From Corporate Finance to Fractional CFO: Ramona Cedeno’s Journey Building FiBrick
Ramona Cedeno, CPA, CFP®, and founder and CEO of FiBrick, shares her path from immigrant daughter to fractional C-suite partner for growth-stage startups. She opens up about leaving corporate stability, building a firm from a single email, and the personal crisis that reshaped her resilience and leadership philosophy.
Key Insights You’ll Learn:
Founding FiBrick in 2015 with one email and no client list
Hiring first employee after just six months as a solo practitioner
Fractional CFO services for companies generating $1M-$10M in revenue
Capital readiness as a business lifestyle, not a one-time checklist
Why misaligned financial stories kill otherwise fundable companies
Reading financials to find pricing gaps, overspending, and margin compression
Combined CPA and CFP® credentials informing personal wealth planning for owners
Working with tech, professional services, distributors, and nonprofits nationally
Overcoming fear of public speaking through Toastmasters and continuing education
Using AI for data analytics, content creation, and client financial analysis
Ramona’s Key Mentors:
Her Mother: Instilled responsibility, leadership by example, and family-first values
Time Inc. Finance Team: Built foundational accounting and reporting discipline over 10 years
Handy Leadership: Showed firsthand what founders need most from a financial partner
Rebecca (Former Colleague): Encouragement and practical advice that sparked pursuit of public speaking skills
Early Clients and Referral Network: Taught her that lost clients are replaced by two more
Don’t miss this conversation about building a firm from scratch, what capital readiness really means, and how one immigrant woman turned fear into a platform.