SaaS’s Three Key Metrics: Insights from AvePoint's CFO Jim Caci

Jim Caci, CFO of AvePoint, a global leader in robust data management and data governance, joins CJ for this episode. He talks about the harrowing experience of transforming a company from perpetual licenses to SaaS, how the key metrics he tracked changed throughout this process (and what his top three key metrics are), what he needed to convey to members of the company about the basics of SaaS, and how paying sales reps changed with this shift. He also emphasizes the importance of understanding the difference between bookings, ARR, revenue, and sales. Jim unpacks why he believes that AI is a worthy investment for CFOs to champion, describing tactical examples of how he incorporates AI into his work, and explaining how he goes about avoiding buyer's remorse considering the fast-evolving nature of this technology.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(02:05) Sponsor - Planful | Leapfin

(04:23) Transitioning From Perpetual Licenses to SaaS

(10:34) The Shift in Metrics With the Change to SaaS

(14:35) AvePoint’s SaaS Learning Curve

(17:08) Sponsor - Mercury | Netsuite | Maxio

(20:30) How Paying Sales Reps Changed With the Shift to SaaS

(24:31) Why AI is a Worthy Investment for CFOs to Champion

(26:28) Avoiding Buyer's Remorse With AI Tooling

(29:00) Tactical Examples of Incorporating AI

(30:24) Building a Diversified Career as a CFO

(33:31) Sales as a Skill in Jim’s Career

(36:09) Wisdom From Jerry Seinfeld & Roger Federer

(39:41) Long-ass Lightning Round: Hiring Advice

(44:07) Finance Software Stack

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