EPISODE · Jun 19, 2024 · 35 MIN
Colin Sanburg: From Financial House of Cards to Thriving Enterprise
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Colin Sanburg, a seasoned entrepreneur & the Founder of FinElevate, an innovative strategic finance firm that is changing the game for small businesses. On this episode, we dive into Colin's entrepreneurial journey, explore the challenges faced by small business owners, & learn how FinElevate is revolutionising small business finance. KEY TAKEAWAYS If there were 10 things that could kill a company, the very first business I got involved with was doing 9 of them! It was in really rough shape. But from the hardships of figuring out how to make it less bad & eventually get better, I became obsessed with finance & how to build a better business. Now there are many more entrepreneurial groups & masterminds, but earlier in my career, I went years without knowing any other entrepreneurs. They were the hardest years when I was trying to figure things out. Luckily, I got turned on to a couple of books. After I got through that & connected to other entrepreneurs, the second stage of my career began. When people hear “fractional CFO,” they think of a really experienced person who is C-Suite level who’s going to give them a complicated 12-page plan of all the things they should be doing that they don’t have the time to do. That doesn’t work for entrepreneurs; entrepreneurs want freedom, their business to do better than ever & live a better lifestyle. It’s hard to do that, but we get into your business to help improve it The reality is, most businesses need to do some of the same things. We can train your team & get into your business &, instead of giving you a 12-page plan, we can say for the next quarter we’re going to focus on these areas based on your goals, thus making progress. BEST MOMENTS ‘You can get trapped in a bubble of small business & limited mindset, but once you break out of that & work with other entrepreneurs, it’s so exciting.’ ‘We’re training your leadership team. The fear when you ask them to make more profit is that the team hears: “Make me more money.” When we come in, we teach them how to grow their career as well as the company.’ ‘The goal is not to do 450 things at once, it’s to have 450 things mapped out so that we know the next thing to focus on.’ ‘You need to understand how your business makes money & you can describe that on a napkin.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Colin Sanburg is the Founder & CEO of FinElevate, an innovative strategic finance firm that helps small business owners leverage their financial data to drive profitability & growth. With an MBA & extensive experience as an owner & CEO of manufacturing, distribution, & service businesses, Colin has developed a passion for demystifying small business finance & empowering entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. Colin's passion for connecting with & supporting fellow entrepreneurs led him to start several mastermind groups, where he became the go-to person for financial strategy & advice. He pursued an executive MBA to further enhance his skills & knowledge. Through his experiences, Colin has gained invaluable insights into the financial challenges faced by small business owners & is dedicated to helping them navigate the complexities of business finance to achieve long-term success. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
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What this episode covers
Most businesses don’t fail because founders lack vision. They fail because they don’t truly understand how their business makes money. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden sits down with Colin Sanburg, seasoned entrepreneur and Founder of FinElevate, to demystify small business finance—and challenge some deeply ingrained myths about growth, profit, and so-called “fractional CFOs.” Colin’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with a success story. Quite the opposite. His first business was doing almost everything wrong. And yet, those early, painful lessons sparked an obsession that would define his career: how finance, when done right, becomes a growth engine—not a constraint. For years, Colin operated in isolation, not even knowing other entrepreneurs existed. Those were the hardest years. Everything changed when he discovered books, communities, and masterminds—unlocking what he calls the second stage of his entrepreneurial life. That shift from lone operator to ecosystem thinker is a recurring theme in this episode—and a powerful reminder of how much mindset shapes outcomes. One of the most practical insights comes when Colin dismantles the misconception around fractional CFOs. Many founders imagine expensive, overly complex plans that gather dust. That’s not what entrepreneurs need. They want clarity, momentum, and freedom. FinElevate’s approach flips the script: instead of 12-page strategies, they focus on quarter-by-quarter priorities tied directly to business goals. The reality, Colin argues, is that most businesses face similar challenges. The difference lies in execution. By embedding into companies, training leadership teams, and aligning financial decisions with personal and professional aspirations, FinElevate turns finance into a shared language—one that empowers teams instead of intimidating them. A particularly powerful moment in the conversation tackles a common fear: when leaders ask teams to “increase profit,” employees often hear, “make the owner more money.” Colin explains how reframing financial goals as career growth, stability, and shared success transforms culture—and results. Throughout the episode, listeners will walk away with practical, immediately applicable insights, including: Why every founder should be able to explain their business model on a napkin How prioritisation—not perfection—drives sustainable progress Why mapping 450 initiatives isn’t the goal, but knowing the next right one is How financial clarity unlocks better decisions, stronger teams, and better lives 🎧 If you’re a founder, operator, or leader feeling overwhelmed by numbers—or trapped in day-to-day firefighting—this episode will change how you think about finance. Because growth isn’t about doing everything. It’s about understanding what actually matters next.
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Colin Sanburg: From Financial House of Cards to Thriving Enterprise
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