know, it's it's very visual.
00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:52.240
Um, and I'm a I'm a pyramid toddler, so it resonates with me exceptionally well right now.
00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:58.400
But I think, you know, so much of an early startup success is the founder being so entrenched.
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:02.079
We talked about that, the one who knows everything and passionate and really understands their business.
00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:06.480
But you get to a certain point and you've got to start losing your grip on some of those Legos.
00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:18.640
And having someone like me or someone in my with a similar experience come in and help you prioritize which Legos really you shouldn't be owning anymore is so critical at this point of their growth.
00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:28.240
Um, because you're either gonna lead to founder burnout, or you're gonna lead to a company that moves excruciatingly slow because every decision goes to the founder, neither of which are good outcomes.
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:44.799
Um, or you're just gonna have um, you know, a company that's just not achieving their potential because um, you know, they're they're just they're not, they don't have a culture where um they're bringing up new growth in the company in terms of personnel and headcount.
00:23:45.200 --> 00:24:05.279
And so I think for me, a delicate part of my job is for sure working with founders and helping them prioritize accurately and helping them sort of see the value of sharing some of their Legos and understanding that there's some that they might never give away, which is completely appropriate, but then for sure some they need to part with.
00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:13.440
So, Tanya, you've worked with organizations like Credit Karma during the periods of extremely rapid expansion.
00:24:13.680 --> 00:24:18.400
I mean, that's a ride that not a lot of people have been on, but you've been there.
00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:30.880
So going back and thinking about that rapid expansion at Credit Karma, um, what lessons from those experiences translate most directly to today's startup founders?
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:32.559
Yeah, that's a great question.
00:24:32.799 --> 00:24:36.160
My time at Credit Karma was it certainly felt like being on a rocket ship.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:41.279
I think they like multiples by multiples grew revenue.
00:24:41.359 --> 00:24:42.960
It was a very exciting time to be there.
00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:44.319
And I learned so much.
00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:46.240
I'm very grateful for that experience.
00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:53.920
And I really think they did two things extremely well, which I've taken with me as I now work with um startup founders.
00:24:54.079 --> 00:25:04.559
One was um Kernakarma was ruthless about asking this question anytime they were launching a new product or testing a new feature.
00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:10.240
They're they were ruthless about asking what is the benefit to a customer from doing this?
00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:16.799
And they didn't work on things that they couldn't tie directly to the benefit of a consumer.
00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:27.599
Um, you know, so even if it made you money and it it was a great thing to have for engagement or something else, if it didn't ultimately benefit the consumer, um, they didn't think that it was worth investing in.
00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:31.759
I think that was such a wonderful um value for that company.
00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:40.559
And so one of the things I work with my founders for is do you have a clear line of sight of what your customers are looking for?
00:25:40.720 --> 00:25:42.799
And how are you servicing that need?
00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:47.279
How are you uniquely servicing that need better than any other of your competitors?
00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:48.720
Um, do you know what it is?
00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:50.240
Have you have you figured it out?
00:25:50.400 --> 00:26:02.559
Because a lot of times you might be generating revenue and be profitable, but you're performing a service or you have a product, you haven't quite figured out what it is that you're uniquely doing that's making you successful.
00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:10.000
So one of my one of my first clients, actually, um they're in like a hardware tech um uh space.
00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:25.599
And what they realized and my work with them helped them uncover was it wasn't even the product that they were, that they were creating, it's how they managed their relationships with their clients that met led the customers to go back and say, oh yeah, I want to get that from that person.
00:26:25.759 --> 00:26:38.880
There were other competitors making the exact same product or you know, variations of it, but the client relationships that they had built got them to winning those clients, those, those contracts again and again and again and getting bigger contracts down the line.
00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.480
And they haven't figured out that actually that was their secret sauce.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:49.279
And so one of it's I think this is such a key strategic question for companies is where you think growth is going to come from.
00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:50.640
Sometimes you're wrong.
00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:57.279
And of course, you have to have a product that you're generating revenue from, but that might not be your secret sauce.
00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:07.599
And so I think really uncovering what you're doing for the customer uniquely is such a game changer for so many of the founders that I work with that I learned from my time at Credit Karma.
00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:14.240
And it's great to know that there's there are resources out there that can help through this process.
00:27:14.400 --> 00:27:16.000
You do not have to do this alone.
00:27:16.559 --> 00:27:27.359
And I can tell you, as a as one of the two founders of our company, I can tell you it's hard to figure it out alone because oftentimes you don't pay attention to things until they hurt you.
00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:30.480
And that gets your attention in a big hurry.
00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.640
Um, and so it's important to to know that there's resources out here.
00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:38.400
So talk to me a little bit about how does someone reach you?
00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:41.200
What what services do you do you offer?
00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.599
And um who do you work with?
00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:46.319
And tell me a little bit about your world.
00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:59.359
Yeah, um, I work with early and mid-stage startups, uh, companies and really industry across the board, any industry, although I have a lot of experience in financial services and fintech, but I'm fairly industry agnostic.
00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:07.599
Um, and I help them with anything from raising capital, like we talked about, getting in front of investors, being successful with those pitch pitch decks and raising.
00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:15.359
And then once you've raised capital, or if that's not your path, really having the right strategic and operational foundation so you can scale successfully.
00:28:15.519 --> 00:28:19.440
Um, and so I really think of as a three-prong of strategy operations and finance.
00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:24.079
And I provide those services to founding teams as a fractional executive.
00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:33.359
So I come in for three to six month retainers, diagnose what your key blockers to success are, and really help them set up the right tools and systems.
00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:44.640
So when I leave in three or six months, they're ready to go, those those systems set up, and they don't um need any big overhaul to keep continuing down those um those pathways that are created for them.
00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:47.839
Um, I can be reached on email or my website.
00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:49.599
So my company's called Pure Insights.
00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.880
I don't think I shouted that out before, but No, shout it out.
00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:53.839
And how do you sell it?
00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:55.279
Is it just P-E-E-R?
00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:57.519
No, P-U-R insights.
00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:02.960
Um, and that is it's a play on my last name, Puri, so Pure Insights.
00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:08.640
And uh the website is pure insights.com, so PURINSights.com.
00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:14.160
Um, I have multiple links on the website to schedule quick, free introductory calls with me.
00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:17.200
And then of course, you can always reach out to me on LinkedIn.
00:29:17.279 --> 00:29:23.279
I'm very active on LinkedIn, but Tanya Puri and uh send me a message, uh comment and a post, anything.
00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:28.319
I love, I love even just sharing notes with founders and seeing what's working for them or not.
00:29:28.559 --> 00:29:33.119
Um, and uh and and yeah, so that's a little bit of what I do and how I can be reached.
00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:40.000
Um and you know, again, Jim, like I said, I'm I'm sort of new to the space, but really enjoying um what I'm doing so far.
00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.799
And it's um been such a crazy ride so far.
00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:46.880
I'm working with some amazing companies and just excited to see where it goes next.
00:29:47.279 --> 00:29:50.160
Yeah, and it's so great to see the results of your work.
00:29:50.319 --> 00:30:07.039
Like when you finish a project or you're in the middle of a project and you can bring a systemic operational process or or data governance, if you will, in the corporate world to a company and show them the results.
00:30:07.119 --> 00:30:16.960
It's it's it's efficiency plays, it's financial gains, it's um identifying your product is a massive growth strategy.
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.720
All of those things are important.
00:30:18.880 --> 00:30:22.079
So tell me this: do you work only for founders?
00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:32.559
Are there people that maybe have positions that are within companies at a relatively senior level that might employ you to help them do their job?
00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.640
Yeah, I mean that's a great question.
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:38.000
Um, I haven't so far, but I'm absolutely open to it.
00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:49.039
I've just I've just I think so far worked with um you know the founders of certain companies because they're the ones who are feeling the pain the most.
00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:59.839
Um but I'm so open, you know, in my past life before I, you know, started my own company, I worked with, you know, heads of strategy or heads of business operations within companies.
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.319
And so I absolutely have that skill set as well.
00:31:02.480 --> 00:31:08.400
And I'm so open to um, you know, it's the skill set stays the same no matter who I'm serving.
00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:16.720
And I I'd love to help um any sort of leader within organizations um with any of these problems because this is the kind of work that I love doing.
00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:21.440
So now I'm gonna pull out of you the Chicago Booth Angels Network.
00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:22.880
Talk to me about that.
00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:27.759
Yeah, so I think um so Chicago Booth is where I went to um went for my MBA.
00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:30.559
It's the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:50.400
Um, and um while I wasn't so actively involved with venture when I was at uh Chicago Booth getting my MBA, but in the years since, especially since I'm um working with founders, raising capital, being on the Angel Network side has helped me, like I said, have that, you know, both sides of the table perspective.
00:31:50.559 --> 00:32:06.079
And so really the Angel Network is um booth alumni that are looking to put in funds at a very, very early stage, um sort of precede stage, um, the angel round, if you if you will a friends or family round into startups and um and see that growth.
00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:21.759
And obviously it's um mostly booth alumni that we invest in because you know it's sort of a booth network, but obviously the angel network is um is professionals who are looking to deploy small amounts of capital and anything that seems promising.
00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:22.960
That's fantastic.
00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:26.319
So you have a strong consistency amongst the things that you do.
00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:28.559
So, where can we find you in the future?
00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:31.759
Do you have any conferences planned or speaking events planned?
00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:36.160
Anything, any travel set on the calendar for this year?
00:32:36.640 --> 00:32:39.200
Um, not for any conferences just yet.
00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:44.720
I just spoke at the Cal Poly Women's Conference two weeks ago, um, which was a wonderful experience.
00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:50.240
Um, but I'm regularly in the Bay Area and for meeting with clients.
00:32:50.319 --> 00:32:55.200
Uh, so you know, travel is um is something that can be arranged very easily.
00:32:55.279 --> 00:32:59.839
If that makes sense for any future clients out there, it's not hard to make that happen.
00:33:00.319 --> 00:33:00.640
Sure.
00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:06.079
Well, listen, I want to thank you very much for taking time out of your day to roll up with us and talk to us about this.
00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:07.440
I think it's important.
00:33:07.599 --> 00:33:16.160
Um, I think we have a lot of founders in spirit that want to start new ventures and they'd like to know what happens when you do.
00:33:16.319 --> 00:33:29.440
And I think we have people that are currently in a founder position and need to hear things like this to make sure that they know that they're not insane, that they're experiencing the same things that other founders are experiencing.
00:33:29.759 --> 00:33:38.240
And then I think it's important to um deploy the right strategies at an early stage or mistakes multiply very fast.
00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:40.960
And so I really I appreciate that.
00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:54.799
Um, I appreciate you rolling up with us today, and uh the audience is gonna absolutely love this one, and we'll have all of your contact information in the show notes, and um thank you very much for for coming in today.
00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:56.640
Thank you so much for having me, Jim.
00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:58.319
I really enjoyed the conversation.
00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:06.880
Um, and yeah, I I hope to reach out to anybody who needs this help um and um and maybe help make their lives a bit easier.
00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:10.639
That was my conversation with Tanya Pura.
00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:19.360
Tanya brings a sharp and practical perspective on what it takes to grow business from capital strategy to operational discipline.
00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:25.360
And her move into fractional leadership reflects a broader shift we're seeing across the market.
00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:29.280
Her experience highlights something important.
00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:38.880
Companies don't just need strategy, they need execution, alignment, and leadership at the right moments in their life cycle.
00:34:39.199 --> 00:34:49.599
If you're building, scaling, or thinking about how to structure leadership in a more flexible and effective way, this was a conversation worth paying attention to.
00:34:49.920 --> 00:34:52.719
Thanks for joining us on Financial Forward.
00:34:52.960 --> 00:35:04.000
If you found value in today's discussion, be sure to follow, share, and stay tuned for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of financial services and businesses.
