Blake Billiet

Learning. Co-founder @AfinoInc — simplifying finance for startups and SMBs

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

@garrytan needs to merge gstack with @tan_stack to bring us GarryTanStack

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

After meeting with our investor this week, we realized the internet is asking founders to prioritize the wrong thing.

Everyone obsesses over ARR targets and growth rate, but he said: "Progress in the types of customers you serve could matter more than hitting specific revenue numbers."

Fundraising is equally about proving you understand who you're building for and why they genuinely need you.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

People talk about startup success like it's all skill and execution but you also need to get lucky.

We got our best hire because he just happened to see my LinkedIn post. We happened to recognize he was exactly what we needed. Any of those could've gone differently. Then we got our second CPA through that same connection.

Recognize when you've been lucky instead of pretending it was superior execution alone.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

One of our busiest clients couldn't find two focused hours for critical financial decisions. So Josh booked a flight, showed up at their office and cleared the backlog in one sitting.

Sometimes earning trust means going beyond your means and taking accountability at another level.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Four months ago, a client would ignore their books for two years, then demand financials in two weeks and we'd say yes without explaining the trade-offs.

Now we're still yes men, but with clarity: "Yes, and it'll cost this much more because of the timeline" or "Yes, but this other deliverable will be delayed."

Clients respect honesty about what's realistic over us silently breaking our backs to deliver rushed work.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

When we made our first engineering hire for our first product, it was a non-negotiable requirement that they know how to design AND build.

We can't afford a product split between multiple people coordinating on every decision.

If you're hiring your first product person, find someone who can do both. The efficiency is unmatched.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

When I stepped back into our services team to fulfill the growing demand, my co-founder @parshwa_k just absorbed everything else I was doing. Sales calls, content, investor meetings, all of it.

People think great partnerships are built when you give 50/50 all the time. I say, you NEED to give 100/100 when it matters most to make it work.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

When we raised pre-seed from people who already knew us, we felt an extra responsibility because these people backed us, not just our idea.

We'll take that pressure over the corporate governance BS of board meetings and approvals any day. It's made us more self-reliant.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Everyone chases YC funded startups as clients because they seem like high-growth goldmines. But they stay 2-4 years, can't afford to pay you properly, then hire in-house the moment they raise enough money.

Meanwhile, a $15M restaurant group with 5 locations has complex finances, pays well, stays forever.

Stable businesses are underrated.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Early-stage clients with small contracts often become your best accounts later because when they scale and need real financial infrastructure, you’re already inside their business.

Your smallest client today could be your biggest revenue source in 18 months, speaking from personal experience.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Don't onboard new hires all at once. Pair each new hire with someone experienced that way you can protect both training quality and client work.

Ideal workflow IMO is: Stagger start dates by 1-2 weeks minimum. Assign a dedicated mentor before day one. Create a 30-day checklist that moves them from shadowing to owning work.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Hiring fast doesn't mean hiring recklessly.

We made 6 hires in 6 weeks because we spent months building relationships first.

Start building your bench today: identify people you'd hire tomorrow if you had a budget. Stay in touch, watch them work, create reasons to collaborate.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

I stepped into our services team last month.

Clients were scaling fast, and we needed more capacity. So I’ve handled client finance work myself to help manage the load.

It’s temporary, but the truth is that when founders do the work the company needs most, ego disappears and momentum builds.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Do it manually > automate internally > make it client-facing.

Start with your team because each step shows what’s worth automating.

In practice: Track where time goes, find repeatable tasks, automate those, prove it works, then sell it.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

We gave our entire team ChatGPT subscriptions before knowing if it would pay off.

Built client portals before anyone requested them.

Created automation before we had scale.

Most firms wait for proof before investing in technology but the infrastructure has to exist before the benefits become visible.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Your finance team needs to know exactly what's in the sales pipeline.

When they see 10 deals worth $500K, they can plan accurately: closing half means hiring 2 people, closing all means hiring 4 plus a lead.

Without this visibility, you're always reacting to growth instead of preparing for it.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Started with one small bookkeeping client in Maine. Did good work, so he asked us to review his next acquisition deal.

Found issues that saved him money and he introduced us to other investors. Now we manage an entire portfolio.

The lesson: excellent service to small clients creates exponential growth opportunities.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

When I started sales, I prepared 45-minute presentations about everything we could do and the calls went nowhere.

Now I explain @AfinoInc in 10 minutes and let the customer talk for 20.

We close more deals because we actually understand their problems instead of just pitching features they don't need.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

Treat follow-up like it's part of the sales call, not something you do after.

Your call is only over when the prospect has everything they need to make a decision: pricing, sample deliverables, answers to their technical questions.

[Blake Billiet @Blake_Billiet]

A client left us for an AI bookkeeping platform.

Worked fine until revenue recognition, R&D tax credits, and inter-company transactions hit.

AI categorizes the transactions, but won't know what applies to your specific situation. That’s why they came back to us 6 months later.