Investor Relations as a Strategic Weapon: A Masterclass

When it comes to investor relations, an organization’s communication strategy should be a key instrument to support its business strategy. While this may seem obvious, so often we get this wrong. In this episode, CJ hosts a masterclass on investor relations with Samuel Levenson and Jon Neitzell of the Arbor Advisory Group, focusing on the strategic role of IR in driving company valuation. They cover what “audience opportunity” really means and what to do when you've attracted the wrong investors. They talk about metrics, KPIs, and OKRs, plus why management credibility and conveying conviction can make or break your IR strategy. They also discuss what has changed in the IR profession over time and what hasn’t (but probably should) before suggesting changes you can make to drive impact immediately.

If you're looking for an ERP, head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.

—

SPONSORS:

Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows—without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Trusted by companies like Linear and Runway, Pulley helps turn ownership into a strategic advantage. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: pulley.com/mostlymetrics.

Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities to automating painful procurement workflows and giving you the best market data to turn vendor negotiations in your favor, Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn how.

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.

Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.

Tabs is the AI-native platform automating contract-to-revenue for fast-growing finance teams. Whether you're working with custom terms, usage-based pricing, or hybrid sales models, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and late-night deadlines—giving you clean, automated revenue data from contract to cash. Companies like Cortex and Statsig trust Tabs to streamline invoicing, rev rec, and cash application. Find out more at: tabs.inc/metrics.

Rippling Spend is a spend management solution that handles your entire company’s spending in one unified system. It enables you to bring your corporate cards, expense management, bill pay, and more into one place to achieve real-time visibility and uniquely granular control with automated policy controls across every type of spend. Get a demo to see how much time your org would save at rippling.com/metrics.

—

LINKS:

Samuel Levenson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samlevenson/

Jon Neitzell on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-neitzell/

Arbor Advisory Group: www.arboradvisorygroup.com/

CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222

Mostly metrics:

http://mostlymetrics.com

—

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(03:10) Sponsor – Pulley | Tropic | NetSuite

(07:53) How Your Communication Strategy Should Support Your Business Strategy

(10:38) Why You Should Speak to Different Investors Differently

(12:11) Defining “Audience Opportunity”

(15:24) Sponsor – Planful | Tabs | Rippling Spend

(19:18) What To Do if You Have the Wrong Investor Base

(22:16) Management Credibility and Conveying Conviction

(25:01) Metrics Your Investors Should Be Measuring

(32:42) The Metrics That You Should Disclose Versus Guide To

(35:45) The Science of the Story Versus the Art of the Story

(38:54) Actively Versus Passively Managed Assets

(40:50) Working Back to the OKRs That Drive the KPIs

(46:58) Why the IR Profession Hasn’t Changed Much Over Time

(51:11) The Shift in Communications in Recent Years

(54:05) Why Production Quality Is Important for Earnings Calls and Investor Days

(58:25) How IR Job-Related Technology Has Changed

(1:00:07) Changes To Make To Drive Impact Immediately

(1:04:23) “Data Transfers Conviction”