Peter Barnes, MBA

A company reached out last month saying they'd posted an Assistant Controller role six weeks earlier and hadn't seen anyone worth interviewing. So I asked to see the posting. It was fine. Technically accurate. Clear on requirements. But it didn't explain why someone would actually want the job. No context on the team. No insight into the growth trajectory. No story behind what makes this opportunity different from the other Assistant Controller roles in the market right now. We rewrote it. Not the requirements... the narrative. Within two weeks, they had three strong candidates in process. The role didn't change. The story did.

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A while back, a SaaS predictive analytics company reached out. They needed to build a new Internal Audit team, including an Audit Manager, plus two Finance Directors, ALL before their acquisition closed. Ten other recruiting firms had already tried for months… and couldn’t make it happen. When they called me, I knew we had to move fast but without compromising on quality. Here's why the other firms failed: they were filling individual jobs instead of building a team. We did it differently. We mapped out the team dynamics first, then found people who fit those dynamics. It worked. We filled every role, and even replaced one who left, all before the deal closed. The lessons? In SaaS, speed and precision matter. When the stakes are high, you don’t need more recruiters. You need the right partner, with a proven process, who delivers under pressure. Team hiring is different from individual hiring. What’s your approach? #SaaS #speedtohire #processoveroutcome #teambuilding

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In today’s hiring market, finance & accounting leaders are being asked to do more than just “report the numbers.” The expectation is that Controllers and FP&A Leaders must act as strategic business partners - often times needing to "do more with less." Whether it’s navigating interest rates, mitigating the impacts of tariffs, hiring the best talent, or integrating new technologies, the demand for forward-looking, highly strategic financial leadership continues to outpace the supply. For finance professionals in leadership roles or those who are hoping to step into a leadership role, this is your opportunity to stand out. Controllers who can move beyond close & compliance and into operational insight are being tapped for CFO succession plans. FP&A leaders who can pair technical skills (Power BI, SQL, Tableau) with strong communication are finding themselves in the driver's seat on strategic projects. Leaders who embrace process improvement, automation, and cross-functional collaboration are separating themselves from the pack. Despite the overall job numbers, the Twin Cities remains one of the most competitive talent markets in the country. Those who can bridge these gaps effectively while influencing internal stakeholders are fast tracking their careers.

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