“You Don’t Grow in Comfort”—Why Patrick Coggins Said Goodbye to a High-Paying Career

Cut The Tie Podcast with Thomas Helfrich

From Finance to Founder: Rebuilding with Purpose | Patrick Coggins

Patrick Coggins, founder of CFO's Domain and co-founder of Gen9 Leaders, joins Thomas for an insightful conversation about legacy, leadership, and the hard decision to leave a successful career to build something better. Patrick shares how cutting ties with comfort and tradition allowed him to create a firm driven by purpose, experience, and impact.

About Patrick Coggins:

Patrick is the founder of CFO's Domain, a finance executive search and consulting firm. He’s also the co-founder of Gen9 Leaders, a leadership advisory practice that helps companies reshape culture and performance. With a background in public accounting and over 20 years in corporate finance, Patrick now builds values-driven teams and sustainable business systems.

In this episode, Thomas and Patrick discuss:

• Cutting the Tie to a Comfortable Career
  Patrick shares what it took to walk away from a thriving W-2 job and the emotional moment he knew he had to create something of his own.
• Why the Right People Change Everything
  He talks about how his firm prioritizes deeply experienced talent over volume hiring—and how that changes outcomes for clients.
• Lessons from Both Ends of Culture
  After working at one company that over-indexed on mission and another that had none, Patrick built a firm centered on practical, purpose-driven values.
• Building While Raising a Family
  Patrick opens up about launching a company while raising three kids—including the chaotic early days of balancing fatherhood and entrepreneurship.

Key Takeaways:

• Excitement Beats Passion
  Find the work that excites you consistently—it’s more reliable than chasing fleeting passion.
• Don’t Underprice Your Value
  Just because you can charge less doesn’t mean you should—know what your expertise is worth.
• Your Tools Are Relationships
  Start with mentors, hire better people, and never undervalue the human element.
• Safety and Honesty Build High-Performance Teams
  Psychological safety and a clear framework for tough conversations drive better culture and outcomes.

"You don't need to memorize a mission statement to build a great company—you just need to live one."— Patrick Coggins

CONNECT WITH PATRICK COGGINS:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickcoggins
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/patrickgen9

CONNECT WITH THOMAS:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich/
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