Bruce L Braviroff founded Your CFO in 2016 as a sole practitioner providing Fractional CFO services. Following many years of working in the commercial equipment finance industry, Bruce made the natural transition to CFO when he helped reorganize a 100-year-old web printing company in 2001.
Bruce’s extensive background in equipment finance allowed him to thoroughly “look under the hood” of every client he touched. He learned quickly the difference between a solid and risky investment and made sure that companies complied with “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” of general accounting principles.
In 2016, Bruce decided to fully offer his services as a “Fractional CFO” after previously working as a dedicated CFO for several companies spanning over various industries and sizes. This was a time were being a “fractional executive” was a relatively unheard-of concept in the corporate world.
Bruce discovered that many of his clients would benefit from a well-connected and experienced group of C-Suite level executives in an on-demand capacity, something that he felt was an absolute need in his local Southern California business community.
Bruce reached out to his inner circle of business associates and executives who were ready, willing, and able to share their knowledge with clients needing fresh ideas, bold leadership, and better fiscal posture. This led Bruce to form Your C-Suite in early 2022, thus paving the way for businesses to gain the full value of having a fractional C-Suite to propel them for further growth.
Your C-Suite has grown into a full operation, with Your C-Suite offering CEO, COO, CFO, CHRO, CTO, CCO leadership and high-quality bookkeeping services. As the pioneering leader, Bruce has a clear vision for Your C-Suite, which includes further expansion across the nation.
He has been inspired by the original motto of the United States; “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many one). This very phrase is embedded into the overall DNA of Your C-Suite. Bruce believes that all C-suite executives need to be unifying their employees to be a part of one shared mission, collectively.This allows for companies and businesses that Your C-Suite is involved with to accomplish their goals and reach their benchmarks with a passionate team committed to one goal.
When Bruce started in commercial equipment finance business, his mentor was Bill Granburg. “I worked with Bill on the largest equipment financing project that Safeco Credit had done to date (at that time) to finance a “Steel Slitter,” says Bruce. “It was a project that took almost six months to complete. Bill guided me through the difficult financing process, ensuring we would successfully finance the equipment.” Working with Bill taught Bruce how to do his job better and bring more value to the table for his company and his clients.
Years later, Bruce met Allan Ralston, an attorney who was truly elite at solving business problems. Allan became a mentor to Bruce, and they stayed very close until Allan passed away in 2022. Bruce adds, “Allan always looked for the middle ground and tried to make everyone feel like they got what they needed. His mentoring taught me to look at a problem from all sides before trying to come up with an answer,” states Bruce. “He also taught me not to be afraid to tell people when they are wrong or demanding the unreasonable, and to be a true business leader, you need to put your feelings aside and look at the larger picture.”
The lessons taught from both Bill and Allan are still with Bruce to this very day. Bruce saw himself as a lone wolf for many years, “I knew that I could count on myself to get the job done. However, I learned that the process and the outcome are better when completed by a complimentary team of people.” Bruce has also learned not to focus on style over substance when managing a team. “Successful business leaders develop their own style which may be vastly different than mine,” he explains, “I learned that there are many paths to the same destination and that focusing on the end goal is what matters most.”
Your C-Suite has been climbing great heights and continuing to make a difference for small to medium-sized businesses all around Southern California and across the country.
Your C-Suite transformed from a one-man operation in 2021, to a dynamic team of highly skilled professional executives ready to spread across the country.
Bruce believes that there are two types of CFOs. He states, “There are CFOs who come up through the accounting side who are essentially focused on controlling costs. However, I believe that accounting side CFOs are on the decline.” He adds, “The other side of the CFO spectrum are those who have come up through the finance side like me. A CFO’s job is to raise money and keep their eye on the bigger picture. We restructure capital. We provide the fuel for change. We know how to take advantage of debt.”
Bruce concludes, “While the accounting-birthed CFOs control costs and have their foot seems to permanently hovering over the brakes, finance minded CFOs look at what the future should be and work towards that target. We are thought leaders who are ready to accelerate and are not be afraid to get dirty, roll up our sleeves, and get the job done!”