Flight Financial

Flight Financial is an outsourced CFO firm that helps professional service providers have growing, profitable, and successful businesses. https://www.flight.financial/

Founder & Chief CFO

Cadilus

•  Cadilus is a managed service and consulting firm founded to bring Fortune 500 finance and analytics to the middle-markets. 
•  The Company's strategy is to merge finance, analytics, and best-practice management systems into innovative capability offers that enable customers to make better business decisions. 
•  The Company leverages technology and delivery process excellence and innovation to offer exceptional value at an unprecedented pace.
•  As a Manager, I was responsible for leading several client engagements and my key tasks centered on the following core service offerings – 
(1) Financial Modeling & Forecasting, 
(2) Performance Measuring & Reporting, 
(3) Business Planning & Budgeting, and 
(4) Business Analytics & Insights.

Manager, FP&A Services

AmeriLife

Summary:

• Provide direction, coordination, oversight and execution of all phases of acquisition analysis and due diligence to ensure consistency with company strategy, commitments and goals.

• Support the firm’s Corporate Development function through management of research, due diligence, financial analysis and development of presentations for initiatives across the company.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the CEO, CFO and other senior Corporate Development executives in strategic and financial analysis for acquisitions and key business initiatives. 

• Research and assess transaction opportunities. 

• Build valuation and financial models. 

• Communicating the business case for proposed acquisitions, particularly the strategic alignment, market context, business analysis and financial justification. 

• Manage the due diligence review of target acquisitions. 

• Identify risk issues that impact transaction value and engage the right resources to address. 

• Meet with stakeholders and provide status updates; clearly communicate issues, potential risks, and mitigation plans. 

• Serve as liaison with target acquisitions and internal subject matter experts to clarify due diligence requirements and ensure thorough follow through. 

• Consolidate due diligence reports from subject matter experts; Distill and summarize relevant information for Senior Executive team. 

• Identify due diligence issues and work with legal team to resolve issues in the transaction documents.

Manager, Corporate Development

Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP

• Participate in buy-side and sell-side financial due diligence engagements with both private equity and strategic corporate buyers 

• Perform (i) quality of earnings, (ii) working capital and (iii) debt and debt-like items analyses 

• Analyze the financial operations of the target companies and identify issues that may impact the purchase price 

• Understand and evaluate financial and operational trends of target companies 

• Lead diligence meetings with target company management team 

• Communicate due diligence findings in a formal report 

• Supervise senior associates and provide performance review feedback 

• Develop and maintain strong client relationships/project management 

• Manage multiple tasks/projects at a time

Manager, Transaction Advisory Services

MetLife

• Worked in MetLife's Corporate & Other Segment Controllers Group. 
•  Served as Controller for start-up businesses within MetLife, primarily the Expatriate Insurance Business (Life, Health, LTD).

Controller, Expatriate Business, C&O Controllers Group

Crosstree Capital Partners, Inc.

• Crosstree is a Healthcare-Focused Investment Bank Providing Mergers and Acquisitions
and Financing Advisory to the Diagnostics & Tools, Drug & Medical Device Outsourcing, and Healthcare Providers segments of the Healthcare industry.

Investment Banker

Silverwood Partners

• Provided financial and strategic advisory services to TMT and Healthcare companies in connection with M&A, divestiture, and private financing transactions.

About Silverwood Partners

Silverwood Partners is a specialized investment bank that provides merger & acquisition advisory services, private capital financing capabilities, and financial and strategic advisory services to public and private companies worldwide in the TMT, healthcare, and consumer sectors.

Vice President Investment Banking

Liberty Savings Bank

• Coordinated several client projects and internal initiatives across multiple offices in different states

Associate, Investment Services

Is your business booming💥but your bank balance barely pays your bills?😭I can help.😎I'm a fractional CFO for founder-owned, self-financed businesses seeking more money, more time, and more peace. | DM me for details 🚀

👋 Lawyers & Fellow Professional Services Firm Owners,

Are you buried in billable hours, but your bank balance barely budges?

Want to grow, but lack financial and strategic guidance?

Do you seek freedom over your time and income?

I started my own firm, Flight Financial, to gain autonomy over my time and earnings. 

🛫 Why 'Flight'? Because it symbolizes freedom, momentum, direction, and raising your firm to unprecedented heights.

Today, I’m committed to guiding you towards experiencing that same sense of liberation and clarity for your firm.

My clients work 40 hours or less per week and have profits in excess of $500,000 per year, without financial unknowns and stress.

At Flight Financial, we have a 6-step One Clear Path system for your firm that will give you the roadmap to that lifestyle.

Within the first 30 days you’ll have a bulletproof plan in hand to gain at least a 2x return on our service in the first year - the sky’s the limit!
 
✅ Here’s How I Elevate You:

➡️ Craft a Clear Profit Path: We’ll give you actionable next steps to achieve transformative results for your firm.

➡️ Seal Profit Leaks: We’ll stop your firm from being a leaky bucket of profits.

➡️ Amplify Marketing ROI: Waiting years for marketing to pay off is a thing of the past. Every $1 of marketing should be generating at least $3 of billable hours for your firm this quarter.

➡️ Optimize Staff ROI: Start earning at least 3x what the lawyers on your team cost you.

➡️ Simplified Financial Mastery: No convoluted jargon, just tailored insights. Each month, you’ll get an easy-to-understand 1-page scoreboard that will clearly show you what’s working and what needs improvement in your business. No need to look at boring or confusing financial accounting statements.   

As a fellow professional services firm owner with 15+ years in finance, accounting, and diverse business collaborations, I deeply understand your aspirations and your challenges. 

I've aided professionals, from lawyers to marketing agencies, in nurturing businesses that thrive, boost profits, amplify cash flow, and resonate with their unique definitions of success.

Ready to soar higher in your firm? 

Let’s get on a quick call to see if we’re the right fit for each other.

Book your free “Right Fit” call here: https://calendly.com/flightfinancial/right-fit 🚀

Brian Zapf, CPA

San Miguel Writers' Conference

Empowering the San Miguel de Allende Writers' Conference to achieve new levels of success through targeted lead generation strategies. My coaching and expertise will expand the conference's reach and ensure its continued growth as a premier literary event.

Advisory Board Member

EdSales Elevation Experience

Are you an education entrepreneur seeking a predictable lead generation system guaranteed to bring in 5-10 high-quality leads per week? 🙌🏼

Do you want a hands on experience building your own lead generation engine to improve your pipeline and bottom line?

If yes, I’m so confident my EdSales Elevation Experience (3E) will transform your business that I’m GUARANTEEING you book your first five sales calls, or I’ll continue working with you for FREE until you do.

So what is 3E? 💡

3E is an intimate group coaching experience. In just 90 days, we will build a scalable lead-generation system leveraging email marketing and LinkedIn lead-generation engines that guarantees a steady flow of leads and books 5-10 sales calls EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. ✅✅✅

Once you sign up, I’ll coach and support you directly alongside other incredible education business owners, edtech founders, AI innovators, and e-learning entrepreneurs. When you partake in 3E, you’re building a lead-generation engine AND doing it with like-minded education game-changers.

What separates 3E different from other lead-generation programs?

Great question! There's about a 99.999% chance you spent countless hours trying to grow leads for your business. 3E is different in that it's a complete system encompassing EVERYTHING required, in the right order, to build a lead generation engine. 

How does the process work?

We use a signature 3 Stage Process:

1.	EVALUATE: Use the Client Clarity Blueprint, Instant Credibility Booster, and Raise Your Hand Formula to find the right clients for your business. 🧐
2.	ELEVATE: Leverage our Signature Solution Secrets, Lazer-Targeting Strategies, and Appointment Booking Scripts to turn prospects into leads (and leads into clients!). 🚀
3.	ENGINE: Implement our Three Success Amplifiers and the Automate and Scaling Roadmap to book 5-10 sales calls per week! 🏎️

So what do you say? Want to come along for the ride? If so, please send me a message. I can’t wait to hear from you! 👊🏼

Founder | Lead Generator | Coach

JoshChernikoff.com

👀 Are you facing difficulties understanding your ideal client?
😩 Is your education company having a hard time getting off the ground? Or maybe you've been around a while and the business is just growing stagnant?
📈 Are you looking for a transformational sales process that will generate hundreds of leads and revitalize your bottom line?

As an ed tech, ed sales, and entrepreneurial thought leader within the education space for nearly 20 years, I've worked with hundreds of thousands of students, superintendents, and educational partners and have realized several key areas where both well established and startup education companies struggle with lead generation. They don't have scalable, sustainable solutions and are relying on obsolete methods like networking and referrals.

✍️ What I can offer through my self-designed course, the "EdSales Elevation Experience," is a scalable lead generation system rapidly raising your education company’s relationship quality and revenue streams in as little as three months. Think 800+ leads within a matter of weeks! So whether you are just starting your education business or are already well established, consider me a coach and advisor as you continue your journey.

My course will also help you identify answers to common questions like:
1. Who is my ideal client?
2. What value can I add to attract my ideal client? Or retain my existing?
3. Why would a superintendent or K-12 leader want to buy what I am selling?

If this sounds appealing, I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn and highly encourage you to sign up for my EdSales Elevation Experience course.

🙏 One key client realized a 36% increase in revenue through sales pipeline optimization and CRM implementation
💰 Another raised $1.4MM in VC funding 
🏆 Altogether, I have helped clients generate 100,000+ leads to facilitate successful educational partnerships
 
My question for you is what are you waiting for? Your revenue and leads can only go up from here. 👍

Strategic Advisor | Educational Consultant | Brand Builder

University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education

•	Sponsor the most prestigious and well-funded education business plan competition of its kind.
•	Evaluate and judge innovative, purpose-driven ventures addressing systemic inequities in education.
•	Award $10,000 to one of seven finalists for their work advancing innovation, impact, and equity in worldwide education.

Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition Judge

Started

•	Serve as an ongoing mentor and judge for StartEd cohorts, helping accelerate education innovators in the K-12 space.

Mentor & Judge

How I Broke That

•	Discuss key topics on building, breaking, and rebuilding ideas, businesses, and industries from an entrepreneurial perspective.
•	Interview entrepreneurs and idealists as they share their achievements, mistakes, and successes.

Show Host

Breaking The Grade

•	Hosted by Josh Chernikoff and John Gamba, Breaking the Grade is a thought-provoking podcast that follows entrepreneurs in the education space as they make their way to the top. 
•	Tune in for stories about breaking norms, introducing new ideas, and shaping our future society through every lesson learned.

Overtime Athletics

•	Led business venture to acquire Overtime Athletics franchise in 3 regions, an enrichment organization serving 50,000+ K-8 students nationwide.
•	Transform educational businesses and local schools by delivering extracurricular activities for K-8 students.
•	Partner with schools, PTAs, and educational facilities to offer best-in-class programming options.

Franchise Owner

Flex Academies

•	Founded and built an educational services and tutoring company, growing platform to 85 schools in 6 states while serving 100K+ students; achieved 21% revenue growth in 2019.
•	Developed Flex Academies Student Growth Toolkit™, including before/after school care, enrichment programs, camps, and back-up care; expanded enrichment marketplace to 500+ providers with  252 unique offerings in 2019.
•	Orchestrated innovative and cutting edge educational strategies, resulting in 96% retention rate and 104% 3-year annual growth in student population.
•	Generated $500K for partner PTAs and school districts through comprehensive fundraising efforts.
•	Delivered 6,000+ enrichment scholarship hours to date.  
•	Realized a 72% CAGR between 2015 and 2018 with consistent revenue growth since inception.
•	Constructed Enrichment Edventures, a partner company employing teachers nationwide to help extend their school day and earn supplemental income through various educational initiatives. 
•	Spearheaded development of online platform within 4 months while pivoting 100% in-person services to fully online.
•	Successfully sold and transitioned company operations in May 2021.

Founder

Ashley Tutors

•	Pioneered and grew D.C. area tutoring company, innovating a human powered matching system to facilitate impactful student-tutor relationships; successfully sold company to an EdTech LLC.
•	Grew services to 1,200+ families across the region, achieving recognition on NBC4 News and WUSA9 News.
•	Managed 65+ high-quality tutors with 92% percent of staff graduating from Top 100 universities and 82% possessing graduate degrees.
•	Partnered with Wednesday’s Child, Center City Public Charter Schools, and Linkages to Learning to expand service.
•	Fostered a data-driven environment to assess student success rates, track outcomes, and monitor goals.

📉 Is your education business struggling to gain traction?
🤔 Are you having a hard time pinpointing your ideal client and how to gain their business? 
🤩 Do you want a dialed in sales process to attract new clients and transform your bottom line?

Having worked in ed tech, ed sales, and entrepreneurship for the better part of the last 20 years, I've witnessed firsthand from clients, consultants, and thought leaders that they can no longer rely on the old methods of networking and referrals to win new business. It’s not a sustainable nor scalable solution to CONSISTENTLY attract their ideal clients. 

🤑 However, there is an alternative that requires no sales collateral, no glitzy website or pages, and no fancy marketing schemes…And can generate 800+ leads in only 4-8 weeks!

👨‍🎓 I’ve been in thousands of schools and helped hundreds of thousands of kids in the K-12 environment and have realized several key areas where business leaders struggle with lead generation in ed tech and ed sales: 

1. Understanding your client – who is the ideal client for your business?
2. Establishing your credibility – what value added can you bring that makes you a good fit for your clients?
3. Dialing in your sales process – why would a superintendent or K-12 leader want to buy what you're selling?
4. Becoming an influencer - how can you take the pieces identified in 1-3 to influence others and become a thought leader?

To solve these problems, I designed the EdSales Elevation Experience to help you not only answer these questions but to put in place a repeatable, reliable system rapidly raising your education company’s key stakeholder relationship quality and revenue stream in three months.
 
If you are still reading, I'd love to connect with you. Please click the connect button and tell me how I can help you. Next, sign up for my EdSales Elevation Experience course to gain an advantage over your competition. 📈

✍️ One client saw a 50% improvement in deal traveling over the sales funnel 
💰 Another realized 82 new meetings and 72 warm deals in the pipeline! 
🏆 A third gained 19 leads of five to six-figure potential clients within weeks!
 
Will you be the next to add your name to the list?

Josh Chernikoff

🎉 Last LinkedIn Live of 2025 — Don’t Miss It! 🎉 

It’s been a year full of breakthroughs, wins, and “aha” moments for education founders. Deals were closed, pipelines grew, and clarity turned into real impact. 

But the most powerful part? Seeing the human side of growth: the doubts, the overthinking, the hesitation… and the moments when founders pushed past all of it to actually make things happen.

🚨 This Thursday @ 1PM EST, we’re closing out the year with John Gamba, Director of Innovative Programs at Penn GSE, joining us LIVE to reflect on the lessons that mattered most in 2025 — and share how you can enter 2026 with clarity, confidence, and momentum.

We’ll celebrate the transformations this year, revisit the strategies that turned ideas into signed deals, and give you a practical blueprint for making next year even bigger. 

This session is your chance to:
✅ Reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) in founder-led growth
✅ See how clarity, messaging, and execution turned hesitation into high-performance results
✅ Step into 2026 ready to generate pipeline, attract clients, and scale impact

If you’ve ever doubted whether you’re making the right moves, or felt stuck wondering how to close more deals, this is your year-end reset — before 2025 slips away.

📍 Streaming LIVE Thursday @ 1PM EST → 

https://lnkd.in/d9YnkkTy

See you there!

I help companies in education build Lead Generation Engines that book 12-20 highly qualified sales calls a month through my 12-week EdSales Elevation Experience | Milken-Penn GSE Competition Judge | StartEd Mentor

Wrapping Up 2025: Gratitude, Lessons & Momentum for Education Founders

Education founders, this is our last LinkedIn Live of the year. 
It’s been a year of breakthroughs, deals closed, pipelines grown, and lessons learned, but also doubt, hesitation, and the moments founders pushed past fear to make things happen.

Thursday @ 1PM EST, I’m going LIVE with John Gamba, Director of Innovative Programs & Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Penn GSE to reflect on 2025, celebrate wins from the 3E community, and share how to start 2026 strong.

🎥 Join us LIVE on Thursday @ 1PM EST

#BreakingTheGrade #EdSalesElevationExperience #EducationFounders #FounderCommunity #Reflection #Wins #GrowthMindset #EducationLeadership

Wrapping Up 2025: Gratitude, Lessons & Momentum for Education Founders

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The Battle

Brian Zapf, CPA

Josh Chernikoff

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