On this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Confluent CFO Rohan Sivaram to talk goal setting, prioritization, consumption-based pricing, hybrid zero-based budgeting, and the frameworks finance leaders use to scale companies. Rohan shares why he carries his 12-month goals with him, how he evaluates opportunities through TAM, technology, and team, and why usage-based pricing changes the entire operating model.
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SPONSORS:
EY has been part of Silicon Valley since it was just a valley, helping the most successful names in tech go from startup to exit to megacap. With teams across strategy, tax, audit, and transactions, EY helps you get your financials right early, long before your investors start asking for it. You build the next big thing, and EY will help you build it right. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartups
SpendHound cuts your SaaS and AI spend by up to 30% using real pricing benchmarks across 10,000 vendors, so you always know what fair pricing looks like before your next renewal. Rated #1 on G2 in SaaS spend management, it's free forever for teams up to 1,000 employees. Sign up by June 12th and get $500 just for getting started. Go to https://www.spendhound.com/cj
Brex is an intelligent finance platform with AI-powered agents that capture expenses automatically, enforce policy before the spend happens, and close your books in minutes instead of weeks. 35,000+ companies like OpenAI, Coinbase, Anthropic, and DoorDash already run on Brex. It's time to get Brex AF. Learn more at https://www.brex.com/metrics
Aleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at https://www.getaleph.com/run
RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform that lets your product team ship new pricing without asking finance for permission, and your sales team close deals without creating downstream chaos. Check out their free tool at calculator.rightrev.com It scores your rev rec process, shows what's exposing you to risk, and tells you exactly where to focus before it bites you in the rear end. Check it out at https://calculator.rightrev.com
Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj
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LINKS:
Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN
Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohan-sivaram-69007b7/
Company: https://www.confluent.io/
CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
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RELATED EPISODES:
A CFO Explains Marketplaces
https://youtu.be/LpbH9GpBrSY
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Preview and Intro
2:26 Writing down 12-month goals and carrying them
6:33 Rule of 168: 168 hours a week
7:36 Delegation and calendar management
9:25 Learning to say no: cultural shift
11:32 Sponsors — EY | SpendHound | Brex
14:29 Joining Confluent: the state of the company
16:57 Building blocks of a budgeting process
19:46 Execute, learn, adapt
21:59 Healthy tension in the planning cycle
22:26 Sponsors — Aleph | RightRev | Rillet
25:46 What is hybrid zero-based budgeting?
30:37 Moving from subscription to consumption pricing
32:22 Why this was a one-way door
33:56 New metrics required in a consumption business
35:28 Evaluating job opportunities: the three T's
37:39 Networking and reciprocity
39:54 Lightning round
40:04 Screwed up: free cash flow sign error
42:03 Advice to younger self: take more risks
42:38 Finance software stack
43:00 AI tools the team has built
43:44 Credits
