Laura Shiel is the COO at Clara CFO Group, a firm that specializes in offering strategic financial guidance and support to small businesses. With a diverse background in accounting and finance, Laura’s experience spans various sectors, including public accounting, financial services, and corporate finance in a Fortune 500 company. She holds two esteemed credentials in the finance world: she is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). As a fractional CFO, Laura is dedicated to helping small business owners achieve their personal and professional aspirations.

Navigating the complexities of growing a business while ensuring financial and operational alignment can be a daunting task. How can small businesses effectively merge financial expertise with strategic leadership to achieve their vision?

According to Laura Shiel, a seasoned financial strategist, integrating a CFO into EOS implementation provides critical financial insight and operational clarity. She highlights how fractional CFOs, by participating in Level 10 meetings and quarterly strategy sessions, ensure that financial implications are considered at every decision point. This alignment fosters efficient problem-solving and sharper decision-making. Laura emphasizes that CFOs bring valuable outside perspectives from working with diverse clients, allowing them to introduce best practices and innovative solutions that elevate the EOS process.

In this episode of the Financial Clarity podcast, Hannah Smolinski speaks with Laura Shiel, COO at Clara CFO Group, to discuss how outsourced CFOs play a transformative role in EOS. They cover how CFOs contribute to long-term visioning, enhance decision-making in leadership teams, and create future financial plans to meet growth targets. Laura also shares her insights on when to bring a CFO into the EOS process and how finance and operations are deeply intertwined in achieving business success.