Charting a Start-up’s Journey: Financial Models for start-up’s with Zainab Nwachuku

In this episode, Paul Barnhurst is joined by Zainab Nwachuku , who is the Managing Director and the lead Financial Modeler of The Intellectual Plug which is a consulting firm in Nigeria that helps founders get ready for funding with investors.

Zainab is extremely passionate about financial modeling and hopes more women who are fond of numbers choose to join the profession.

Listen to this episode as Zainab shares: 

• Her journey from accounting to financial modeling
• Her experience and learnings from the worst models she has come across
• Her experience working with founders to help turn their ideas into a financial model that can help make their dreams a reality
• The horror story of linking workbooks in Excel
• Her unwavering passion for Modeling
• Her position on controversial modeling issues, including circular references, dynamic arrays, modeling standards, and more

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation or FMI Fundamentals Today and receive 15% off by using the special show code ‘Podcast’.

Visit www.fminstitute.com/podcast and use code Podcast to save 15% when you register.

Go to https://earmarkcpe.com , download the app, take the quiz and you can receive CPE credit. 

Quotes:  

“ I feel like you actually have to make those mistakes yourself to even get it to understand because otherwise, you know, how do you even know that o h, it's not a model ?”

“ Simply being able to actually build a financial model has really taught me a lot about communication. ”  

“ If you're not listening to the founder, whether or not they can implement some strategies i f you don't understand that from the founder, the model isn't going to make sense .”

Follow Zainab:    

Website - https://theintellectualplug.com/

LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mszainababu/

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Website - https://www.thefpandaguy.com/

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Must follow LinkedIn Profiles:

Financial Modeling World Cup

https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeling-world-cup/

Financial Modeling Institute

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Chris Reilly

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-reilly-mission-capital/

Hedieh Kianyfard

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Lance Rubin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/financial-modelling/

Giles Male

https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/

In today’s episode:  

(00:22) Intro;

(00:51) Welcoming Zainab;

(01:06) The worst financial model Zainab has ever seen ;

(02:27) Zainab’s key learning experience from the worst financial model ;

(03:30) Zainab’s background;

(05:00) What is fun and challenging about Modeling;

(07:05) About the Financial Modeling Group for women; 

(09:50) Women in Modeling;

(11:17) About The Intellectual Plug;

(12:38) Common Company challenges; 

(14:21) Funding routes for Start-ups in Nigeria;

(16:10 - 16:57) Validate your Financial Modeling Skills with FMI’s Accreditation Program (ad);

(16:58) What does Zainab love about working with these start-ups;

(18:36) Challenges Zainab faced to build a model for early stage companies;

(20:57) Advice on building models for early stage companies;

(24:16) Rapid Fire;

(28:07) Nugget on Financial Modeling;

(29:45) Connect with Zainab;

(30:30) Paul’s best picks

•  The way Zainab talks about terrible models.
• The way she communicates her journey of building models.
• The horror story of workbooks
• And her incredible passion for Modeling. 

(32:00) Rapid Fire: The Pattern So Far;

(35:18) Must Follow LinkedIn Profiles

(37:22) CPE Credit

(37:40) Outro