Invest in You

In this episode, Fredrik sits down with Robert Cacchia, CFO at Benzinga, to trace his fascinating career path from studying physics to leading financial strategy in the high-stakes worlds of private equity and investment banking. Robert breaks down the essential skills needed to climb the financial ladder, emphasizing why effective communication and storytelling eventually outweigh raw spreadsheet modeling. KEY TAKEAWAYS Communication is Your Best Asset: While hardcore technical skills and financial modeling are crucial early in your banking career, reaching the VP, Director, or CFO level requires mastering the art of storytelling. Growth Beyond the Spreadsheet: A modern CFO does more than just manage the books. They act as strategic partners focused on removing roadblocks, talent acquisition, retaining top performers, and aligning the entire organization toward a successful exit or scaling event. The Truth About M&A Synergies: When acquiring companies to scale, relying solely on headcount reduction to achieve "cost synergies" is a flawed strategy. Invest in Your Team (and Trust Them): To avoid "key man risk" and truly scale a business, founders and executives must hire operators who specialize in their niches, empower them to act, and trust the process. Always Invest in Yourself: You cannot sustain a high-level career without treating your time and health as your most valuable resources. Prioritize continuous learning, get adequate rest, exercise, and remember to celebrate your victories along the way to avoid burnout. BEST MOMENTS "If you can't convince someone to do a decision with those numbers, it's useless. Numbers, rationality don't convince. The storytelling convinces." "The best meetings, the best conversations are the ones where you don't even open the deck, the pitchbook. It's when you just sit down and talk." "Put the right people in the right places, give them the freedom to operate and hold them accountable. You will surprise yourself with what is delivered." "When an investor... is buying your business, they are buying the future. They're not buying what you already delivered." "People tend to overestimate the cost synergy piece in mergers... You're not going to win because you merged two companies and got rid of one controller or one HR or one CFO... Focus on one plus one equals three on the growth." TO CONNECT WITH ROBERT Robert@benzinga.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-g-checchia-cfa/ https://www.benzinga.com/ About the Podcast Invest in You is a global podcast where entrepreneur and investor Fredrik Sandvall shares practical ideas and conversations with founders, investors, and operators. Episodes focus on investing, entrepreneurship, and building long-term control and freedom. Occasionally joined by his sons Ivan and Charlie, the show offers both experience-based insight and a next-generation perspective. Listeners in 155+ countries tune in to think clearer, act smarter, and build with intent. Community & Contact Podcast community: https://bit.ly/4jxF94k Fredrik Sandvall LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandvall/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/FredrikinLondon/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FredrikSandvall

In this episode of Fredrik sits down with Andrew Leech, the Founder and Managing Director of Fleet Evolution, to discuss his incredible journey from working late-night shifts at a supermarket to pioneering the UK's first electric car-focused salary sacrifice scheme. Andrew shares candid stories about his working-class upbringing, his leap into entrepreneurship to escape the corporate grind, and how he navigated severe government policy U-turns and the COVID-19 pandemic to build a thriving business. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Foundation of Hard Work: Andrew's work ethic was heavily influenced by his mother, a machinist who always emphasized the value of earning and owning your own money. Beware the Social Media Illusion: Both Fredrik and Andrew warn younger generations about the trap of comparing their real lives to the curated, often fake, "doomscroll" lifestyles seen on social media. Adaptability is Everything in Business: When the UK government was indecisive about EV policies between 2012 and 2019, Fleet Evolution's growth flatlined. The Unmatched Perks of EV Salary Sacrifice: Electric vehicles aren't just great for the environment; they are massive money-savers. Sales Skills are Non-Negotiable: To start a business from the ground up, you must get comfortable with hearing "no." BEST MOMENTS "My mom... always used to say, 'Yeah, but it's my money, I've earned it.' And that really stuck with me." "It’s all about what you’re giving and what you’re getting, and just setting it all into perspective rather than just living the doomscroll life." "What's the use in sweating blood and tears for a company that's going to treat you in such a way?" "A 'no' is just one off your to-do list... Obviously the best result is a 'yes,' but the worst result is just apathy and no response." "The vast majority of people who say they don't like electric cars have never ever drove one. Or haven't drove the right one." TO CONNECT WITH ANDREW https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-leech-b3a34921/ fleetevolution.com About the Podcast Invest in You is a global podcast where entrepreneur and investor Fredrik Sandvall shares practical ideas and conversations with founders, investors, and operators. Episodes focus on investing, entrepreneurship, and building long-term control and freedom. Occasionally joined by his sons Ivan and Charlie, the show offers both experience-based insight and a next-generation perspective. Listeners in 155+ countries tune in to think clearer, act smarter, and build with intent. Community & Contact Podcast community: https://bit.ly/4jxF94k Fredrik Sandvall LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandvall/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/FredrikinLondon/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FredrikSandvall

In this episode, Fredrik sits down with Joshua Gould, CEO of The Big Word, to discuss his journey from expanding a UK-based language services business to Wall Street right before the Great Recession, to successfully pivoting into government contracts. Josh shares his deep industry insights into how artificial intelligence is transforming translation and interpreting, and how investors and business owners should evaluate AI companies. KEY TAKEAWAYS Setting up a business on Wall Street right before the 2008 Great Recession forced Josh to pivot away from the struggling private sector and focus on government contracts. That flexibility ultimately allowed the business to scale rapidly globally. If a company just bolts AI onto an existing service without solving a fundamental, structural problem, it is not a sustainable model. True value is created when AI is the core engine solving the issue. As large language models scale, their computing and energy costs grow exponentially. This could lead to a massive deflation or "bubble burst" for AI companies that lack the funding to keep up with hardware demands. There is a distinct difference between being an entrepreneur who simply creates a high-paying job for themselves versus building a scalable infrastructure. To truly scale, you have to replace yourself with systems and eventually hand over daily operations. You don't need to overhaul your entire business overnight to benefit from AI. Look for proven, localized AI tools that can safely increase efficiency in specific workflows without exposing your core client data to the open internet. BEST MOMENTS "I came to the US in 2006 and set up an office on 48 Wall. And if you are familiar with the Great Recession, probably the dumbest move ever." "You can't be everything at scale. And there's a big difference between entrepreneurs who create themselves a job... You cannot scale that; you still only got 24 hours in a day." "The only people who are truly building AI are the Anthropics and the Googles and the Microsofts. And you don't want to be them." "The quicker you are to adopt, the quicker you're going to capture market share. And what you'll find is the macroeconomics of any big tech movement, especially AI, changes everything." "AI interpreting isn't for using, it's just for selling. Everyone buys from us because we have it, but then no one wants to use it." TO CONNECT WITH JOSH https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuadgould/ Books by Fredrik Sandvall Options Strategy: Build to Keep. Ready to Sell Tomorrow. For founders and CEOs who want businesses that compound in value, stay under control, and are always sale-ready. ⁠https://amzn.to/4pwVhoi⁠ The Abyss of Finance: Trust, Leverage and the Cycles of Collapse For investors and leaders who want to understand why financial systems break before they do. ⁠https://amzn.to/3YsRKfI⁠ About the Podcast Invest in You is a global podcast where entrepreneur and investor Fredrik Sandvall shares practical ideas and conversations with founders, investors, and operators. Episodes focus on investing, entrepreneurship, and building long-term control and freedom. Occasionally joined by his sons Ivan and Charlie, the show offers both experience-based insight and a next-generation perspective. Listeners in 155+ countries tune in to think clearer, act smarter, and build with intent. Community & Contact Podcast community: https://bit.ly/4jxF94k Fredrik Sandvall LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandvall/⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/FredrikinLondon/