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

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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

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