Helene Dina explains the difference between winging it and winning when it comes to building investor relations.
Every public CFO knows the importance of building a strategic investor relations playbook when taking their company public.
The problem? Most only realize how much after hindsight kicks in.
As someone who has built IR programs for IPO-bound companies, I’ve seen the difference between CFOs who “wing it” and those who “win it.” Here’s what the winning approach looks like.
- Your numbers alone don’t speak for themselves
Strong financials aren’t enough. You need to articulate a cohesive investor narrative that explains not just past performance, but how you’ll deliver growth going forward. Your equity story should clearly reflect your long-term strategy, how your competitive advantages position your company to win, and it should be memorable and easy to repeat.
2. Your disclosure framework is your flight plan
Once you’re public, it’s hard to rewrite it mid-flight. When drafting the S-1, it’s tempting to cherry-pick disclosures, but they may not be the same KPIs you want to disclose on a quarterly basis after your company becomes public. Align your disclosure framework early – before the S-1 locks you into KPIs you may regret reporting every quarter.
- Earnings guidance shapes your management culture
Guidance isn’t just about managing Wall Street expectations. It can influence product release dates, sales cycles, and internal accountability. Get clear on your earnings guidance framework before you go live. This is why when working with IPO clients, we make sure to explicitly write down together a guidance policy and build a guidance model as part of the full earnings preparation test run prior to going public.
Key points include:
- Earnings guidance
- Building Investor confidence
- Board and CEO expectations
Read the full article, Don’t wing it: 5 investor relations lessons CFOs wish they knew before an IPO, on hd-strategies.com.