How to Run Finance in a Creative, 'Hit-Driven' Business, with Diya Sagar

In creative businesses, the art drives the upside — but the numbers determine whether the art can exist at all.

In this episode of The Growth-Minded CFO, hosts Alex Louisy and Lauren Pearl sit down with Diya Sagar, CFO of AWA Studios, a young media company that publishes original graphic novels and brings them to life in film and television.

Diya leads finance in this truly hit-driven business. There’s no recurring revenue, outcomes are unpredictable, and every project is a bet. She shares how she brings financial certainty to an inherently uncertain environment - without slowing creativity.

Chapters:

01:55 Diya's Career Journey and Role at AWA Studios
03:40 Transitioning from Large Corporations to a Small Creative Company
05:02 Managing Multiple Roles in a Small Organization
07:41 Navigating the Unpredictable Nature of Creative Businesses
08:53 Evaluating and Investing in Creative Projects
15:30 Competing with Industry Giants
17:10 Balancing Creativity and Financial Stability
18:34 Providing Certainty in Creative Businesses
20:26 Building Trust with Creative Teams
21:17 Effective Communication with Creatives
22:44 Transitioning Her Career gto a Creative Environment
27:49 Challenges of Establishing a Finance Function

In this episode, you'll learn:

What it means to run finance in a creative, hit-driven business
How CFOs can create certainty in an uncertain environment
Managing volatility without killing creativity
Why guardrails matter more than control
How to think in portfolios when every project is a bet
What financial excellence looks like in an early-stage studio

This conversation is essential listening for CFOs, finance leaders, and operators working outside traditional recurring-revenue models - or anyone navigating creative, nonlinear businesses.

Prefer to watch? Check out the full video of the interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MfFEkYmPMQY?si=cXsfD_dOLfn3L73X

👉 SUBSCRIBE for more real-talk with modern finance leaders

👉 SHARE this episode with a CFO or operator who’ll find it valuable.

The Growth-Minded CFO podcast challenges the status quo and explores how the best CFOs approach their work and lives. Hosts Lauren Pearl (Fractional CFO, 3-time Founder, and Startup Finance Instructor at NYU) and Alex Louisy (Fintech CEO and Y Combinator graduate) talk with inspiring finance and business leaders about what it takes to support high-performing organizations.

This podcast is powered by Upflow - a Financial Relationship Management platform enabling faster payments, stronger customer relationships, and efficient growth for your business.

Join thousands of next-level finance leaders and go from chasing invoices to engaging customers. Find out more at ⁠upflow.io⁠.

Want to get in touch? Reach out to our producer at ⁠joseph.sweeney@upflow.io⁠

Want to recommend a guest or apply yourself? Fill out our form: https://insights.upflow.io/apply-to-be-a-guest-on-the-growth-minded-cfo-podcast

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(40)

Why "AR Automation" Was Never the Right Name: Alex Louisy on Building Financial Relationship Management

For three seasons, Alex Louisy has sat on one side of the mic, asking CFOs about the decisions that shaped their careers. In this episode, he switches seats.Lauren Pearl interviews her own co-host abo...

2 Syys 52min

Inside the CFO-Sales Partnership: How Real-Time Data Changes the Game, with Christina Liu

Most CFOs can see the final sales numbers. Far fewer have a clear view of what is happening inside the pipeline before those numbers land.As CFO of Sigma Computing, Christina Liu works closely with sa...

6 Elo 30min

From GE’s $100B Transformation to Klarna and DeepL: Lessons in Scaling, with Martino Cadoni

Martino Cadoni has had a front-row seat to some extraordinary moments throughout his career so far.At GE Capital, he was selected to help transform a business with more than $100 billion in assets, wo...

8 Heinä 46min

Revisiting: Wall Street to SaaS CFO with Carla Cooper (CFO @ Contentful)

What does it take to be a truly great CFO today?It’s not just about balancing the books—it’s about driving strategy, managing risks, and telling the financial story in a way that inspires confidence.I...

25 Kesä 43min

The CFO’s AI Playbook: How to Roll Out AI Across Your Company, with Ryan Roccon (CFO at Zapier)

AI is no longer just an experiment. For many companies, it is quickly becoming an expectation.But rolling it out across a business is a very different challenge from giving a few people access to a fe...

10 Kesä 42min

Revisiting: Chris Ortega on What Makes a Great CFO (Hint: They're Not Just a 'Human Calculator')

In this episode, hosts Lauren and Alex sit down with Chris Ortega, the CEO and founder of Fresh FP&A.Chris shares his inspiring career journey, from his early passion for finance to roles at Ernst & Y...

28 Touko 37min

Why Every CFO Needs a Personal Brand (And How to Build One), with Wassia Kamon

Most CFOs don’t think about personal brand until they need something: a new role, a board seat, a stronger network, or a way to stand out.But by then, it might already be too late.In this episode of T...

14 Touko 38min

Revisiting: Ilana Esterrich (CFO @ Planned Parenthood) On Leading Beyond The Numbers

If your role as CFO stops at the numbers, you’re already behind.Ilana Esterrich, CFO at Planned Parenthood, breaks down what it actually means to lead in today’s environment—from building resilient te...

29 Huhti 40min