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Bona Allen was never a country doctor\u2014but he recollects feeling like one at one point in his finance career. Or, rather, being paid like one. \xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0

By the early 2000s, Allen had served in multiple CFO/controller roles, a series of consecutive appointments that from time to time had led different Georgia business owners to seek out his financial advice. \xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0

These discussions\u2014which frequently focused on raising debt\u2014opened his eyes to opportunities in the realm of financial consulting.

\u201cOften, I\u2019d be engaged to raise debt for specific deals\u2014a couple of clients were in the renewable energy sector, and then there were other deals involving big equipment,\u201d recalls Allen, who notes that it was not uncommon to have his consulting fees structured as a \u201csuccess fee\u201d or a fee contingent on the success of the deal.

Still, the owner was always expected to pay a small fee up front to cover some expenses, explains Allen, whose portfolio of clients would geographically grow beyond the greater Atlanta metro region to frequently send him to the state\u2019s outer reaches to meet clients.

It was from one such client visit in northeast Georgia that Allen returned home with a couple of cartons of fresh eggs.

\u201cMy wife was like, \u2018So now you\u2019re getting paid in eggs?,\u2019\u201d remembers Allen, who recounts the story when asked to identify experiences that have influenced his mind-set as a finance leader.\xa0

He observes that the experience of being face-to-face outside of a traditional business environment with people tackling debt and other business challenges left a lasting impression.

Says Allen: \u201cThe lesson that I learned there was stay humble because it\u2019s the chicken farmers and the manufacturers and the people who often don\u2019t work in a high rise who keep this country going.\u201d \xa0

It\u2019s mind-set that certainly any country doctor would understand.\xa0\u2013Jack Sweeney