Episode 05
Driving accounting process efficiencies with FinQuery's Jake Jones
Episode summary
In this episode of Controllers Classified, host Erik Zhou, CAO at Brex, dives into the world of accounting and automation with Jake Jones, Controller at FinQuery. Jake shares his journey from a decade at Cherry Bekaert to his current role, detailing the transition from audit to client side and his 30, 60, 90 day ramp up plan at FinQuery. He also shares some background on his company, including their approach to their recent fundraising efforts and the accounting team’s role in that.
The discussion then turns to achieving efficiencies in the accounting process. Jake shares how he got their accounting close down to 5 days from 10 days, and reflects on the productivity benefits of automation. He underscores the need for ongoing collaboration with cross-functional partners like rev ops, sales, and engineering teams to ensure seamless tool and system integration, and shares how he thinks about evaluating new accounting tools and technology.
The episode wraps up with an insightful discussion on the importance of taking the accounting function from proactive to reactive through continuous process improvement. And at the conclusion, Jake closes out with some funny anecdotes from his early days in audit, including the time he had to audit medical socks as a part of inventory count.
Show notes
Jake’s career journey [00:38]
The importance of community building [04:09]
The role of Jake’s accounting team in fundraising [11:31]
Transition from Auditor to Controller [19:03]
Implementing new tools and systems [27:32]
Evaluating ROI on various vendors [30:00]
Challenges and successes of automation [32:02]
Guest bio
Jake Jones, Controller, FinQuery
Jake is currently Controller at FinQuery after over 9 years with Cherry Bekaert. At FinQuery he works closely with the CFO and accounting team to implement best practice processes and controls that deliver results and provide insight into the operations of the company.
He currently serves on the GSCPA's Young Professional Advisory Board, GSCPA's Leadership Council, and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Alumni Board. He is also an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and UGA Alumni Association.