Run the Numbers is a business podcast about financial metrics and business models for CFOs, aspiring CFOs, finance leaders, and ambitious people operating tech startups. Hosted by CJ Gustafson, CFO and writer of Mostly Metrics, the show shares lessons, frameworks, and operator insights from the trenches as a tech exec. Think of it as a playbook for the things CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, covering SaaS metrics, annual budgeting, forecasting, headcount, equity, dilution, fundraising, and the decisions that drive performance and growth.

Run the Numbers
Claim This Podcastby CJ Gustafson
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Podcast Overview
Run the Numbers is a business podcast about financial metrics and business models for CFOs, aspiring CFOs, finance leaders, and ambitious people operating tech startups. Hosted by CJ Gustafson, CFO and writer of Mostly Metrics, the show shares lessons, frameworks, and operator insights from the trenches as a tech exec. Think of it as a playbook for the things CJ wishes he knew earlier in his career, covering SaaS metrics, annual budgeting, forecasting, headcount, equity, dilution, fundraising, and the decisions that drive performance and growth.
Language
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Publishing Since
1/3/2024
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Recent Episodes

June 25, 2026
Lime’s S-1 Breakdown: The $1.8B Scooter IPO
<p>In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ breaks down Lime’s S-1 as the scooter company heads toward the public markets. He gets into the $1.8B valuation, Wayne Ting’s turnaround playbook, Lime’s unit economics, the post-Covid recovery, and the debt wall that may be forcing the IPO window open.</p><p>—</p><p>SPONSORS:</p><p>SpendHound cuts your SaaS and AI spend by up to 30% using real pricing benchmarks across 10,000 vendors, so you always know what fair pricing looks like before your next renewal. Rated #1 on G2 in SaaS spend management, it's free forever for teams up to 1,000 employees. Sign up by June 12th and get $500 just for getting started. Go to <a href="https://www.spendhound.com/cj"><u>https://www.spendhound.com/cj</u></a></p><p>Brex is an intelligent finance platform with AI-powered agents that capture expenses automatically, enforce policy before the spend happens, and close your books in minutes instead of weeks. 35,000+ companies like OpenAI, Coinbase, Anthropic, and DoorDash already run on Brex. It's time to get Brex AF. Learn more at <a href="https://www.brex.com/metrics"><u>https://www.brex.com/metrics</u></a></p><p>Aleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at <a href="https://www.getaleph.com/run"><u>https://www.getaleph.com/run</u></a></p><p>RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform that lets your product team ship new pricing without asking finance for permission, and your sales team close deals without creating downstream chaos. Check out their free tool at <a href="http://calculator.rightrev.com"><u>calculator.rightrev.com</u></a> It scores your rev rec process, shows what's exposing you to risk, and tells you exactly where to focus before it bites you in the rear end. Check it out at <a href="https://calculator.rightrev.com"><u>https://calculator.rightrev.com</u></a></p><p>Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at<a href="https://www.rillet.com/cj"> <u>https://www.rillet.com/cj</u></a></p><p>EY has been part of Silicon Valley since it was just a valley, helping the most successful names in tech go from startup to exit to megacap. With teams across strategy, tax, audit, and transactions, EY helps you get your financials right early, long before your investors start asking for it. You build the next big thing, and EY will help you build it right. Learn more at <a href="https://www.ey.com/techstartups"><u>https://www.ey.com/techstartups</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>LINKS: </p><p>Mostly Talent: <a href="https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN"><u>https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN</u></a></p><p>CJ: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/</u></a></p><p>Mostly metrics: <a href="https://www.mostlymetrics.com"><u>https://www.mostlymetrics.com</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>RELATED EPISODES:</p><p>SpaceX S1 Breakdown</p><p><a href="https://youtu.be/AARjbTO8FKo"><u>https://youtu.be/AARjbTO8FKo</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>TIMESTAMPS:</p><p>0:00 Intro</p><p>1:48 What Lime does</p><p>2:47 Phoenix rising from the ashes</p><p>3:53 Revenue: $887M, 29% growth</p><p>6:38 Gross margin and the depreciation trick</p><p>7:53 Adjusted EBITDA: $218M, up 42%</p><p>8:27 Why the net loss got bigger</p><p>9:54 Sponsors — SpendHound | Brex | Aleph</p><p>13:08 Revenue per vehicle per day</p><p>13:42 Marketing: only 2% of revenue</p><p>14:01 Subscription mix: 28% and rising</p><p>14:25 The debt: $821M but most converts</p><p>15:37 The turnaround story</p><p>16:42 What Wayne found taking over</p><p>17:31 The three numbers he locked in on</p><p>18:05 The warehouse overhaul</p><p>19:31 Sponsors — RightRev | Rillet | EY</p><p>22:33 The debt deep dive</p><p>23:20 Why the net loss widened</p><p>24:27 Post-IPO: nearly debt free</p><p>25:07 Why more scooters make each scooter worth more</p><p>28:43 How a scooter pays for itself</p><p>30:43 The swappable battery</p><p>32:39 Is this a real moat?</p><p>34:14 Red flag 1: going concern</p><p>35:11 Red flag 2: depreciation change before IPO</p><p>36:11 Red flag 3: permits can disappear</p><p>36:32 Red flag 4: Uber is everything</p><p>37:24 Red flag 5: vehicles catch fire</p><p>37:56 Valuation: under 2x revenue</p><p>39:55 Comps: between Lyft and Uber</p><p>40:55 Bull vs. bear</p><p>41:52 Legal name is Neutron Holdings</p><p>42:47 Credits</p>

June 22, 2026
How Confluent’s CFO Runs Planning, Pricing, and Prioritization
Host CJ Gustafson interviews Confluent CFO Rohan Sivaram about scaling finance operations through goal setting, consumption-based pricing, and strategic prioritization.

June 18, 2026
Salesforce Paid $2.1 Billion for His Company: Meet the CFO Who Made it Happen
Host CJ Gustafson interviews Jake Kornreich, CFO of CoLab, about the framework behind Own's $2.1B sale to Salesforce and key finance leadership insights.
320 total episodes available with 195 transcripts
Recent guests on Run the Numbers
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
Rohan Sivaram
Guest
Jake Kornreich
Guest
Dan Bettes
Guest
Marten Abrahamsen
Guest
Ryan Roccon
Guest
Aurélien Nolf
Guest
Paul Stansik
Guest
Macrina Kgil
Guest
Federico Acabbi
Guest
Aman Varejee
Guest
Jason Lee
Guest
Mike Wilcox
Guest
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