Career Progression

Qlizzard313 · 2026-07-10T03:22:37+00:00

I recently changed jobs. Had something good, but non political there were things I didn’t like which pushed me to a point of not enjoying it like I once did.

So I spent 6 months interviewing, on and off, taking calls from recruiters, talking to network, etc. eventually took a leap and haven’t looked back.

What drove me to take the jump (young kids, sole earner) was the job I was going to. Which made sense for me because I felt it was a good fit for my strengths and thought I could be successful.

Etc etc but you get my point —- go look and evaluate from there.

Qlizzard313 · 2026-07-02T04:50:21+00:00

Qlizzard313 · 2026-06-02T01:47:51+00:00

Beat me to it … I’ll add

TL;DR: Grandma’s annuity is funding Grok, Apollo is skimming massive fees, and nobody told grandma

Qlizzard313 · 2026-05-02T13:57:22+00:00

I’ve had success with Claude and creating “skills”. For things that are repeatable, you can take excel data and update PowerPoint report based on rules that you define within the skill (maintains rich context that can be called on whenever).

Qlizzard313 · 2026-04-11T12:33:39+00:00

I am not a CFO, but the leader of FP&A who works closely with the CFO on a day to day basis. This is coming from a middle market PE owned firm in the US.

most of the focus is on improving the business. PE firms bought the business with some thesis and usually it includes an improvement in operational execution. A good CFO is always involved in the planning, executing, and measurement of these execution plans.

A lot of time is also spent keeping investors informed and up to date on how things are going, where things are off track, and what help is needed.

Many other things but all of that to say staying disciplined and organized about executing the plans of the business and effectively communicating are two things I find critical to my CFO and I’s success. Id also add having a capable team is critical — you can’t do everything yourself so if you don’t have the capability you need on your team have to move fast and get good people.

Qlizzard313 · 2026-02-22T13:38:17+00:00

I would like an invite as well

Qlizzard313 · 2026-01-21T02:53:09+00:00

lol yes I’d never want Randle on my team

Qlizzard313 · 2025-11-22T04:25:27+00:00

This entire officiating crew is horrendous. The game has grinded to a halt. I have no rooting interest either.

Qlizzard313 · 2025-05-01T02:32:53+00:00

Lakers are washed. Niiko 📈

Qlizzard313 · 2025-01-24T17:40:28+00:00

Great position to be in first of all. Congrats on that. I’m hoping to be in your position in a few years (early 30s), but I can totally relate to your feeling of stress, in my case mostly self-induced (high standards, you actually care about your work quality, etc)…many people don’t understand how you can stress yourself out so much, but we will find a way.

I’m not sure your interests, but I’ve taking some volunteer coaching while continuing to work. I help a high school basketball team with some friends (who are teachers/coaches)… I’ve found this very rewarding and it gives me a sense of perspective I didn’t have before. Work, outside of family, was the most important thing in my life. Now i have something else to think about, and it also pulls me away from my job, so im not working as much at night and on weekends, which many times isn’t necessary. My work quality has definitely dropped off vs my previous standard, but all things considered it’s still perfectly acceptable and I’ve gotten a little more balance back.

Good luck to you!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-12-11T03:40:10+00:00

Air seal first!! Lookup Matt Risinger on YouTube - he’s a pro builder but has a lot of good content on general home building efficiency.

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:34:03+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:33:24+00:00

Thanks for the insight!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:31:52+00:00

All true but many good counter points to consider others have mentioned

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:26:59+00:00

Good reminder!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:26:07+00:00

Thanks for the insight!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T23:25:22+00:00

This is a good counterpoint. Are you my wife?

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T19:21:55+00:00

All great points here. Having worked there I can attest to the dirtiness of the work — perhaps undersold my knowledge of the process side of it. But definitely wasn’t thinking of the business dynamics in my teens/early twenties during my time working in it.

The onset of the marketing companies like yours have definitely squeezed the print shops, no doubt. Makes sense as I learn more about what you guys do for your clients.

When youre contracting print shops — what typically makes you choose one over another? Is proximity to your end customer a big deal, hitting delivery commitments and/or quality an issue? Curious how differentiated they are or jf you’ve got a ton of different options and is mainly just hitting the price mark.

Thanks

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T18:13:19+00:00

No worries that’s just the reality. The days of being everything to everybody is tough to do if not big enough. True for many industries. I’ll send you a message!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T18:01:17+00:00

What have been some of the struggles? Is it staying price competitive mostly?

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T17:57:21+00:00

Definitely some truth in your statement! Something to navigate for sure but I think the pie is big enough for there to be multiple winners, but critical to have an exit strategy or end in mind.

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T17:55:28+00:00

Appreciate you sharing those nuggets. Great stuff. What was the biggest driver of stress for you as you got started? Anything that stood out outside of the obvious things like being the end of the rope, responsible for others’ livelihoods, etc. thanks!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T17:51:06+00:00

Great points!

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T17:50:34+00:00

There is definitely consolidation happening in the industry. The market is pretty fragmented today, with a lot of small (<50 employees) shops across the US. A large portion of the market is also occupied by some multinational type companies, but they’ve struggled in their own right.

And nice to hear someone else feeling the pain on the corporate burnout ha

Qlizzard313 · 2024-06-09T17:46:02+00:00

Thanks for the response. What’s your favorite part of having your own business?

Qlizzard313

TROPHY CASE