I often reflect on the moments that challenge business owners to grow and I wonder what traits, skills or resources got them through. My conversation with Mary-Frances Winters on my latest LinkedIn Live Series was one of those moments—full of lessons about leadership, navigating tough times and most of all, resilience. (Watch the Interview Here)

Mary-Frances Winters, CEO of The Winters Group, Inc. (TWG) is a foremost thought leader in the DEI space and author of multiple books on the topic.

During the Live, we discussed how she built a financially stable company over the past 40 years, how she has created her internal culture, and how she has navigated the evolving landscape of diversity, equity, and inclusion within workplaces and the larger society.

During our chat, we delved into some pressing topics facing businesses today.

✅ (6:35) The challenges and strategies for a DEI consulting business to thrive in today’s shifting environment.

✅ (8:15) Strategies for onboarding and retaining talent that aligns with your company’s values.

✅ (11:40) The importance of distinguishing billable vs. non-billable time in professional services companies.

✅ (25:00) Succession planning in family-owned businesses, as Mary-Frances navigates her own transition—her daughter is now COO and stepping into leadership while also pursuing her PhD.

But what stood out to me most was how Mary-Frances leveraged childhood lessons, data, commitment to her values and family to stay resilient. 

Here are a few key takeaways.

✅ Data and Systems Builds Resilience Our FinCore CFO’s helped Mary-Frances’ team put a time tracking system and process in place so they could better understand how employees were using their time. We were able to track critical data over time (billable vs non billable hours) that helped Mary-Frances make tough employee decisions.

✅ Culture Builds Resilience A strong team culture with low turnover has been a cornerstone of Mary- Frances’s longevity, ensuring continuity and stability.  As the company’s CFO, I have had the opportunity to witness how she interacts with her team—how she refers to them (not as employees but as team members), her respect for their contributions, and her commitment to creating a supportive environment.  She even collaborated with her team members and published a book entitled “Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change”.

✅ Smart Advisors Build Resilience  Mary-Frances very wisely invests in consultants and advisors to help her navigate business shifts like sales and succession planning. Having a fractional CFO with a patient and holistic approach to financial management has been instrumental in sustaining the company’s financial health, even during tough periods in her industry.

✅ Childhood Lessons Builds Resilience Mary-Frances credited her childhood money lessons, particularly around saving and managing cash flow, as a foundation for her resilience. She emphasized the importance of maintaining strong cash reserves to weather challenging times.

Hearing her story made me reflect on what resilience means for small businesses. How can we, too, build the systems and relationships that enable us to adapt and thrive, no matter the circumstances?

What has allowed you to remain resilient this year?

As we approach the new year, it’s the perfect time to take stock of our own businesses and consider if we are set up for resilience in the face of uncertainty.

A Question to Ponder:  Do you have the right team, advisors, and financial strategies to keep moving forward?

-Tricia

Tricia Taitt is the CEO and Chief Financial Choreographer of FinCore. She holds an M.B.A from The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University, and a BS in Economics with a Finance concentration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. For over 20 years, she’s been a finance professional. Half of the time was spent working on Wall Street while the other half was spent in the trenches side by side with small business owners. As a result of working with FinCore, clients have been able to take control of their numbers and feel more confident in their ability to make decisions, while increasing profits by 10% and building a cash stash to invest in growth. Follow Tricia on LinkedIn and Instagram.

If you’re ready to see what our team of CFOs can do for your small business, Schedule a Financial Strategy Session.