Sports CFO Playbook to Transform Budgeting with Vienna and Lead Global Expansion with Dan Crumb

FP&A Unboxed

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In this episode of FP&A Unboxed Podcast, host Tejas Parikh chats with Dan Crumb, Chief Financial Office at Kansas City Chiefs from 15 years. Dan shares his unique journey into sports finance, highlighting the distinct challenges of forecasting and budgeting for a major sports franchise, including handling variable revenues like ticket sales, sponsorship, and game-day operations affected by weather and team performance. He discusses how implementing modern financial systems like Vienna transformed their budgeting process by improving accuracy, transparency, and empowering business units. Dan also shares how strategic finance leadership supports both short-term agility and long-term initiatives like stadium development and international expansion. This episode is packed with actionable insights for finance professionals looking to lead finance functions in dynamic and complex industries.

Key Takeaways

Sports finance involves unique forecasting challenges driven by game-day variables and team performance.

Transitioning from Excel-based processes to integrated systems like Vienna can drastically reduce budgeting cycle times and improve accuracy.

Empowering departments to manage their own budgets enhances ownership and agility.

Strategic finance leadership is critical for supporting major initiatives like stadium projects and global market expansion.

A forward-looking mindset and strong data governance enable agile decision-making and capitalizing on growth opportunities.

Noteworthy Quotes

"We want people who think like the owner, treating every dollar as if it’s theirs." – Dan Crumb

"Switching to Vienna cut our budgeting process by 3 to 4 weeks and improved transparency." – Dan Crumb

"In sports, you must prepare every season as if you’re going to the Super Bowl." – Dan Crumb

"Good data and flexible modeling are the foundation of effective forecasting." – Dan Crumb

"Leadership is about trust, embracing change, and leveraging technology." – Dan Crumb

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Coming up next & Call to Action

[00:01:23] Introduction & Welcome to Dan Crumb

[00:06:33] Unique Challenges of Sports Finance Forecasting

[00:13:55] Supporting Strategic Initiatives: Stadium & Expansion

[00:19:45] Scenario Planning & Revenue Stream Modeling

[00:25:18] Moving from Reactive to Predictive Finance

[00:28:32] Key Hiring Criteria for Forward-Looking Finance Teams

[00:32:26] Advice for Aspiring CFOs & FP&A Leaders

[00:39:25] What Skills and certification requires for entering FP&A

[00:42:38] Closing Thoughts on Leadership and Culture

FOLLOW OUR GUEST DAN CRUMB ON:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-crumb-971a1915/

Company: https://www.chiefs.com/

FOLLOW OUR HOST TEJAS PARIKH ON:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasparikh/

Website: https://aksharconsulting.co.uk/

FOLLOW FP&A UNBOXED PODCAST ON:

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