Episode 34: Catherine Dahl – Building Beanworks, Scaling to $100M, and Creating Freedom Through Leadership
The Freedom Experience with Jean Moncrieff
<p><strong>Catherine Dahl</strong> is the former CEO of Beanworks, a fintech company specializing in accounts payable automation. Under her leadership, the company scaled from early struggles to a $100M exit. Today, she focuses on supporting early-stage fintech companies and mentoring women entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>🎥 <a href="https://youtu.be/BFQvsq_sYKk" rel="nofollow">Watch this conversation on YouTube</a><strong>, and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!</strong></p>
<strong>Key Topics Covered</strong>
<ul>
<li><strong>From Accountant to CEO:</strong> Catherine’s unconventional path to leading a tech company and the lessons she learned as a non-technical founder.</li>
<li><strong>Building a Growth System:</strong> How systems like Metronomics helped Beanworks scale from $300,000 to $7 million in recurring revenue.</li>
<li><strong>Core Values in Action:</strong> The transformative impact of aligning leadership and team culture with core values.</li>
<li><strong>Navigating the Exit:</strong> Lessons from selling Beanworks for over $100 million and transitioning to life beyond the business.</li>
<li><strong>Advice for Founders:</strong> The importance of hiring the right leaders, creating clear accountability, and focusing on what you do best.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Key Takeaways</strong>
<ol>
<li><strong>Systems are Essential:</strong> "You need a growth system if you want to scale fast with the least amount of pain."</li>
<li><strong>Culture Drives Success:</strong> Embedding core values into hiring and team processes ensures alignment and builds a thriving company culture.</li>
<li><strong>Hire for Growth:</strong> Finding the right leaders who can scale with the company is critical—“It took me seven tries to get it right.”</li>
</ol>
<strong>Memorable Quotes</strong>
<ul>
<li><em>"Freedom means choice—the ability to make decisions about how you spend your time, money, and energy."</em></li>
<li><em>"If your core values aren’t baked into your hiring, you’ll struggle to create alignment."</em></li>
<li><em>"The right team and the right systems are the key to scaling without unnecessary pain."</em></li>
</ul>
<strong>Links & Resources Mentioned</strong>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dgsclarity.com/cohortcoaching" rel="nofollow">CEO & Leadership Team Cohort Coaching</a> with Catherine Dahl & Matt Dion</li>
<li>Learn about Beanworks: <a href="https://www.beanworks.com" rel="nofollow"><span>beanworks</span><span>.com</span></a></li>
<li>Explore Metronomics: <a href="https://www.metronomics.com" rel="nofollow"><span>metronomics</span><span>.com</span></a></li>
<li>Book Recommendation: <a href="https://a.co/d/gZdtH8D" rel="nofollow"><em>Steve Jobs</em> by Walter Isaacson</a></li>
</ul>
<strong>Actionable Takeaways</strong>
<ol>
<li>Create a scorecard for every senior hire to ensure clear expectations and accountability.</li>
<li>Bake core values into hiring and onboarding processes to strengthen your culture.</li>
<li>Use systems like Metronomics or Scaling Up to bring clarity and structure to your business strategy.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you enjoyed this episode, please <strong>subscribe</strong>, share it with your network, and leave a review. For more on building high-performing businesses, visit <a href="https://www.jeanmoncrieff.com" rel="nofollow"><span>jeanmoncrieff</span><span>.com</span></a>.</p>