Build the financial picture.
Liquidity, forecasting, margin, capital, controls and stakeholder confidence. A CFO operating model that connects the numbers to decisions.
My finance approach →CFO · Founder-Operator · AI Systems
I build businesses,financial systems,and what comes next.
I connect finance, operating judgment, brand strategy and technology to help businesses make better decisions. My perspective comes from 25+ years in the founder, owner and CFO seats.
25+ Years
Founder/Operator
$100M+
Part-Owner · Enterprise Revenue
200+
People Led
$200M+
Cumulative Revenue · Built From $0
Ask Karl
Explore Karl’s work with Anna, his AI guide.
The person behind the work
An operator first.
A CFO where it counts.
I’ve built companies, managed capital and led teams through decisions where the answers weren’t obvious. That experience shapes how I work: establish financial truth, understand the operating reality and turn both into useful action.
I care about the people carrying the responsibility, not just the problem on the spreadsheet. Clear thinking, direct communication and follow-through matter.
Complex situations with high stakes and no clear playbook are where I do my best work.
More about my perspective →A connected operating perspective
Finance at the center. The whole business in view.
From business systems at Nike and technology leadership at Macadam to completed MIT Sloan AI strategy coursework and hands-on AI development.
Make the priorities real.
Fractional COO and CEO mandates: accountability, teams, operating cadence and execution through growth or transition, informed by ownership and executive responsibility.
How I lead →Build better ways to work.
I design, build, integrate and pressure-test business systems, from finance workflows to AI agents, with clear permissions and accountable human review.
Explore my technology work →Brand & market strategy: I shape how a business shows up to its customers, from positioning and messaging to logos, typography, websites, packaging, sales materials and communications. The goal is one clear, consistent brand connected to the business. Explore my brand perspective →
Construction & infrastructure: a major operating pillar, from WIP and job costing to project cash flow, bonding and capital. Explore the sector depth →
Selected experience
The record behind the perspective.
Macadam Floor & Design
Built from a standing start to more than $200M in cumulative revenue over 13 years, developing the finance function and operating systems alongside the business.
Explore the company-building record →Broadband Development Group
Helped lead a rapid financial turnaround while strengthening profitability, forecasting, cash visibility and lender readiness.
Explore the CFO record →One career. Several operating lenses.
KSIG advisory, BlackBoxx systems development, AI evaluation work and earlier ventures. Dates, roles, education and affiliations are on the full career page.
View the complete career →Metrics and examples reflect my career experience, not results promised for a future engagement.
In the media
A perspective on CFO leadership.
The Fractious Fractional CFO Debate
By Adam Zaki ·
I joined other practitioners to discuss the distinction between controller work and CFO leadership, the responsibility behind the title, and what business owners should ask before hiring a fractional CFO.
Read the article on The Daily Upside (opens in a new tab)Current work & opportunities
Where I put that experience to work.
Executive leadership & strategic finance.
CFO-led interim and fractional executive leadership, with scoped COO and CEO mandates for founder-led businesses navigating growth, operational complexity and transition.
Explore KSIG →Independent AI systems lab.
Internal research, development and evaluation of AI agents, software and integrations against real operating requirements.
Explore BlackBoxx →A deeper conversation about fit.
I’m open to the right full-time CFO or senior executive finance opportunity and select advisory roles.
View my CFO résumé →The Studio: a KSIG Advisors brand connecting my business and brand strategy with Emerson’s branding, photography and content and Stacey’s interior design and styling. We bring the right specialties together around each project. Explore The Studio →
I use AI agents to build and improve the systems behind my own work and brands. BlackBoxx is where I research and test those systems. Through KSIG, I apply that experience to client finance and operating workflows, with people accountable for the decisions. Explore client engagement systems →
Selected thinking
A few ideas worth a closer look.
What the modern CFO actually does.
Economics, capital and operating decisions belong in the same conversation.
Read the essay →AI multiplies range.
What changes when domain experience can move directly into working systems.
Read the essay →Owner dependency.
The systems and responsibilities that help a company operate beyond one person.
Read the essay →Married to Stacey for over 28 years. Three daughters. A miniature goldendoodle named Rover. We renovated a circa 1888 home in Roslyn, Washington — one of the most unique small towns in the Pacific Northwest — where we are proud full-time residents.
Community & civic involvement →Let's talk.
An executive role, an advisory engagement or a business problem that needs a fresh perspective—let’s start with a conversation.