"If you were a member of Jesse James's band and people asked you what you were, you wouldn't say, 'Well, I'm a desperado.' You'd say something like, 'I work in banks,' or 'I've done some railroad work.' It took me a long time just to say 'I am a writer.' It's really embarrassing."
Roy Blount, Jr.
The Frustrated CFO comment:
The reason I think this quote belongs in this blog is not because I consider myself a writer. No. I find that it is just as difficult for financial executives of small companies to explain who they are, as it is for gangsters or for writers. The general public is not very educated about organizational structures. They associate the title of a CFO with sinister characters of newspaper articles targeting troubled public companies. If you say, "I am a CFO," the next question is usually about the name of the company. It's like they expect a household name in return. People don't realize that there are millions of companies in this country. And even less people understand the essence of the Controller's position. So, when the new manicurist (plumber, mover, mechanic, taxi driver, etc.) asks the obligatory question, "What do you do?" many of us resort to answers like "Corporate finance," or something of the sort, in order to avoid additional explanations. Who cares if the person you are talking to assumes right away that you work on Wall Street?
The Frustrated CFO 