In episode 15 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Nnamdi Oparanozie, a strategic CFO and purpose-driven entrepreneur, who shares how he integrates faith, fitness, and finance into both business and life, and why serving others is at the core of his mission.

Tune in to discover how to build a profitable business while staying true to your core values.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:58] F5 core values framework.

[00:05:06] Transition from corporate to ministry.

[00:07:48] Stewardship in financial management.

[00:10:44] Entrepreneurship and fitness journey.

[00:15:33] Financial clarity and health.

[00:19:51] Building long-term business value.

[00:22:03] Purpose, impact, and freedom.

[00:25:08] Scripture shaping leadership approach.

[00:27:56] Scaling smarter and efficiently.

QUOTES

• "The foundation is my faith, which ultimately says, you know, love God and love and serve people." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "When you're faithful with little, you'll be faithful with much." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "Cost is not an expense, but an investment." -Nnamdi Oparanozie
• "Oftentimes, your good thing that you're looking for is on the other side of hard." -Nnamdi Oparanozie

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Nnamdi Oparanozie

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/obk.fitness/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnamdioparanozie/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

OBK Fitness: https://www.obkfitness.com/

In episode 14 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Kelsey Daingerfield, a Powerhouse in Operations and a Fractional COO, as she shares her journey across industries—from aerospace to higher education—and how she discovered her passion for operations and change management.

Tune in to discover insights on how to work smarter, not harder, and the value of operational excellence in driving business growth.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:13] Operations and process optimization.

[00:04:06] Fractional COO considerations.

[00:09:21] Tools for business operations.

[00:12:24] Custom GPTs for branding content.

[00:17:08] Human risk and communication gaps.

[00:18:41] Force versus flow in decision-making.

[00:25:21] Biggest risk in entrepreneurship.

[00:26:30] Risk-taking and personal growth.

[00:30:42] Embracing career pivots.

[00:34:43] Who not how approach.

[00:38:54] Voice note conversations for connection.

QUOTES

• "I help people just reel it in, get focused, put a strategy in place, get our operations and our processes moving along." -Kelsey Daingerfield
• "It's about the best version of yourself, the 10.0 version, or it's about your best possible future." -Laurie Chen
• "When you make the decision, you make that jump, and you're committed to being that best version, and you're committed to your best possible future, then it will come." -Laurie Chen
• "Embrace the squiggle in your career." -Kelsey Daingerfield

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Kelsey Daingerfield

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelseydaingerfield/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseydaingerfield/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Kelsey Daingerfield: https://www.kelseydaingerfield.com/

In episode 13 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares insights from her upcoming book, "Risk Worthy", emphasizing the importance of making choices that align with the best version of oneself and prioritizing qualitative returns on investment over purely quantitative measures.

Tune in for valuable strategies on becoming your best self and making risk-worthy decisions.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:33] Best version of yourself.

[00:04:54] Financial metrics tracking.

[00:07:15] Turning insights into income.

QUOTES

• "You must activate the best version of yourself if you are making decisions that are risk-worthy."
• "Deciding to become the best version of myself led to visible changes in my body, but it was a lot of discipline and commitment to become that person."
• "If you're proactively tracking the financial impact of your decisions, then you are actively becoming the best version of yourself."

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

In episode 12 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares insights from her upcoming book, "Risk Worthy", exploring the concept of risk beyond just numbers. Discover how to evaluate risks in your life and business through a new framework that emphasizes qualitative outcomes.

Tune in to discover how to navigate the complexities of risk and make smarter financial decisions.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:18] Evaluating risks in decision-making.

[00:03:46] Risk-worthy decision-making framework.

QUOTES

• “Risk Worthy is a type of action that we can all aspire to as we navigate the complexities and uncertainties of our lives.”
• “Sometimes the investments we make will cost more time and money, but it would have been worth it if it still lead us to our best possible selves and our best possible futures.”
• “Decisions shouldn't be driven by fear of loss or feel of failure.”

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

In episode 11 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen welcomes tax strategist Tony Hoong, the Founder and CEO of The CPA Dude, as he shares insights into the biggest misconceptions about taxes, emphasizing that they don’t have to be a dreaded obligation. Instead, he explains how taxes can be used strategically as a wealth-building tool.

Tune in for valuable insights on how to navigate tax season and make smarter financial decisions for your business.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:21] Tax misconceptions and wealth building.

[00:04:48] Ideal clients for tax strategies.

[00:06:44] Decision-making and risk framework.

[00:10:35] Investing in coaching programs.

[00:14:11] Powerful tax strategies for clients.

[00:18:50] Common tax strategy mistakes.

[00:20:47] Value of investing in quality.

[00:25:26] Relationship building in finance.

[00:28:56] R&D expenses tax reversal.

[00:34:09] Taxes as a financial weapon.

[00:35:40] Reasonable compensation and audits.

QUOTES

• "The tax is actually going to be like a weapon if you know how to use it." -Tony Hoong
• “That human aspect of working between the client and the tax strategist or tax planner is a key piece of what they're paying for.” -Laurie Chen
• “A lot of real estate folks, and after a while, like once they kind of get good at it, it also becomes like a game to them, just like entrepreneurship.” -Tony Hoong

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Tong Hoong

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecpadude_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecpadude

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

The CPA Dude: https://thecpadude.com/

In episode 10 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen shares exciting updates about her journey, including her upcoming book titled "Risk Worthy," set to be published in 2026. Laurie dives into the complexities of decision-making in life and business, introducing her unique risk-worthy framework that goes beyond conventional wisdom.

Tune in for insights that can help you make smarter financial choices and move forward confidently in your entrepreneurial journey.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:04 - Introduction to Built by Margin

00:00:27 - Episode 10 and Guest Acknowledgements

00:00:49 - Upcoming Guests for July

00:00:59 - Mid-Year Reflection

00:01:11 - Announcement of Upcoming Book: Risk Worthy

00:01:32 - Overview of Risk Worthy Framework

00:02:04 - Conventional vs. Risk-Worthy Approach

00:02:27 - Defining Risk-Worthy

00:02:49 - Subscribe and Follow the Journey

00:03:00 - Closing Remarks

QUOTES

• "What makes something risk-worthy is its ability to create the best version of yourself and your best possible future."
• “The conventional wisdom is that what makes something risk-worthy is that the potential upside justifies the uncertainty.”

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Risk Worthy: https://www.riskworthy.co/

In episode 9 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Samuel Crane, President & CEO at Desert Rivers Credit Union, and Franchise Owner of Cinch I.T., as he highlights the importance of financial planning, the lessons learned from startup capital, and the balancing act of growth versus profitability.

Tune in to learn about the intersection of finance, technology, and community impact.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:02:25] Startup capital for new businesses.

[00:06:39] Growth vs. scaling in business.

[00:10:33] Custom core software in credit unions.

[00:15:01] Tough business decisions with friends.

[00:19:22] Hiring a CPA early on.

[00:24:28] Global expansion.

[00:27:17] Mind shift in business growth.

[00:32:31] Underrated financial growth metrics.

[00:35:01] Love for the backcountry.

QUOTES

• "Always get more startup capital than you think you're going to need… And so you have to learn how to balance risk with what regulators are comfortable with." - Samuel Crane
• "It takes a lot of time to troubleshoot. So... You've got to buy back your time as the founder or the CEO, and you want to spend your time on the things that actually makes the business money." - Laurie Chen
• "And talk about a mind shift. If you're ready for it, I would just say, be open-minded about some of the concepts because sometimes the whole idea around scarcity versus abundance, that one took me some time to get around." - Samuel Crane

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Samuel Crane

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samuelcraneceo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sam.crane.35/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-crane/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

Desert Rivers Credit Union: https://www.desertriverscu.com/

Cinch I.T.: https://cinchit.com/

In episode 8 of Built By Margin, Laurie Chen interviews Byron Wolfe, a Certified Public Accountant and Founder of The CFO-AF, as he shares his insights on the importance of combining tax strategy with Fractional CFO services, emphasizing how understanding both sides can lead to significant savings and increased business valuation.

Tune in for insights on optimizing cash flow and navigating the complexities of financial strategy.

TIMESTAMPS

[00:01:07] Tax strategy insights from experience.

[00:05:34] Tax strategy and fractional CFOs.

[00:10:15] Fractional CFO's relationship building.

[00:14:13] Maximizing startup valuation strategies.

[00:17:13] Augusta rule tax strategy.

[00:19:14] Tax strategies for business owners.

[00:22:23] Tax strategies for business owners.

[00:27:03] Tax strategy vs. prep and file.

[00:31:31] P&L vs. Balance Sheet Importance.

[00:33:36] Smart business growth insights.

QUOTES

• “Everything is manual. You've got to understand that from the ground up. And so it's about the level of commitment, the level of insight that you have into everything that's running in the background so that you can inform the strategic direction of that company that you're working with.” - Laurie Chen
• "It's amazing how much you will learn from a business failure over a business win… The wins are way more enjoyable, of course, but you learn a lot from things that don't go well, and you learn what not to do." - Byron Wolfe
• "Everybody should be aware of the exit or the potential exit, because if you're ready for the best exit, you probably are operating at the highest level of profitability and efficiency possible." - Byron Wolfe

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Laurie Chen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriechencpamba/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauriechencpamba

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriechen/

Byron Wolfe

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_cfoaf/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByronAnthonyWolfe

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byron-a-wolfe-cpa/

WEBSITES

Built By Margin: https://www.builtbymargin.com/

Advanced CFO: https://www.advancedcfo.co/

CFOAF: https://www.cfoaf.com/