Resource Library
Discover more First Water thought leadership content.
2025 FP&A Predictions
The FP&A predictions and recommendations are informed by our daily work alongside emerging and mid-market finance leaders, as well as our strategic partnership with The CFO Alliance and their 2025 Global Mid-Market CFO Sentiment Report, containing insights and benchmarks captured from over 350 CFOs heading into 2025. This research revealed concerns and persistent gaps across people, processes, and technology within the evolving Finance function.
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Get "Budget Ready" with the Budgeting & Forecasting Readiness Playbook
Max out your budgeting process: Learn how to leverage the Budget & Forecasting Readiness Playbook for strategic insights and year-round value. Align goals, gain buy-in, and enhance your team's capabilities to execute an efficient and effective budgeting process.
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Take Charge of Your Next Technology Initiative with The Technology Readiness Playbook
Master your finance technology initiatives: Your guide to effectively utilize the Technology Readiness Worksheet. Learn how to plan, prepare, execute, monitor, and improve technology projects while aligning your roadmap with stakeholder expectations, team capabilities, and personal development needs.
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Build Stronger Team Readiness with The Finance Resourcing Playbook
Close skill gaps and align finance talent with organizational goals: Your guide to implementing the Finance Resourcing Playbook. Learn how to overcome hiring, training, and technology hurdles facing modern CFOs and maximize your finance team's potential.
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Capital Raising and Transaction Preparation
A resource guide for leaders to proactively prepare and leverage "finance readiness" to get the most out of financing, M&A, and business sale initiatives.
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Q1 2024 Team and Process Readiness Playbook
Relevant and timely discussions on how to develop and utilize a Finance Resourcing Roadmap to ensure that you are able to bridge any gaps to stakeholder expectations, support your teams, and meet your own goals for advancement of the finance and accounting function in 2024.
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FP&A Implementation Readiness
Private Equity Do's (And Do Not's!): Successful FP&A implementation hinges on establishing robust processes, securing stakeholder buy-in, aligning with strategic objectives, and ensuring your team has the necessary skills and resources. These are the cornerstones of "FP&A Implementation Readiness" and the foundation of our guide. We've designed this resource to help finance leaders and their teams assess their readiness, identify gaps, and create a clear roadmap for implementing or optimizing their FP&A function. By focusing on both the technical and relational aspects of finance, this guide empowers you to drive more meaningful dialogues, enhance decision-making processes, and ultimately accelerate growth and value creation across your portfolio companies.
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Investor-Backed CFO Report
The State of the Investor-Backed CFO report focuses on the sentiment differences between investor-backed and non-sponsored CFOs during 2024. In brief, portfolio companies CFOs have ambitious goals, large skills gaps, busy teams, and major initiatives. To find out more, please click below.
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Relational Finance by Ben Lehrer
Relational Finance, written by First Water founder Ben Lehrer, is the definitive finance companion for business leaders and owners. Within the book, we explore the value of the finance function, review the traditional finance models, introduce Relational Finance, and provide tactical ways for leaders to deploy finance capabilities and Relational Finance to drive better teams, better growth, and better deals.
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2024 Mid-Market CFO Sentiment Study
The 2024 Report zeroes in on four pivotal areas—Finance Team & Processes, Finance Technology & Systems, Financial Planning & Forecasting, and Enterprise Growth Strategies & Capitalization. In addition, this Report features a dedicated section on CFO Leadership Benchmarks, offering a comparative analysis and deeper dive into expanding leadership opportunities and attributes that continue to enhance the CFO role and contribute to the success and impact of individual and collective finance leaders across industries and geo markets.
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2023 Mid Year CFO Checkpoint Report
In July 2023, The CFO Alliance, the leading finance peer community comprising thousands of emerging and mid-market CFOs and finance leaders, captured insights on how economic conditions and internal business factors have impacted first half financial results, the outlook for the rest of the year, and the state of finance team
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FiRe Score
Growth goals, funding requirements, and owner objectives are critical inputs to plot the optimal course. Aligning the three roadmaps (growth, capital, personal) is a core component to First Water’s mission and relationship building. It starts with our free finance readiness assessment tool, FiRe Score, which takes less than five minutes.
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WHO ARE WE?
First Water Finance, the “Relational Finance” platform that combines the finance capabilities and relationship frameworks that drive the recurring dialogue for professionals and businesses to navigate their growth, capital, and personal roadmaps.
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