Hire a CFO? Or use AI?
A hands-on online workshop for small business owners. Part of NSW Small Business Month 2026.
Most small business owners don't have a CFO. They have a bank balance and a bad feeling.
Hiring a CFO is a six-figure decision. AI promises to do the job for free. The truth sits somewhere in between, and this session will show you where.
This isn't a lecture. It's a working session. Join with your laptop and your numbers, and you'll leave with a budget you built yourself, plus a way to get CFO-style answers whenever you need them.
What we'll cover
What a CFO actually does, and the parts AI can now handle
Getting your numbers out of Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks into a shape AI can use
Building your 12-month budget live, at your pace, on your business
Asking AI the questions a CFO would answer: cash flow, margins, pricing, what's changed
Stress-testing scenarios: losing your biggest customer, a hire, a price rise
Using AI to find practical ideas to grow the business
General models like ChatGPT and Claude vs specialist finance AI tools, and when to hire a human
What you walk away with
A 12-month budget you built and understand
The prompts and setup we used, so you can repeat it any time
A clear view of when AI is enough and when it's time to hire a CFO
What to bring
A laptop (not a tablet), login access to your accounting software, and your last 12 months of profit and loss. No accounting software? Bank statements work too.
Who it's for
Business owners doing roughly $1m to $20m who want to understand their numbers better. Trades, retail, services, allied health. No AI experience needed.
Your hosts
Hayson Lo, Managing Partner at Antwise Consulting, Co-Founder Safra
Kevin Sampath, Co-Founder Safra
Run sheet (60 min)
0:00 Welcome, and hire a CFO or use AI?
0:10 Getting your numbers ready
0:15 Build your budget
0:35 Ask it like a CFO: questions, scenarios, growth ideas
0:45 General AI vs specialist finance tools vs a human CFO
0:50 Q&A