This episode is brought to you by Compass Rose Ventures  and SARAL  - The Influencer OS for Brands Today, host Ramon Vela interviews Alice Zhang, Founder of myPocketCFO. myPocketCFO is the new intelligent finance management platform for growing eCommerce and omnichannel consumer brands.  It delivers real-time auto-bookkeeping, analytics, monthly reconciliation, and CFO advice all in one place.  Unlike traditional accounting firms that charge by the hour and deliver siloed services, myPocketCFO ingests all your transactional data daily to automatically generate financial statements that allow you to collaborate with business partners to make critical decisions at a straightforward subscription price. Highlights: * Her Gratitude Story * Why, if you don't understand the numbers, you're doomed * Jeff Bezos's quote on business cycles as waves * Economic Forecast for the 2024-2025 calendar year * Talking interest rates, commercial real estate refinancing, rolling recessions * Investor's Advice for Founders * For Founders, why it's time to focus on “value creation” * Value creation Explained * What is Accumulated Return or Discounted Cash Flow? * Cost of Capital and Resetting Your Thinking Around Resources * The Cost of Capital Concept Explained * Financial concepts and metrics startup brands should use to measure Value * Using Growth and "Traction" as Financial Metrics for Startups * Explaining the Efficiency of Capital and Marketing Efficiency Return * Why Numbers Should Carry Meaning for Founders * Your Financials Tell The Life Story of Your Brand * Founders should ask, “What does my ideal P&L look like? * Case Study: How you reverse engineer your P&L * And SO. MUCH. MORE Join Ramon Vela and Alice Zhang as we break down the inside story of myPocketCFO on The Story of a Brand. For more on myPocketCFO, visit: https://www.mypocketcfo.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player. * Today’s Sponsor: SARAL  - The Influencer OS for Brands: http://storybrandoffer.com/ Claim an "exclusive onboarding" offer for the listeners of The Story of a Brand Show. The Saral Team will work directly with you and offer weekly check-ins and 1:1 consulting until you succeed. Visit my unique link.