Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, GoDaddy’s CFO, Mark McCaffrey, shares his morning routine and how he starts each day.
Be sure to check out the entire 6 a.m. CFO series,and if you’d like to be considered for a future post, please email us here.
GoDaddy
- Domain name registrar and web hosting provider
- Year founded: 1997
- Number of employees: Nearly 6,000
- Revenue: $4.6 billion — up 7.5% YoY
MORNING ROUTINE
Weekday wake-up time: I like to get up early, normally by 5 a.m.
Morning beverage choice: A simple cup of black coffee, no cream or sugar.
Non-work-related morning activities: I start my morning with a quick workout, either Peloton, tennis or light weights.
Workday start time: I first sign on at around 5:30 a.m. and clear anything urgent from overnight before my workout. Getting an early start gives me time to check in on the key trends empowering entrepreneurs globally to start, grow and scale their businesses.
How I usually spend the first hour of my day: After my workout, I enjoy my cup of coffee, check in with my team, review customer trends and prepare for any meetings during the day, including any pre-reads. I also have CNBC or Bloomberg on in the background to stay updated on market developments.
Time I send out my first email: My first internal Slack messages go out at about 5:30 a.m. At around 7 a.m., I go through my emails and will typically send my first email around 7:30 a.m.
Best advice for writing an effective email: Keep it short, sweet and lead with data. You need to get to the point of the email in 10 seconds.
First dashboard I review: Our customer dash that monitors our financial pacing and operating trends.
How I structure my morning meetings: I try to save the mornings for internal meetings with my GoDaddy finance leadership team.
Mid-morning snack of choice: I’m a pretzel guy.
Tell us about a morning that didn’t go as planned: Honestly, my mornings rarely go as planned, but I have a great team that knows how to adapt and pivot fast. Agility is one of our core strengths, and my team absolutely crushes it.
INSPIRATION AND LEADERSHIP
Favorite quote or mantra: “Strength and honor” or “…taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse — if you’re comfortable doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.” — Ted Lasso
Another is a Theodore Roosevelt quote. The Man in the Arena inspires leaders to have courage and persevere through challenges on their journey: “It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Favorite leadership lesson: The CFO role now requires both financial expertise and emotional intelligence to engage stakeholders, respond to disruption and deliver value. My approach is to lead with purpose and connect authentically. Real leadership is not about titles — it’s about emotional connection.
Something important to know about me that you would not know from my business bio: I was born in the South Bronx of NYC, and I am a loyal Yankees fan. My parents’ first date was to a Yankees/Red Sox game in Yankee Stadium.
Favorite number: GoDaddy has about 20 million customers, so that is my favorite number right now!
Most noteworthy item in my workspace: Autographed Mariano Rivera photo. The ultimate closer — his attention to detail and relentless pursuit of perfection inspire me to push myself to be better every day.
Do you have a pet, and are they with you right now? Yes, we have an 80-pound yellow Lab that we adopted from Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Favorite app on my phone that is not related to business: DoorDash
Most influential or famous person you’ve ever met: I have been fortunate to meet and work with many influential people from John McCain to Kristi Yamaguchi, but most recently I had lunch with Jamie Dimon.
Most inspirational people in your life: I have been blessed with an amazing wife, two amazing parents and the greatest family ever. All of them have inspired me.
